The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1848-07-19
MR.. wOopwARD's SPEECH. e.

The Washington Union gives the toliowhis
abstract Of late speech of onr Repfesentaasse
on The Territorial Question. - y y
Mr.. Woodward then obtaining the Hl"r, at.
Ter a few preliminary mards. declared, hls.pur
nose 10 examine the question Of the relations
bet@rsn this goserntnel and the terr,orlrs.-
This question was very broad one. 1t in.
wolves FIRST, the question of the powers OF this
sorertinent over the territories; src"ndly, the
auestion N the f,nN.prs Of the inhabitants "t the
terfiforiss to legis'ate for themselves; andthttd
~, ,zthe question t'ftAe efficacy If eSfs'fns laws
E,dnH In the territories. 1t would TIC d'f1cn''
10 dfstass either afthese questions on const'tn'
taoaial grounds in less than an hour ot ,'me; ne
wdtid I've forced, therefore, then. to conhne MN
self,o a mere skeleton of ofargument. he on.
served, also that he took no interest in this
ouestioo.- any further than it was calculated to
sfees the Substantial rights and interests OF the
Sanh.s He cared little fir abstract questions
without practical bearings; aud therefore, with
oot attempting any careful connrxion between
paragraph and paragraph, he would proceed 10
bis, conclusion. s's. So .'.
ssWhh reference to the proposition that the peo-
pie 6fa'Territory possess the inherent right 10
regulate all its interest, as they are connected
with the interests of all other communities.
I'VE aretnkl that the people ofa Territory
possess the right to manage their own internal
Affairs in their own way. There was more
lurking suphistry in this declaration, perhaps
than in any other phrase Of the same number
Of words nOn iis face il contains as much 'ad'
capiandum' as any other phrase that can he
quoted for the right Of seEgovernment. But,
exceptswe repudiate all political science, no one
can pretend that he is by any authority author.
ized.ta speak ofthe Inhabitants ola territory as
apeohle. 7sa =
The word territory" in the constitution OF
tbee eeU1iied7 States, is used as mere geograph-
icsliefn. synonymous with ''public land" and
being in the singular number, is applicable to
alF public lands, whether south or north ot The
Ohio river But now, here in this house this
cord has come to be used in a political sense,
and 10 be taken as descriptive Of certain con.
dition' Of society invested with certain powers
under which they claim to enac: and reverse
lass. The word .'district" was formerly used
"a oiadieate 1he condition Of society which the
word territory is now made to represent In
the ordinance of l7s7, the word district was
applied to the territory Northwest Of the Ohio
river; and Mr.. w raised the question whether
this world could haze been applied to sove.
SeirS jnfisdicfi6nl- LIQUID have been regarded
hs ihe convention OF that day as a fitting word
s6sdsnats people possessing 'hc right ofself.
sov6ryInientI 5sqgs sii s&'---l'E'!'....' '-'.
s.i,af agsin: We were told that these people
ofihs territories have right to control their
owninternal affairs; and it is assumed that there
ars no affairs in territory bu, internal affairs.
Aud at the same ti,ne il is admitted that the
United States own ninety nine acres out Of eve
rsb,mdred ofthe land; vet no affairs are intern.
al in such territory but the internal affairs OF
the settlers. They claim to set up exclusive
jurisdiction. They would ever exclude us by
making a condition 10 our ownership ot the soil;
ny saying what shall hc the condition ot society
there; by establishing sort OF naturalization
systam.by which to admit whom they please,
audto subject us, the owners ofthe suil, To some
sort of testupon which we may eni"y our own
property. Yet. doing all this, they are but
managing their own internal affairs. 'a. .tf
b=Mr. ~. gave the example Of one of the set
dement's in the Territory of Oregon tor illus
tration. The extent OF the settlement was
ahoat thirty miles square,. The extent OF the
whole region Of Oregan was about seven bun.
dred miles square,. Should the authority OF
this settlement extend orer the whole region!
orif ao,. how far. What should be the shape
Of the area over which it might Rave jurisdic-
toni Or suppose Congress to divide this re-.
zion into two territories; could the authority Of
the se.tlemet break down the linel He argued
that the, sovereign community must br uaty'
capable ofpreserving itself in state OF indiVls'.
billy. 80 n..a ,is ri ..l
In this region of Oregon. there were three set.
Elements. Where was the authority 10 prevent
one of these cammrniiies from setting itself up
and claiming to control the actions am Interests
of ihe other twol' Or suppose Congress shall
pass Law organizing them altogether as one
peoples and they set about establishing local
constitution; could they erect Themselves into
sovereignty with a territory less extensive than
that determined by Congressl lfthey attempt.
ed il, such, boundary would be only as mere
fight in ths air, Congress might shape their
territory and make It triangular or quadfangu.
lar, without remedy on their part.
MIR. w. then produced the authority of Mr..
Madison, in the .Federalisi," to show that Con-
gress, in legislatng for the Territories had over
seaPe their Constitutional limits by the npccssi
ys0E the case. The same paper which he
read from tthc "Federalist'') characterized this
feSisiaHoh as tasR 'nPoseu upon SonS'ess'-
Mr.smadson, in the convention, made il az an
shjecfion 10 the new constitution that 1t legal.
zed this power of Congress. Authority like
that ofi M. Madison was not to give way before
amerei philosophical deduction from the Drcara.
tiad Of Independence, or Tom. Pane's Rights
ofman.- The Declaration of Independence it.
selfwas nothing more than revolutioncry pro-
nunciamenio-a brilliant and glorious one it
was, hut nothing more. II emanated from an
association Of men who were composed of