Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1848-08-19

nii. though there IL no express gram itithH
constitution to Congress t~o'eglslate ior ting
'Ferritoties. vet this power has been clHint.
cd and exercised under the grant TO ittath
war or To make treaties. or titldpr the stu
mare general and underlined claim Of "gvn-
prsl right Of sovereignty" existing IN thh
Government Tor nearly hall a century. u
has been affirmed by the Judiciary by the
Executive. beginning with Mr.. Jefferson
and ending with Mr.. Polk, and by both
Houses Of Congress ttp n thia present ses-
sion, The rnW Of 10 establish Terri ortel
governments IL firmly established. Indeed,
when You ba We acquired Territory by treaty,
lie government is an i~nsepmrahle and mr.
epssafy incident, and 0Iteniitnns a treaty
Stimulation. which thereby becomes. If not
insonsistpnt with the constitution aud laws,
pne ofihe supreme laws of the land. when
yp,t have usirped the power to bring IN
these territories. their government ny Cob.
sress hprotnes a necessity, IN the treaty
with Mexico we have guarantiPd to The
inhabitants of The conquered territories thr
protertion for their liberty, property, and
ltke free exercise of their religion. The
exercise Of ihis power has been acquipsFnd
In by the people, because 1t was wisely
and we'll uzed because the power had not
been tsed to defeat uf deprive any pUtti5n
nj the people IF their just rights, Tbefe-
fore no Questions has been raised o. setilad
sa 10 the extent of this power Beihg IN
implied power, its use is restricted 10 na-
~cpssary purposes; therefore il cannot he
used 10 take away any constitutional right
from the States or the People. Then
s,trely II will not be tontended that It cau
tairly he used h. destroy that eqltulity:uf
riuht which exist Among the States NJ this
! Union, Dr directly NJ indirectly 10 npbrnrri.
ate the cotnmou property Of all the States
10 the exclusive use Of half of thefnst For
the government Of dependencies owned hy
the United States. at the adoption; Of the
ton~ titutiunA no specific grant 81 power was
necessary. The permisstve occupants Of
the public domain have no right If cell
government. Ownership OF wild ahd Till
appropriated lands gave the right tu cxtIu-
| siye Legislation to the owners and this
Government. as The agent at the Crtnrion
owners, authorized TO manage the proper
~, has necessarily the right Of prescribing
the conditions Of settlement, until The ti,na
arrives at which the settlers were to he
admitted by the constitution tn equal rights
with nII The other members Of The UniBh.
This power of Government was restrict
ed. by It's very nature and objects, 10 the
adoption o rFurh a system as would secure
equal enjoyment to all the citizens Of the
sovereign States who owned the public
domain. Therefore, any condition to set
Element declaring that thing not to he pro-
perty, capable Of being transferred and ttsr,l
Oh the public domain. which any one 81
the sovereign owners held by law to he
property, and capable of being thus Used
and cuIyed, violated this restriction, Ind
Is a usufpation. The Cove utnent of nnn.
1uercd countries, though not provided for
by any grant OF power, when assunfd Ivy
the common agent. mttst be goveried by
the same principle. 1t Ia, therefore. the
duty oil Congress go 10 tge its power oil
abrpgatiug the laws Of the conquered pro.
vineeB as 10 nake them conform 10 this
great principle. Sir,ypu may rest assured
that any other eNprciBo. -ot it viii be M
sternly resisted by The people of the slave
holding States as was the unjust Legislation
Of Great Britain by your fathers and ours.
The boon may he worthless, but its Sur.
render involves our honor, We ran per-
NIT no Determinations against our section
or our institutions in dividing out the COIN.
mon property Of the republic. .As these
rights are important, they ARE not 10 be
abandoned OF surrendered 10 the decision
of conquered ~vassals, OF battered away in
Presidential elections, ...T.... #~H.
This insidious proposition orGeu, Casr
Is n~otpnly treaohery TO the South. but to
the North also Il Involves Il surrender, not
only Of rights, but oil duty, and a surrender
Of both into the power and custody of those
whose history proves them To he weak and
inbecile. pusillanimous and corrupt. The
Northern statesman, equally withiho South,
ern, betrNys his section by the adoption d
thtg su%atcriuge. Hhis section and mine
have both claims and rights IN reference tr
ibis territory, shall he and | hasely ahon,
don them TO those whom his constituents
and mine have made ignoininiousIy 10 pass
under the yoke' Shall we, the colnntou
representatives Of a great, a free, ,snd q
powerful people, bound together by a com.
mon ancestry by political brotherhood, BY
lcommon interests, and an iudissoluhhn des,
tiny, bascly, distrust each other, and shrink
from the performance of those duties @hich
deyolve upon us, and place the right 81
our constituents in such hands as, these
Patriotism farhids It, national honor i5rbids
il; and, If we attempt 1t, the millions 81
freemen in this great republic will forbid
Il. and drive US from the public ~conAcils
place their great Interests into tho keeping
Of worthter hands aud Drawer hearts
Il is true, we of the Wing pntty differ,
and di1er widely, upon some of these ques.
tons, but we adopt no fraudulent platform,
10 conceal this difference, While we maj
all maintain our opinions with 6rmness, |
trust We shall do so with the temper and
morderation worthy Of the Importance and
magnitude of the interest at stake, We
have not brought this great evil upon the
Republic. Northern Wigs and Southern
Wigs have stood together, and hattled
shoulder 10 shoulder without a dissenting
voice, from the beginning OF this uufortu-
uatc controversy 10 the present moment
against The weak and wicked policy which
brought this evil upon us, and against ac-
Qnisitjons by conquest. Our c%ountrymeu
uobly responded TO cur efforts, not only BY
sustaining us, but by vindicating ourpolicy
in oyerhrowing The large majority Of seven.
y in this House in the War Congress, and
neurnInga majority in THIS Congress a.