Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-04-25

sacrifice Of all business in Congress II is an
'amphibological bill, stuffed with monstrosities,
hobbled with contradictions and Badgered
with proviso.
Amphibology il q cause for the rejection Of
bills not only by Congress- but by the Presi-
dent, whom carried TO him for his approval.
Gen. Jackson rejected one for that cause and
IL was less amphibological than this it was
the last night OF the last day Of his last admin
istration and quarter before midnight. Con-
gress had sent him . bill to repeal tho specie
circular, and to inaugurate the paper money
Of thousand local banks as the currency OF
tho Federal Government II was an object
not to be avowed, nor to be done in any direct
or paipablc manner. Paraphrases, cicumlo-
cution, ambidexterity, and ambiguity, We're
necessary to cover the design; and 1t was piled
ON until il was unintelligible. The President
read il, and could make nothing of it.: he sent
10 his Attorney General, who was equally puz-
zled. He then returned it, with message to
the Senate, refusing to sign the bill for ampbi-
biology. We should reject this bill for the
same cause, if for nothing else. Hard is the
fate Of party fealty. 1t has to keep up with
tho ever. changing measure Often have these
bills changed and under every phase they had
to be received as 9 test Of orthodoxy; and have
more changes to undergo yet and to continue
to be a test under all mutations.
And, now, what is the object of this move
mont, which 10 disturbs Congress and the conn
try? What does it propose to accomplish To
settle principle, is the answer--the principle
of non-intervention and the right of the people
of the Territory to decide the question of slave
ry for themselves. Sir, there is no such prin-
osv,Ia No. he obs ne ha
States. They are minors, under age, and it is
the business Of the States, through their dele
cations in Congress- to take care Of them until
they are Of age--nntil they are ripe for State
government; then to give them that govern
mont, and admit them to an equality with their
fathers. That is law, and has been 80 admit
ted since the first Ordinance in 1874 The
States in Congress are the guardians Of the
Territories, and are bound to exercise that
guardianship, and cannot abdicate it without a
breach Of trustand dereliction Of duty. Why,
sir, tho territory itself is the property of the
States and they do with it what they please
permit it to be settled, or not, as they please );
cut it up by lines, as they please; sell or give
it away, as they please; chase white people
from it, rs they please. This has been always
the case. There is proclamation now extant
Of the old Congress of the Confederation, de-
scribing the first settlers in the Northwest Ter
ritory as disorderly persons" and ordering
them to be driven off by the military. | re-
member many such military expulsions in the
carly settlement Of the Western country, often
executed with severity; burning houses, cutting
up corn, destroying fences, and driving off the
people at the point of the bayonet, and under
the edge of the sabre. As late as 1886,
and after the extinction Of the Indian title to
Al a.
were given to the then colonel OF dragons
commanding on that frontier, the now Senator
in Congress, HENRY DopGE to expel the people
from that purchase; orders which he executed
in condolences and mercy, going alone, explain
ing his business, and requiring them to go
away; which they did, like good and orderly
people; and when he was gone, came back like
sensible and Industrious people, and secured
their prescriptions. Not only settled but Or
ganized territory has been 30 treated by the
Federal Government, and worse-the people
driven of, and their homes given away. This
happened in Arkansas, in 1928, when twelve
Thousand square miles of her organized terrific
ry was given to the Cherokees, and the people
driven away. Why, sir, this very line of SO
deg. 80 min, with all the territory ON one side
of II, and two degrees on tho other side, were
given away to the King of Spain. This has
been the seventy years practice Of the Govern
ment-to treat the Territories rs property, and
the people as uninvited guests, to be entertain
ed, or turned out rs the owner Of the house
chooses Fine sovereigns, these chased off by
the military, and their homes given to Indians
or Spaniards
The whole idea Of this sovereignty is q nov
city, secuted from Congress when it first APP
peared in the Senate contradicted by the Con-
stitution, and the whole action of the Govern
mcnt in all times; and contradicted by the
bill itself, which is to secure It, The provs-
ions of the bill are a burlesque upon sovereign
ty. IL gives to the people, instead Of receiving
from them, an organic act. And what an or
ganic net One in which they are denied
every attribute of sovereignty. Denied free
dom of elections denied freedom Of voting;
denied choice Of their own laws; denied the
right Of fixing the qualifications Of voters SUBJ
jected to q foreign supervision and controlla-
BILE by the Federal Government, which they
have no hand in electing and only allowed to
admit, and not to reject, slavery. Their sovcr-
eighty only extends to the subject Of slavery,
and only to ono side OF that--the admitting
side the other half Of the power being held to
DO denied by the Constitution which is extend
cd over them, and which according to the
reading of the supporters of this billy forbds
any law to DO made which will prevent any
citizen from going there with his slaves. This
is sqnatter sovereignty, non-intcrvention, and
no power to legislate in Territories upon sla-
very. And this is called a principle-the prin-
eiple Of misunderstanding the people
alone TO settle the question Of slavery for them
selyos. How settle it? That can only be done
in an organic act; and they have no such act,
nor can have ono till they make Constitution
lation, which settles nothing and produces
contention at every election. Sir, this princi-
pie Of non-intcrvcntion is but the principle of
contention-a bone given to tho people to quar-
rel and fight over at every election and at
every meeting Of their Legislature, until they