The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1850-06-11

I
ing themselves in country without laws
may make laws for themselves, aud to suit
themselves. But ia doing this they must
take care not to infringe the rights of the
owners and proprietors Of the soil. IT. for
example, one hundred or one thousand
American citizens should find themselves
thrown on an island belonging to Great
Britain, uninhabited and without laws, such
citizens, from the very necessity of their pc.
sition, would have a right to make laws for
themselves. But in doing this, they have
no right to say to her Majesty's subjects in
Scotland yOu may come TO this island with
your property, and TO her Irish subjects Vo,t
shall not come with your property They
have no right to set the proprietors at def
ance, or to make insulting determinations
between proprietors holding one species of
property and those owning another species
of property. No such power would be at
all necessary to their self-government, and
any attempt to exercise it would Justly be re-
garded as an impertinent attempt to assume
the supreme power, when in fact they were
mere tenants at will.
If the people of California, who had been
left by the unwise and grossly unjust NON
ACTION OF Congress without law and with
out government, had confined themselves TO
making their own laws and regulating their
own domestic affairs in their own way,
certainly never should have raised my voice
against their acts. But when they go fur
theF, and assume the right to say what shall
be the privileges Of the owners and proprie.
tors of the soil-when they take upon them
selves to say to the fifteen Northern States,
] your citizeus mag come here with their pro-
perty, and to the fifteen Southern States
your citizens ShoU not come here with their
property, they assume, in my judgment, a
power which does not belong to them, and
perform an act to which the South, if she
would maintain her rights ought not to
submit
Attempts have been made to draw par
allel between the conduct of our revolution.
ary fathers, who claimed the right to legis-
late independent Of the British Crown, and
that OF the Calitornans, who have assumed
to set up an independent government of
their own. When our fathers set up an in.
dependent government they called it yevo-
I~taon, and if the people in California set
up like government, know of no reason
why their conduct shall not in like manner
be denominated revolutionary. Our fathers
revoted and took the consequences; Cali
fornia has right to do the same thing !;
but that she has any other than a revolution
ary right, / utterly deny.
Very distinguished men have assumed the
| hat tl,o- -
the territory reside in the people of the ter
rltory, even during their territorial existence.
Let lis test the soundness of this theory by a
few practical applications. The expression
''the people of a territory" is ono of very un-
certain signifcation as to numbers Itmay
mean one hundred thousand, or it may mean
ore thousand or rone hundred. The question
naturally. presents Itself, when does this
right of sovereignty commence? Is it with
the first man who reaches the territory
May he prescribe rules and regulations for
those who come after him or must there
be thousand or fifty thousand, or greater
or less number before the rights of sover.
eighty attach
Perhaps we are told that the sovereignty
begins when the people assemble to make
laws. Very well; let us put this theory in.
to practical operation. Ten thousand
French emigrants have settled, let us sup
pose, at the base of the Rocky Mountains,
without the limits of any organized State or
Territory of the United States, and they are
without government or laws. They make
laws for themselves, and you acquesce !;
they set up government for themselves,
and you admit their right; they claim the
sovereignty over the territory and set up an
Independent State government, and you ad-
NIT their power to do SO. You expect
them to ask admission into the Union, but
the new sovereignty says no, we prefer in
dependence or we prefer to become an in
tegral part Of the French Republic. What
will you do under such circumstances
Can you force her to abandon her acknow-
lodged independence? Can you force her
into the Union against her will? What
require sovereign to pursue your will and
not her own? This would indeed be revo.
luton.
! If California is in fact, as she is admitted
by some TO be in theory, an independent
sovereignty see nothing which is to pre-.
! vent her remaining out of the Union if she
elects to do SO. see nothing which may
prevent her. if she chooses, allying herself
TO any other nation or country. I know o.
no right by which this Government may
take from her the independence, the sover
eighty which she now possesses, if indeed
she be State without the Union.
}, The tenure by which we hold our terrific
: rial possession is indeed most fragile, if thii
doctrine Of territorial sovereignty can bt
maintained We may expend millions o
| treasure, and pour out rivers of our pures
and best blood in the acquisition of terrific
ries, only 10 see them taken possession OF
} and ourselves turned out, by the first inter
, loper who may chance to plant his foot up
2 on them.
III I am ALWAYS clad OF an ouportnnitv IN Il,