Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser., 1845-06-21

The message Of Gov. Chambers, SEATING
his reasons for withholding his assent from
the bill authorizing lsSote to be taken on
the constitution at the August election, will
be found in our paper of to-day.
The Hawkeye Of last week, before see,
ing the message, expressed the conviction
that the objections Of the Governor were
based upon the same grounds assumed By
il and the other whig prints Of the Terri
tory, viz: that the Legislature did not pos
|sess the power or right to pass such an act;
but in this it would seem it was little too
fast. Instead Of denyiag the right, the Coo
trnor fully and erplicialy comedies It; and it
is to this fact that we wish to direct the
attention Of our readers. Hear what he
says:
"There is no constitutional provision or
established usage which should restrain a
territorial legislature from directing polls
TO be opened for the purpose Of ascertain
ling the will Of the constituent body in re-
lation to the adoption or rejection of any
proposition for forming constitution, or
adopting it after it had been formed, or to
decide upon the terms imposed by Congress
upon their admission, when that power has
been reserved by the constitution, or con-
ceded by Congress. The right to SO leg
islate being admitted, the propriety Of re-
submitting the constitution to the people
aby whom it has been so recently rejected,
is between the people and their represen-
tatives; and the justification of it can only
be found, in the acknowledged fact that q
great, if not decisive influence was pro-
duced, resulting in the rejection of that in
strument, by supposed connection be-
tween it and the question Of boundary
This concession literally knocks the sand
from under the feet Of our contemporary
and his allies, and leaves them nothing te
stand upon. They pass the message BY
without comment upon this portion Of it,
and we do not wonder that they do So
The whig members of the Legislature, who
vociferonsly declaimed against the power
in their speeches, and, in weak and
peurileprotest, which they spread upon the
journals, utterly denied the right of the
majority to pass such a law, were lost in
amazement at the admissions Of his Excel
lency; and some ST them, we are told, who
had made speeches designed to immortalize
their names, came to the conclusion not tc
write them out. Having made asses Of
themselves, they were astonished to dis.
cover that Gov. Chambers Felt no desire te
be classed among the long-eared tribe. The
Hawkeye, when it supposed Gov. G. would
follow in its train, and veto the bill on the
kground that its passage would be a usurpa.
Stion of power, professed to entertain very
Thigh regard for his opinions as q constitu-
stional lawyer. Now that the decision of
this "eminent constitutional lawyer" is ad.
verse to the ground assumed by the party
friends Of his EScslsiaey, IS it the opinion
Z of our neighbor th.,v'his opinisns ara .nti.
etled to less weight? We should like t
fhave an answer.
1 The discrepancy between the provision,
of the constitution and the acquisitions d
the act'of the Legislature, as pointed out By
b the Governor, does exist, but we appre.
hend all difficulty in relation to the subiec
can be obviated BY Congress in the bill ad
mitting us. Any and all amendment.
which Congress may make will subsequent.
$ly have to be acted upon in some prescribed
manner by the Territory, and in this way
5they will become part and parcel Of tn,
CONSTITUTION itself. At any rate, we ar.
ktruly glad that the constitutional maiorit,
twas obtained for the bill, after its veto, fol
1--WE believe sincerely that majority of tn,
2people desire an opportunity to adopt th.
CONSTITUTION.