Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-03-26

our constitutional expositors we have all the es.
sentlal elements OF this territorial. power admi.
rabiy compressed into single sentence, and sta
ted with an alytical precision which torbids
mistake. 1t results from the general ground
here taken by Mr. Madison, first, that the right
which IS founded in necessity should be con-
trolled by it, and hence that Congress should ex.
tend to the territories no further control or gov
eminent than that which is demanded by the
most general and indispensable objects of civil
administration. 1t results also that the govern
ment OF the territories by Congress beinga sus-
pension OF the great right of self-goyernment BY
the people OF the territories themselves, is adj
mlsslble only whilst the necessity for it contn-
ues, and should be surrendered the moment that
necesslty-the justifying cause Of it's at an
end 1t is yet further deduction from these
grounds of opinion, though in a much larger and
stronger sense still-a deduction from the W hole
representative duty-that whenever the case
shall arise i'll which the necessity for establish
ing territorial government shall be met and re-
sisted by stronger and ntenser national neces-
slty tor pretermitting it altogether, that in that
case the stronger necessity must be allowed to
prevail, the territorial government be given up.
and the young and eApectant commonwealth in
stantly taken into the family of the States
Whenever, i'll the administration of public af-
talrs, smaller and a larger interest come into
unavoidable conflict with one another, the small
er one must give way. And this is precisely
the state of affairs before lis now,
We have on the one hand, our national safety
to protect-a duty which of all others uuder
Heaven, ii is the most imperative upon us faith
fully and lllfeSibly to perform we have, on the
other hand, a territory to provide with gov
eminent and laws-a duty of far inferior inter-
est, to be sure, but not to be neglected. These
are the respective duties to which we are now
called and though they have often arisen under
the same classification, and have often been dis
charged Ill the past administration of the gov
eminent, yet never before, as we all know and
feel did they enter into and blend so vitally and
so 1ndlssolubly with one another as they do now
In the efforts which we have made to discharge
our duty to the territories, plans of government
Tor them have been offered and discussed here
which have been prolific of little else than pub
lie apprehension and alarm, which thus far have
served only to array one great geographical di-
vision OF the United States against another, and
10 STR up between them spirit OF alienation,
anlmoslty, and teud, as utterly Inconsistent with
the unity OF their political relationship as dan
gerous to the continued maintenance of their
common Interests and common peace.
Iii this gloomy conjunction of affairs a new
plan OF government for the Territories is pre-
sented-a plan OF mediation and of peace; one
Which has no connection with any sectional in
terest OF sectional feeling of any kind hatever:
which stands aside from all that source OF hear-
burning, jealousy, and disturbance, and which,
having no serious constitutional objections to en-
counter, promises, Oh all these accounts, to put
an immediate and pacific end TO most angry,
ihafasslng, and portentoas national dispute
these are It's general aspects. As to it's more
particular ones: what though il be new and un-
tried and awkward what though it consolidate
INTO one political community vast unwieldy,
dlsconne cited, and half-peoped regon-what
though It admits to the immediate enjoyment of
all the rights and privileges of American citizen
ship, thousands OF foreigners W no know nothing
about them-what though it conflicts with our
own preconceived determinations and views up
on this SUBJECT, or rubs peradventure against
any pre-arlanged political culations and hopes
which any OF us may entertain,-what of all
these objections and all others that can be added
to them; making the most of them and the worst
OF lhem-What are they all when gathered to-
gether and piled up to their tormost aggregate
Pelion upon Ossa, but the small dust OF the bal
ance Mhen weighed against-what itmay fairly
hope to accomplish-the pacification and per-
Pe'uai union OF more than twenty millions of
treemen
Lei us remember sir that our business is no
framing the best possible government for a ter
rltory, considered independently and apart from
ITS relations to the Union. Our true business on
the contrary, is the very opposite of this it is
TO provide a government for the Territories,
which, being constitutional and sufficient for
Them, shall at the same time, be best in its pri-
mary reference to the peaceful relations, and
therein to the universal welfare, of the States-
lmr work in this matter is no longer limited to
the Territories, either in It's motives or effects
1t goes, under the force and pressure of events,
to the whole country; it goes to all those vast
and unutterable issues for good or evil which
depend upon maintaining or not maintaining
that country Just as it now is--one powerful,
united whole. 1t is, therefore, emf
nently and above all others, a work with which
no carplng, nor tault-fllding, nor bigoted, hoy
seetlonal nor pettifogging spirit has anything to
do. 1t is one which nothing less than the lar
9est patriotism, earnestly, Loyalty, wisely ope-
rating for the very largest and hottest ends of
public good, can ever adequately or rightly ac-
complish. 1t is work of all for all-of each
part TOR every part-of the entire country and of
entire devotion to that country. And whilst we
to whom it is confded stand here to execute it
as common brotherhood for common good
our ears must be heavy and our hearts hard be-
yond the ordinary lot OF our kind unless we
hear Il feel the voice of our mother land, coming
up over all other voices, and calling upon each
one ofus, in soft and thrilling tones, ':A1y son,
my son. be true to thy trust; be true to me-" He
who, at such moment so responsible to him
sell, so great in its issues to the country that has
honored hirl-h he who, at such moment, is
afraid 70 be good man, has already, to say the
least of him begun to be a bad one.
If gentlemen, Mr.. Chairman, are still tena-
cious of their objections to the plan proposed,
and do not find, in the national difficulties by
which we are surrounded, persuasves enough to
relinquisil them, let us look for amoment to the
peculiar structure of our Governmental use
the language which was employed by General
Washington, as President of the Convention that
formed it, to recommend it to the adoption OF
the people and the States-that Government was
founded In "a spirit of amity and of mutual de-
ference and concession i is, therefore in its
nature and origin and history, and through the
whole range Of its purposes and provisions,
ar pecnliar ,x,ors+ :, :,