The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-03-03

himself. He then refers to the chief ground
Of the defence, Of the proposed repeal,
namely the principle Of congressional non
Intervention, and the democratic right Of
the people to judge and act for themselves
in the formation Of government He dis.
cusses this point at length concluding as fol-
lows:
What is the principle OF advocating ma
,ional authority on the subject oil slavery In
favor of,he people? Do you abnegaie all
authority whatever in the Territories! Not
al all, you abnega,e only authority over
slavery there. DO you abncgate even thatl
No; you do moi, and you cannot In the
very act Of abnega,ing you legislaie, and
enact that the States to be hereafter organ.
lied shall come in whether slave or free, as
their inhabitants shall choose. Is not this
lcaislaling, not only on the subject of slav-
eiy in the Territories, but on subject Of
slavery even in the future Slatesl
In the very act Of abnegalina YOU call
into being legislature which shall assume
the authority which you are renouncing.-
You moi only exercise authority in that, but
YOU exercise authority over slavery, when
YOU confer on the Territorial Legislature
the power to act upon that subject.
More than this in The very act Of calling
that Territorial Legislature into existence
you exercise authority in prescribing who
may elect and who may be elected. You
even reserve to yourselves a veto upon
every act that they can pass Legislative
body, not only OH all other subjects, bn
even on the subject OF slavery itself. MOI
can you relinquisn that veto, for its absurd
10 say that you can create an agent, and
depute to him the legislative authority oil
the United States, which your agent can.
not at your own pleasure dsavow and re.
pudia,e. The Territorial Legislature is
YOUR agent, its acts are your own. Such is
the principle that is TO supplan, the ancient
policy-a principle full oil absurdi'ies and
contradictions.
Again: you claim that this policy of ab
negation is based upon a democratic prin
ciplc. A democratic principle is prlnci
pic opposed to some other that is despollc o
aris,ocra,ic. You claim and exercise lh'
power to institute and maintain government
in the Territories. Is this comprehensive
power aris,ocIa,ic or despotic! If il be not
how is the partial rover aris,ocratic or des
po,ic! You retain authority to appoint gov
crnois, without whose consent no laws cat
be made on any subject, and judges with
on, whose consideration no laws can be ex
ccu,ed, and you retain The power to change
Them at pleasure. Are those powers, alst
alis,ocratic or despo,ic? If they are not
then the exercise Of legislative powers by
yourselves is not. II they are, then why
not renounce them also? No, no. This il
n far fetched excuse. Democracy is sin
ME, uniform, logical system; not system
of arbitrary, contradictory, and conflicting
principles.
But You must, nevertheless, rcnounct
national authority over slavery in the Ter
rilories while you retain all other powers
What is this bul mere evasion OF solemn
responsibilities? The general authority OF
Congress over the Territories is one wisc,
confdcd TO the National Legislature to save
young and growing communities from the
dangers which bcsel them in their state o
pupilage, and TO prevent them from adopt
ing any policy tina, shall be at war with lhei
own lasting interests or with the genera
welfare of the whole republic. The author
ity over the subject Of slavery is that which
ought TO be renowned last Of all, in favor o
Territorial legislatures, because, from the
very circumstances Of the Territories, those
legislatures arc likely TO yield loo readily
TO ephemera influences and interested Offers
Of favor and patronage. They see neither
the great future Of the Territories, nor the
comprehensive and ultimate interests o.
the whole republic as clearly as you sec
them. or ought 10 see them.
Mr.. Seward appealed eloquen,ly 10 Sena
tors from the Noilh not TO yield the price
now demanded, even for peace and res
from slavery agitation aud 10 those from
The South not 10 suppose that because ihey
excluded slavery from The halls of Congress
To-day, that il would not in some form re-
visit Them tomorrow. II was an eternal
struggle between right and wrong-'an
angel with which, sooner or later, every
slaveholding State must wres,le, aud by
which il mus, be overcome"