Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-10-23

'Ai0 Piooi VI tudt, sec the OIL ana see 1t,
as the lawyers say, passina; that is to say,
here, and there, and everywhere. It is a
bill Of assumptions and contradictions-as
Stunning what is unfounded, and contradict
ing what it assumes-and balancing every
affirmation by a negation. It is see-saw
bill; but not the innocent see-saw which
children play on plank stuck through
fence; but the up and down game of poll
ticians, played at the expense of the peace
and harmony Of the Union, and to the sac
rifee Of all business in Congress. 1t is an
amphibological, stuffed with monstrosities,
hobbled with contradictions, and Badgered
with PrOviso;
And now, what is the object Of this
movement, which so disturbs Congress and
the country? What does it propose to ac-
complishs To settle principle, is the an
swer-the principle of Neutrality-suspicious. land
the right Of the people of the Territory to
decide the question Of slavery for them
selves. Sir, there is no such principle.
The Territories are the children Of the
States. They are minors, under age, and
it is the business Of the States, through
their delegations in Congress, to take care
of them until they are of age-untl they
are ripe for State government; then to
give them that government, and admit
them to an equality with their fathers
That is the law, and has been SO admitted
since the first ordinance, in 1884. The
States in Congress are the guardians of the
Territories, and are bound to exercise that
guardianship; and cannot abdicate it with
out breach of trust and a dereliction 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 set
tied 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,
describing the first settlers in the North
west Territory as "disorderly persons y and
ordering them to be driven off by the mil
itary. | remember many such military
expulsions in the early settlement Of the
western country, often executed with Sc
verify; burning houses, cutting up corn,
destroying fences, and driving off the peo-
pie at the point Of the bayonet, and under
the edge of the sabre. As late as 1885
'36, and after the extinction of the Indian
title to the Platte country in Missouri, 81
mllar orders were given to the then colo
mel of Dragons commanding ON that from
tier, the now Senator in Congress, Henry
Dodge, to expel the people from that pur-
chase; orders which he executed in gen
tleness and mercy. going alone, explaining
his business, and requiring them to 90 a
way: which they did, like good and order
ly people: and when he was gone, came
back like sensible and industrious people,
and secured their preemptions. Not only
settled, but organized 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 1923, when twelve thousand
square miles of her organized territory was
given to the Cherokees, and the people
driven away. Why, sir, this very line Of
$50 so, 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 Goyernment-to treat the Terrific
rles as property, and the people as uninvi-
ted guests, to be entertained, or turned
out as the owner of the House chooses
Fine soyereigns these! chased off by the
military, and their homes given to Indians
or Spaniards. The whole idea of this So
vereignty is novelty, secuted from Con-
gress when it first appeared in the Senate,
contradicted by the Constitution, and the
whole action of the Government, in all
time; and contradicted 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 receiving
from them, an organic act. And what
an organic act One in which they are
denied every attribute of sovereignty. De-
MED freedom of elections; denied freedom
Of voting; denied choice of their own laws
denied the right of fixing the qualifications
Of voters; subjected to a foreign supervi-
sion; and controllable by the Federal Go
vernment, which they have no hand in e.
Letting; and only allowed to admit, and
not to reject slavery. Their sovereignty
only extends to the subject of slavery, and
only to one side Of that-the admitting
side; the other half of the power being
held to be denied by the Constitution
which is extended over them, and which,
according to the reading Of the support
ers of this bill, forbids any law to be made
which will prevent any citizen from going
there with his slaves This is squatter so
yereignty, non-intervention, and no power
to legislate in Territories upon slavery
And this is called principle-the princi-
Iple of MISUNDERSTANDING the people
alone to settle the question of slavery for
themselves. How settle it? That can
only be done in an organic act; and they
have no such act, nor can have one till
they make a constitution for State Gov
eminent. All the rest is legislation, which
settles nothing, and produces contention at
every election. Sir, this principle of non
Intervention is but the principle of conten-
tion-a bone given to the people to quar-
rel and fight over at every election, and at
every meeting of their Legislature, until
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