Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1854-05-19

This has been the seventy years practice Of !
the Government, TO treat the Territories as
property and the people as uninvited guests, !
to be entertained or turned out, rs the owner
Of the house chooses. Fine soveregns these
chased off by the military, and their homes
given to Indians or Spaniards! The whole
idea of this sovereignty is novelty, secuted
from Congress when it first appeared in The
the whole action Of the Government in all
time; and contradicted by the bill itself which
is TO secure it.
The provisions Of the bill are a burlesque
upon sovereignty. 1t gives the people, in
stead Of receiving from them. an organic act!
One in which they are denied every attribu-
te of sovereignty. Denied freedom of cleo
tors; denied freedom Of voting; denied choice
of their own lawsi denied the rights of fixing
the qualification of voters; subjected to for
eign Supervision and coutrollable Ivy the Fed
eral Government, which they bad no band Ia
electing; and only allowed 10 admit, and not
to reject slavery. Their sovereignty only ex-
tends to the subj .ct of slavery, and only to one
side of tbat-tbe admitting side; the other
half of the power being held to be denied by
and which according to the reading of the
supporters Of this billy forbding any law to
be made which will prevent any citizen from
going there with slaves. This is squatter
sovereignty, non-ntervenion, and no power
to legislate in Territories upon slavery! And
this is called principal, the principal Of non
intervention-letting the people alone to settle
the question of slavery,for themselves. How
settle it? That can only be done in an or
ganic act; and they have no such act nor can
have one till they make constitution for a
State government All the rest is legislation,
which settles nothing and produces contention
at every election. Sir, this principal Of non
intervention is but tie principle of contention
"A bone given to the people to quarrel and
ight over at every election, and at every
meeting of their Legislature, until they be
come a State government Then, and ther
only, can they settle the question.
For seventy years-since, the year 1884
when the organizing mind Of jefferson drew
the first terr torial ordinance--we have uni
form method of providing for the governmen
of Territory, all founded upon the clause il
the Constitution which authorizes Congres
to dispose of and make rules and regulation
respecting the territory and other property o
the United States. This mode fgovernmen
has consisted of three grades, all founded il
the right of Congress to govern them. Firs
! grade, Governor and judges. appointed b,
: the United States to adop, laws from othe
States to be in force until disapproved b,
Congress. Second grade, a Territorial Leg
islature, when the inhabitants shall amour
TO five thousand men above the age Of twen
) ty-one composed of a council partly appoint
ed by the United States, and House oI Rep
resentatives elected by the people, at the rat
of one representative for every FIVE hundre
t votes, its legislation subject to the approval Q
Congress. Third grade, entrance on th
State government, in full equality with tn
other States. This is the way these Terrific
; ries have been governed for seventy years
. and am for adhering to it.
+ And now what is the excuse for all this dis
= turbance of the country this breaking up {
, ancient compromises; arraying one half of tn
o Union against the other, and destroying til
d temper and business Of Congress? What
= the excuse for all this turmoil and mischief
r. We are told it is to keep the question of sli
9 very out of Congress! TO keep slavery OF
+; of Congress! Great God! 1t was out
5 Congress, completely, entirely, and forevt
s out Of Congress unless Congress dragged
i in by breaking down the sacred laws whc
settled it. The question was settled and don
: with. there was not one inch of territory
e the Union on which 1t could be raised wtho,
r, breach Of a compromise. The ordinance
e '67 settled it in ali the remaining part of Il
e Northwest Territory beyond Wisconsin; Il
r, compromise line of SO deg 80 min. settled
S in all country north and west of Missouri
Y the British line, and upthe Rocky Mountain
IS the orgaic act of Oregon, made by the pc
n pie, and satisfaction by Congress, settled it
e that region; the acts Of the government
N Utah aud New Mexico settled it in those t,
N Territories; the compact with Texas, dete
ID mining the number of slave States to be forr
,e ed out of that State. settled 1t there and G;
lie ifornia settled it for herself Now whe
d was there an inch of square territory with
ot the United States on which the questi,
a could be raised? Nowhere! Not an incl
y The question was settled every where, n
y merely by law, but by fact. The work W
'e done, and there was no way to get al the que
y ton but by undoing the work No way
rs Congress TO get the question in for the pu
e. pose of keeping it out, but to break doy
'e the compromise which kept it out.
g What advantage do the slave State expe
y, from this bill? Certainly they expect the G
m tension of slave power and slave populate
-r That may prove falIaoious expectation. 7
y question Of slavery in these Territories,
e thrown open to territorial action, will be
g question Of numbers-a question of the nj
le jority for or against slavery; and what chan
er would the Shareholders have in such CO
test? No chance at all. The slave emigrar
c. will be outnumbered. and compelled to pl
y at a most unequal game, not only in point
e numbers, but also in point of stakes. T
!. STAKEHOLDER stakes his property, and has
y run it off, or lose it, if outvoted at the POI
:; | see nothing which Shareholders are to ga
ID under this bill-nothing but an unequal al
$, vexations contest, in which they are TO
y losers.
N l deprecate such contest. and did n