The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1854-08-16

Gen. Cass or the Principles Of
SelR-GoYernment. ~ ID

Self Government. el o..
We clip the following from the Mt. Ver-
non Banner: naa Hf n 7'm l'I t-ar al
"The admirable letter of Gen. Cass, to
; the Committee who invited him TO attend
the celebration of our National birthday al
independence Hall, in the city Of Philadel.
phia, breathes so much of the pure spirit o
! l776, and of the great principles of Self
Government, that We cannot refrain from
publishing it for the benefit of our readers
The long and eventful public life Of General
Cass, identified as he has been with the set
tlement and government of the North West
territory, and the various administrations Of
the Government for the last fifty years, il is
but natural that lie should maintain the
great principles upon which our Republican
institutions were originally founded. He
has ever maintained the Democratic doc.
trines of strict construction Of the Con-
stitution, and, therefore, denied that Con.
gress possessed the constitutional power to
annex conditions to-the settlement OF a con-
quered or acquired territory, or to the ad-
mission of State into the Union upon any
other conditions than a perfect equality with
the original states He has ever regarded
the people as endowed by nature with the
principles of self government, and that
they carry with them those principles, no
matter where they may emigrate, whether
from one State to another or from State to
a territory; because those principles are iden.
! tifed with mans inalienable rights to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Hence he denies that Congress has consti-
tutional power to say to the people living on
one size Of a parallel line they shall have
the privilege of declining for themselves what
kind of local or domestic institutions they
may adopt, and deny to the people on the
other side of that parallel line that privilege.
The letter of Gen. Cass is Il mastery pro.
] duetion, ,and reflects imperishable honor pom
his name, as the champion of popular SOW
ereignty--the right of the people to govern
themselves. Read it carefully as the amen
alton of master mind" Il 'eaH 5sa n'a
WAsmNGToN, July 3, 1854 Cd
SrR:-Though am compelled TO decline
your invitation to join the democracy of the
city of Philadelphia in their time honored
observance of assembling on the anniver-
sary of the birth day of our nation, upon
the spot where independence was first pro-
claimed, to hear read that greatdecIaration of
principles which asserted and justified it,
yet am not the less obliged to you for this
mark of attention: i'and, though absent, /
shall fully participate in all those patriotic
feelings which the time and the place are
so we'll calculated 20 inspire. The whole
history of man presents no more wonderful
contrast than is furnished by the position
we occupy, when we look round upon what
we are, and compare IL with what we were
when that deed was done which will make
the day we celebrate immortal. Your faith
ers We're the witnesses of the act; and hal
lowed forever will be the scene Of It's occur.
renee. And TO their sons is committed its
custody, and to them also more. perhaps,
than to the people of any other single State
is committed, not indeed the custody of our
institutions that belongs equal to all--but
peculiar influence in their maintenance
and preservation. Our arch, we may well
hope, will resist all pressure while its key
stone is safe; and the character Of Pennsyl-
4 vania is sufficient guarantee that, now aad
hereafter it will be undisturbed, whatever
trials we may he destined to encounter. ,
Ever true to the principles of our party,
appearances indicate that the democracy of
Pennsylvania may be soon called upon again
to prove their devotion to its duties by siren
uous exertions, and unity of council and of
action, which, disregarding all other differ
ences, will find at once its triumph and its
reward in the maintenance Of the great po-
litical doctrines which we believe essential to
the prosperity of our country, and TO the
4 performance of our confederation And /
cannot but express the hope that when the
/ great American principle--the great human
principle, indeed--the right Of all men to
legislate for themselves upon every question
OF internal administration is assaied and
condemned on this side of the Atlantic, that
the democracy Of Pennsylvania will march
to its support as firmly and unitedly as did
their revolutionary fathers when similar
effort wss made on the other side of the At
lantic, and England sought to rule her col
onles by the same pretences, claiming that
her Parliament had the right Of legislation,
in al cases whatsoever, over distant re-
gions, as it is now claimed that Congress has
the same right of oppression over our fell
low citizens living in remote Territories -
AS to pretexts to justify acts ofarbitrary
assumption, the world is full Of them; but
whether they come in the guise Of phian-
ihropy, or in any other shape whichthe love
is fertile in ASSUMING, they are equally to be
condemned and repudiated. ,.. ..s A, ..l,
The only safe principle is the.principle ol
self government. Give to those to whom
belong the rights and the responsibility, the
power to provide for them. To vary the
language, but to retain the sentiment ofMr
Jefferson, we may well ask, if men in the
Territories are unfit to govern themselves,
have they angels in Congress in the shape Of
men TO govern tbsm9 It cannot be that
such an assumption on contrary to all we
have done and claimed, can be sanctioned
by the people Of this country. Far from
/ the Democracy be such IN act Of tyranny
and political suicide. tf3 ho'A aF. ~
am, sir, very respectfully, yourobedient
servant. luasa n LEWIS CASS.
,, N. B. BROWNE, Esq, 81 >egs4s g.ts,
Charm n of Committee of Invitation.
) TIE RIGHTs OF MINIsTERs.-Th Rev,
DR.. Mason, Of New. Yolk, passing up Broad
way stopped to read q theatrical rplacard,
which attracted attention. Cooper, the
tragedian, coming along. said to him: s,
"Good morning, sir; do ministers of the