Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-05-06

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turned il, with o message to the Senate, refusing
to sign the bill for amphibology. We should re-
iect this bill for the cause IL for nothing else
Hard is the fate Of party fealy 1t has to keep up
with the eyerchanging measure. Often have these
bills changed and under every phase they had to
he received 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 movement
which 80 disturbs Congress and the country2 What
does It propose to accomplish? To settle a prin-
ciple, is the answerthe principle Of non-interven-
ton, and the right Of the people Of the Territory
to decide the question Of slavery for themselves.
Sir, there is no such principle. The Territories
are the children of the States. They arc minors,
under age, and it is the business Of the States,
through their delegations in Congress, TO take care
of them until they arc of age-Until they are ripe
for State government; then to give them that gov
ernment, and admit them 10 an equality with their
fathers. That is law and has been 80 admitted
since the first ordinance, in 1887. The States in
Congress the guardians of the Territories, and
are bound TO exercise that guardianship and can
not abdicate il without breach OF trust and de-
reelection Of duty Why, sir, the 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 pease cut it up by lines, as they please
sell or give it away, as they please chase white
people from 1t, as they please. This has been
always the case. There is proclamation now
extant of the old Congress Of the Confederation,
describing the first settlers in the Northwest Terri
tory Ms "disorderly persons;" and ordering them
10 be driven off by the military. Iremember many
such military expulsions in the early settlement OF
the western country, often executed with severity;
burning houses cutting up corn, destroying fences,
and driving of the people at the point of the bay
onet, and under the edge Of the sabre AS late as
ls35-'36 and after the extinction Of the Indian
title 10 the Platte country in Missouri similar or
ders were given to the then colonel OF dragons
commanding on that frontier, the now Senator in
r DoDCr
from that purchase; orders which he executed IN
gentleness and mercy going alone, explaining his
business, and requiring them to go away; when
Q they did like good and orderly people; and when
he was gone came back like sensible and ndustri-
G Gus people, and secured their prc-emptons Not
only settled but organized territory, has been so
: treated by the Federal Government, and worse
the people driven of and their homes given away
= This happened in Arkansas in 1928, when twelve
0 thousand square miles Of her organized territory
was given to the Cberokees, and the people driven
: away. Why, sir, this very line Of 36' 30 with all
i the territory on one side Of it. and two degrees on
c the other side, were given away to the King oil
: Spain. This has been the seventy years practice
= lof the Government-to treat the Territories as
It property, and the people unnvited guests to be
r entertained, or turned out, as the owner of the
It House chooses. Fine sovereigns these chased OH
by the military and their homes given to Indians
n or Spaniards The whole idea Of this sovereignty
- lis n novelty secuted by Congress when il first APP
peared in the Senate conradcied by the Const!tu-
IT ton, ard the whole action Of Goyernmet in all
time and eontradicted by the bill ITSELF which is
to secure it. The provisions Of the bill are bur
d lesquc upon sovereignty. 1t gives to the people,
y instead Of receiving from them, an organic act.
J; And what an organic act One in which they are
n denied every attribute Of sovereignty Denied free
e dom OF elections denied freedom ofvoting denied
choice of their own laws denied the right Of fixing
d the qualifications Of voters subjected to ioregn
d supervision and controlled by the Federal Gov
lte..x tkav haXa M han m alartin0
it and only allowed to admit and not to reject slavery
Their sovereignty only extends to the subject o.
is slavery, and only to side Of thatthe admitting
l. side the other half Of the power being held to b
'e denied by the Constitution which is extended owe
lie them, and which, according to the reading Of tn
supporters of this bi fcrbids any law to be mad
)" which will prevent any citizen from going ther
c with his slaves. This is n squatter sovereignty
5 non-interventon, and no power to egisate in lei
4 ritories upon slavery. And this is called a pnn
If ciple--thc principle of on-interyention-lettin
the people alone to settle the question OF SLAYER
! for themselves How settle itY That can only b
N done in an organic act and they have no such nc
n nor can they have one till they make constitution
for state government All the rest is Legislation
n which settles nothing, and produces contention
X every election Sir this principle of nonntorver
10 ton is but the principle of contentiona bone civ
en- to the people to quarrel and fight over at ever
m election and at every meeting of their Legislature
If until they become a State government. Then, an
n
= For seventy years-since the year 1874, whe
It. the organizing mind Of Jefferson drew the ir'
of territorial ordinance-we had n uniform method
to providing for the government of Territories, a
of founded upon the clause in the Constitution whic
m authorizes Congress TO dispose Of and make rule
it and regulations respecting the territory and otht
Ia property Of the United States. This mode of go
en- ernment has consisted of three grades, all founde
in the right Of Congress to govern them FIR
- grade: Governor and judges, appointed by tn
ot United States, to adopt laws from other States,
ot be in force until disapproved by Congress. Sccon
Id grade Territorial Legislature, when the nhabi
n ants shall amount to five thousand men above Il
ne ago of twenty-one, composed Of council part
in appointed by the United States, and a House
he Representatives elected bp the people, at the rate
to- one representative for every five hundred voter
of its legislation subject to the approval Of Congress
if Third grade entrance the State governmen
TO in full equality with the other States. This is Il
in way these Territories have been governed for SC
enty years and am for adhering to it.
And now what is the excuse for all this di
y! turbance of the country this breaking up of al
we cent compromises; arraying one half of the UniC
ECU against the other and DESTROYING the temper
business of Congress? What is the excuse for O
es. this turmoil and mischiefH We are told it is
ry keep the question of slavery out Of Congress
rot To keep slavery out of Congress Great Goo
tu- 1t was out of Congress completely, entirely,
of forever out Of Congress, unless Congress dragge
ri it in by breaking down the sacred laws which sc
be tied it. The question was settled, and done witt
Ter There was not inch square of territory in Il
led Union on which it could be raised without breaC
re of a compromise. The ordinance of SO settled
in iu all the remaining part of the Northwest Terr
ry tory beyond Wiscosin the compromise line of SO
30 settled it in all country north and west Of Nil
et souri, to the British line, and up to the ROcl
no Mountains: the organic act Of Oregon, made
in the people, and sanctioned by Congress, settled
ee in all that region; the acts for the government
by Utah and New Mexico settled II in those two Te
nd rtories the compact with Texas, determining u
,iIl number Of slave States TO be formed out of tn
State settled it there and California settled it
to- herself. Now, where was there an inch square
nd Territory within the United States on which q
ay, question could be raisedf Nowherel Not
of inch! The question was settled everywhere, n
hat merely by law, but by fact The work was don