Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1854-05-18
NJ IBR a g x. a.
CONCLUSION OF
COL. BENTON's SPEECH.
sauATTER SOVEREIGNTY EXPOSED

And now, what is the object of this move
ment which so disturbs Congress and the
country? What does it propose to accom-
plish? To settle principle is the answer
the principle Of non intervention, and the
right ofthe people Of the territory to decide
the question of slavery for themselves
Sir, there is no such principle. The terri
tories are the children of the States. They
are minors, under age, and the business Of
the States, through their delegations in Con-
gress, to take care Of them until they are of
age--until they are ripe for State govern
ment and admit them to an equality with
their fathers. That is law, and has been so
admitted since the first ordinance, in 1884.
The States in Congress are the guard-
ans of the territories, and are bound to ex-
ercise that guardianship; and cannot abdi-
cate it without breach of trust and dere-
LECTION Of duty. Why sir, the territory it.
self is the property of the States, and they
do with it what they please--permit 1t 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 as
they please. This has been always the case
There is a proclamation now extant Of the
old Congress of the confederation; desert
bing the first settlers in the northwest ter
rtory as "disorderly persons;" and order
ing them to be driven off by the military.
1remember many such military expul-
sions in the early settlement of the western
country, often executed with severity; bur-
ming houses, cutting up corn, destroying
fences and driving off people at the point of
the bayonet and under the edge of the sabre.
As late as 1876, and after the extinc-
ton of the Indian title to the Platte country
in Missouri, similar orders were given to
the then Colonel Of dragons commanding
on that frontier, the now Senator in Con.
gress, Henry Dodge, to expel the people
from that purchase, orders which he execu-
ted in gentleness and mercy, going alone,
explaining 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 peo-
pie, and secured their prescriptions. Not
only settled, but organised territory, has
been so treated by the federal government,
and worse; the people driven off and their
homes given away. This happened in Ar
kansas in 1928, when twelve thousand
square miles of her organised territory was
given to the Cherokees, and the people
driven away. Why, sir, this very line Of
36 deg, 80 min., with all the territory on
one side of it and two degrees on the other
side, were given away to the king of Spain.
This has been the seventy years practice
of the government-to treat the territories
as property, and the people as unlimited
guests, TO be entertained or turned out as
the owner of the house chooses. Fine Sow
ereigns these! chased offby the military and
their homes given to Indians or Spaniards
The whole idea of this sovereignty is a nov
city, secuted from Congress when it first ap-
peared in the Senate, contradicted by the
constitution and the whole action of the gov
ernment, in all time, and contradcted by the
bill itself, which is to secure it.
The provisions of the bill are burlesque
upon sovereignty. 1t gives TO the people
instead of taking from them an organic act
and what an organic act! One in which
they are denied every attribute of sovereign.
ty-denied freedom of elections--denieC
freedom of voting--denied choice of theil
own laws--denied the right of fixing the
qualifications of voters--subjected to for
eign supervision, and comfortable by the fed
eral government, which they have no hant
|, in electing, and only allowed to admit anC
not to reject slavery. Their sovereignty
only extends to the subject of slavery, ant
only TO one side Of that, the admitting side
the other half of the power being held 10 bc
denied by the constitution, which is exten
ded over them, and which, according to tn,
reading of the supporters of the bill, for
bids any law to be made which will pre-
vent any citizen from going there with hi
slaves. This is squatter sovereignty, non
Intervention, and no power to legislate il
the territories upon slavery; and this is call
ed a princlple-the principle of non-inter
vention-letting the people alone to settl
the question Of slavery themselves. How
settle it? That can only be done in an or
ganic act, nor can they have one until the,
: make constitution for State government
All the rest is Legislation which settles moth
t ing, and produces contention at every cleo
t ton. Sir this principle of non-interventio
: is but the principle Of contention-a bon
given to the peopleto quarrel and fight owe
at every election, and at every meeting {