Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-10-10
JrOR THE ENQUIRER.
Is SQUATTER SOVEREIGNTY IN THE Ne
u 4 I

S0rrrrirniy as il is termed, ~ Incorporated in the
last Act Of Congress organizing ihr territories @i
kuusas and Nebraska, would thMnk yuu To publish
the following extract from the proceedings in the
House of Representatives., of May the "Oih, and found
reported in the Washington Union, May 9ls, lS'l:-
"Mr Mace moved amendment the effect of
which would be to give the Territorial Government
power TO admit or exclude slavery at ANY time.
"Mr English asked the gentleman whether he would
vote for the bill il that amendment was adopted.
.Nr. Mace will.
"NIr English Then will vote irrit.
"lhc amendment was II. lcctcd. Ayes 'b-N"eS ?l
mir. Parker propo to amend the first section ns
to alter the boz got Kansas, with view of en-
courasng larsc Immigration there 3" M t" prevent
the admission of slavery.
"Mr. Breckenridge opposed the amrrlincn'; which
was rejected. Ayes 66-Nocs 81.
"Mr. Flascr moved To amend the section by adding
proriso, that the act should not take elect nl Inc
titles of the Indians shall have been cAtlnSuSl''i
'Mr. Hamilton offered the amendment which was
rpiected--Aycs t3, Nucs 81.
.'Mr. Fuller moved to amend the BILL so ~ to allow
exclude slavery, a. 10 them should seem proper. As
Il National Democrat hc said he should Ike TO vote
for the bill, and if this amendment were adopted he
should do So if il were not, hc should not as ut pre-
advised. In the spirit Of Kindness he asked his
friends who stood by him III the Thirty-tirst Congress
To yield little 10 Northern feeling on this question.
"Mr. Riddle WIS opposed 10 the amendment, which
was rcjeced-Ayes -, Noes o.
You will perceive that two efforts were made tn IN
corporate in the bill the right OF the Legislature OF
the Territorial Government to establish nr exclude
slavery, and both voted DOWN. The bill wns not
amended in any way after the proceedings reported
above. No friend of "Squairr Sovereignty inti-
mated, pending the discussions IN th" blll that th"
ductrne WAS already there; and the two individuals
who proposed it. voted against the bll ON Its in"I
passage and alleged they would vote for if If was
inserted.
TO any one who s acquainted with the English
language, and understands the construction oi
statutes there could not he palmer case. II Squat-
ter Sovereignty is not excluded from The bill organ
izinp the Territories of Kansas nnd Nebraska, tnk TN
in connection with the proceedings prior to the pas
sage of the bill, il would not have been excluded II
YOU had added clause declaring that the Territorial
Legislature should not establish or prohibit slavery
If ever this question becomes the suDcct-inattcr ot
judicial investigations the South will have nothing t"
fear.
regret exceedingly any difference Of opinion on
this subject between members "t the same p"llilrai
organization but II IA all Important tlW we shoull
understand each other.
If | understand the position "t Southern Demo-
and large portion of the Southern Wings, 1t 's
| this:
"lhat the territories Of the United States belong
to the several States composing this Cnl"n ana ar"
held by them their JOINT and common property
THAT Congress, the joint agent and representa-
tive of the Stntes Of this Union has II" right to make
any law, or do any act whatever that sall uirccuy
or by its effects nlake any discrimination between
the States of this Union, 10y which any Of them shall
DO deprived uf its full and equal right in any territory
Of the United States, acquired or t" he acquired; ;,
That tho enactment of any law which should di-
recy or by its effects deprive the citizens nt of
the States OF this Union from cmiSratimg, with their
property into any of the Territories al the United
States will mako such discriminatory and would,
therefore, be violation Of the Constitution, and the
rights fthe States from which such citizens emgracd
and in derogation "f that perfect equality which be.
longs to them members of this Union, and would
tend directly to subvcrt the Cnon itself
And that, as a fundamental principle IN our political
creed, n people, in forming Constitution, have the
unconditional right to form and adop, tn" government
which they may think best calculated In secure their
liberty, prosperity and hnpplmcsS Hili that. III con
formtv thereto, other condition !" nl"Srd by the
Federal Constitution State III order {" bc admit
ted into this nuu except that ia constitution sa!
hr republican: and TINT ih" imposition "t hnv other
10y Congress wnuld not only b- in violation "i the
Constitution, but in direct conflict with the principle
Oh which our political system rests.
This is the language employed by on" VIII" under
stood the Constitution of his country ~ WE'LL perhaps,
az anv man in the Government.
If Massachusetts has the right, through her repre-
scntavcs in Congress, in exclude Southern >lareiold-
err from occupying n joint property, sh" has much
more right exclude by force, through her state ne
ton, any participation III the common benefit SO far
the South il concerned, it is iilinale1al whether
the Northern Satus send regiments {" th" Territories
an,l exclude Us from orcupving al the point nt the
bavoIlet do the thing through hrir rcpre>rl-
tntvcs in CongrcSs Nor does it mnkc any diilrr
cncr, in principle, if they effect tn: slime through
what il poInurv ,cunnnntrh ''Sluhttcr Sovereign
ty" In either case, the Constitution n violated
Nor does the South much H. 10 III lns'ruIicii-
iaiiy, by which they are to be- deprived ni their
rights, fraud, iurccthr selection eau only BE- II
matter of taste with the agent and docs no alcct the
character of the injured.
II. thcu the Democratic organization nt the North.
which, confess to be the lns, hope for saving
this Government from di-nelnbcrcnt. cnnn"t, or Will
not stand firm upon the principles enumerated above
-, I h.,a
misc the South submit I" md preserve her
honor, that portion of the same organization South
should know it, and bc prepared for The consequences
Of such catastrophe.
If General Cass, and those gentlemen IN congress
from the North, who voted for tho hill organizing
the territories of Kansas and N"hlhskh, by winch
the Missouri restriction was REPEALED iiI s"' a' II
now alleged, tlut South of 30 80 you'd thereby hc
opened to Immigration, which could III its first terri
toria legislature exclude slavery from the country,
they have practiscd fraud upon tn. south more M
famous than the Wmot Proriso. lE that IL all that
Northern Democracy can give, th" sooner the orgnn
zation is dead aud buried, the better Tor all parties
Ii is well 10 be plain and explicit III the principles
upon which we net together III III" same party
nranizatnn-if the North cannot, pr will not rec"S
nize those upon which the South IL becoming every
day more united, the consequences must hc the t"r
nntion of sectional purtics and finally the disruption
of the Union. There il no halfway house between
an unconditional surrender to the obligations u! the
constitution and thu doctrines of tn" aud
the Northern mind should understand tins thing: II
the South cannot find men ut the North who will at
least, give us the negative protection OF letting ns
alone, we moy Yes must seek Il better protection
outside the constitution.
The men who were for the Wilm"t proviso nj the
North on yesterday abultinnsis to-day; ana those
who recognize the dnctrine of squnltcr sovereignty
to-dav will be rcstrctionsts through the common
agent the Federal Government, Tomorrow.
The security of the South, and might say the on
ly security Of tho south, is i'll STREET construction {"
the constitution; and with political organization
should we hold fellowship, that docs not recognize III
its fullest and most comprchensv" SENSE the obllgn
,inn, nf thnt doctrine 4 REPUBLICAN.
FOR THE EN4rlRIK.