The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1848-08-23

be warranted in calling such inhabitants as
have described "a people," lhave no time al
lowed me to argue this question. | shall take
it for granted that gentlemen who step forth
to argue such questions know something
at least, that when the occasion indicates the
necessity of doing so, they will look into the
books and learn something. How many in
dviduals buying tracts Of land in the pub
lie domain would constitutes people? How
close together should they reside to constI-
tute them one people7 How far apart 10
make them two peoples? How many peo-
pies might they erect themselves INTO with
in given circumference-say two hundred
mile square and each group declare itself
absolutely independen, Of the others?
In the second place, the word territory is
term ofgeography, used by the trainers OF
the Constitution in that sense. as synonl-
nous with public domain. The word will
be found in the Constitution in the singular
number, not as descriptive Of any defined
and limited region of country, coincident
with sphere of political jurisdiction, but as
applicable to all the public lands verywhere
in all their detached parts and fractions.
But in the language of the day, it is used as
a political term indicative of a certain form
and condition of society, with established
jurisdictlonal limits, within which, by con-
slructive ownership and eminent domain,
the people there have the right TO make and
enforce law. In short, sir, according to the
argument Of certain gentlemen, territory
means State, a commonwealth. When
our forcfathers made reference 10 any por-
ton ofterritorv marked out for settlement
and political organization, the word "dslricl"
was invariably made use of-the same word
that is applied to the seat of Federal Gov
ernment- term by .lhe-by that would new
er have been applied to community, sup
posed to possess the power Of sclf-regula-
ton.
In the third place: This people it is said,
have right TO manage their own "nternal
afairs"-D govern themselves. Now, sir,
it is here assumed that all affairs internal to
their supposed limits arc their affairs. No
one has any rights there but themselves.
True, we. the people the United States,
are the owners of 80 acres in a hundred
of all the lands there, and the inhabitants
could have emigrated thlher only by our
laws, and have acquired nothing beyond the
fragment of land that each one severally oc-
cupies. We are the owners Of all intcrme-
date tracts separating one settler from all
other, and of all the region cncompasslng
them about, to an indefinite extent And
f0'' ",'s", upo'I 'tSS p,r%.."oS ar =, ,h, ~ ns
come the owners ot lew acres, al q noii''-
nal price, or probably no price at all, they
assume to qualify our title to all The rest; to
afflx conditions To its purchase and occupa-
ton: to determine what shall be the state OF
human society on all the rest; to rePel us,
the owners, upon political test; to practlse
sort of naturalization system, to tho exclu-
sion of part ofthe righ,iul owners OF the
soil, they arc said to be doing nothing more
than managing their internal affairs. Sir,
is it not manifest that in excluding the peo-
pie ofthe South from the public lands. the
settlers would be assuming t" do more than
manage their internal affairs! They would
undertake, thereby, to determine their ex-
,ernal relations to the United States, and to
subject their ownership oflhe public lands
to terms and conditions that did not orlg-
naly attach to it. .
But, sir, to take brief general view OF
the subject. It's an essential part OF peo-
pe or commonwealth that it possess GER
tain geographical limits. 1t must constitute
it an independent State, it must be capable
of maintaining its limits and excluding all Ju.
risd :clions it has no, consented to admit. 1t
must also, and most especially, have the pow
er of preserving its own unity and lndlvlsI-
bilnv. to prevent its own subdivision and dis
solution. How will your colonlsts or settlers
stand when tried by these tests! Suppose
one settlement. where would be the author
i,y TO cocrcc it? Which would be supreme
over the other? Who would define and
settle the question Of boundary between
them?
In the Oregon country there is a colony
ON the Willamette river. lis whole occupa-
cy is not greater than 80 miles square. Ore
gon is about 700 miles square. Has this
colony jurisdiction throughout the whole re-
gion! Are all the "affairs" internal to that
region their internal affairs? Does their d.
mnu,ive "self" fill all the land with their Ju.
risdctionl Ifno,. what is their compass and
extent! How far beyond the border settle
ments! Are their boundary lines straight
or crooked! Suppose the United States
should draw line tight about them, could
they burst the ligaturc? They might be re-
duced to triangle, quadrangle, or a cir
Gle. A line might be run through the md
die, sundering them into two colonies;
What would be the consequence? Would
they, like the polypus, propagate by dlvlsl'In;
and for each sundercd sovereignty, would
two juvenile spring up!
In this same territory of Oregon there is
- o,,Io.,o,, an Puoct sound. about