The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1849-05-05

iiiuniti6s Mh3Eh are secured To them by the
solemn sauctio,iS OF law. / he Government
of the L lifted States, when lt invited Its cit
liens To euIigrate To the Territory OF Wis
cousin by the formation oi a temporary 60
vernsneht, must have intended 10 act IN good
faith towards them, lY continuing over them
the provisions If the organic law. Sixteei,
thousand acres u land haye been purchased,
for the most part by bona tide settlers, he
proceeds of winch have gone into your
treasury. Taxed equally with the other IN
habitauts of this Union for the support of
the General Government, they are certainly
entitled To equal privileges.
Sir, IL Is d fact that the Inhabitants Of the
region have the honor to represent, have
always heretofore, sinre the establish r,eut
OF IL Territorial Government for " i.,con,ip.
participated IN the election OF delegate,
and have enjoyed all the rights and inrr,
mites secured TO them by tie organic law.
1t Is equally fact, that .ney have full
county organization, aud form part Of a iu
d'ciai circuit. CongrS IS was bv no means
ignorant oil the ex's.Ins state of things when
the State of W is:ols,n was admitted, for
'nere were iyipg at that time upon the tables
20 o"ti iio'Lses, petitions signed by hun
ureus OF t.ie citizens lying north and west of
"o 81 CtoiX river, praying that they might
s'ot'.e tncldded within the limits of the State,
oit snt cred To euloy the benefits of the Ter
.rItoriai Government. The region north aud
visit of Wisconsin contains an area of more
than 10000 square miles, with population
OF nearly, It not quite, SIX thousand souls.
Cana proposition he seriously entertained to
disiranchise and outlaw the people? Sir, if
At Is determined that the Territory have
come here 10 represent has no claim 10 such
representation ON the floor Of Congress,
~.
power have sanctioned Il principle wh.cb
VIII scatter all the restraint, or law IN that
region u the winds. For either the Terri
toriai Organization is perfect aud complete,
or 1t has been entreiy abrogated ana an
nuiied. he same AUTHORITY which pro-
V!'te> tor The election at a Delegate, gives
the power 10 choose other officers. All
must stand Or tall together. Ii we have no
organization, as Is cuuteii,ed by the honor
able seniien N from North Carolina, then
have our Judicial and ministerial officer,
rendered themselves liable to future punish
nent tor d usurpatiun OF power. If Il male
factor has been apprehenhed, or debtor
arrested, the officers serving the witt viii
Oe Visiled hereafter with an action tor false
IHprlsonRieut Oar beautiful country will
become a place VI refuge Tor depraveu and
desperate characters from the neisnDurug
and commercial interests ot the Country
will he involved in ruin, and all security
for life and property viii vanish. But,
sir, do not believe that this Committee
will consent TO give Il decision involv-
ing such a train vi evils, and such utter
absardItieS. Not single good reason can
he assigned tor perpetratlng so gross an
outrage upon several thousand citizens Of
the United States, as 70 dlyest them, at one
fell stroke, of all those blessings of ii legal
jurisdiction VI hich they have hitherto enjoy
ed, and that without any consent Or agency
OF their own.
SIR, there are certain fixed principles of
law which cannot be annu!ied by suphstry,
or destroyed by any system. of special r,Ieai
ing ny tir>c cternal ana iiNnlutable max
iuuis, are the duties OF Governments and
their citizens or subjects defined, and their
mutual ana reciprocal obligations are not to
be laid aside, or dispensed with by either
The action OF ali popular Governments aust
he of Il beneficial character To the govern
Ell. The one must protect, the other obey.
The former is charged with the duty of
throwing around Its citizens the safeguards
ut law, while they on their part are bound
to uphold the majesty of that law. Circunl-
stafices OF extreme danger alone can for
moment absolve either from these impera-
tive Obligations. Whence then is derived
= The power Of this Government to cast aside
auy portion OF It's citizens at will? Sir,
when dIsiranchlsenent Is visited by despot-
ic Governments upon their people, it is to
nete out to them the seyerest punishment
which can be inflicted upon n community
49, tor political oHeuces, short Ut actual eXter-
animation. ---~
Sir, the case now before you for your ac-
ton does certainly present some novel fea-
lures. Ii is the FIRST time since the founda-
ton OF this Government that several thou
sand citizens of the United States have been
found suprlicatng and pleading, by their
Representative, that they may not be de-
pr'ved by Congress of all civil government,
and thrust from its doors by forced and
constructive Interpretation of "a law of the
land, which does not in fact bear even re-
motely upon the question. Appeals and
petitions have often been made by those
citizens who, having voluntarily removed
from within the bounds Of u legal jurisdic-
lion, have been DESTROYS thar this blessing
.shuuld be granted them, but not that what
had been soleaniy secured TO them should
not he violently Withdrawn. Sir, the wants
and wishes OF those Who sent me here have
now no advocate on the floor of Congress.
These people have e,nigrared to the remote
region they now inhabit under many disad-
vantages.
They have not been attracted thither by
the Il tier OF mex haustibie gold mines, but
with the same spirit which has actuated all
our pioneers OF civilization. They have
gone there I'd labor with The axe, the anvil,
and the plough. They have elected Del
> egate, with the full assurance that they had
a right so to do, and he presents himself
here for admission. SIR, was this ques-
lion in which the consequences would be
confined to me personally, tie honorable
members of this House would not find me
here day after tay wearyinp their patience