The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-21

ring upon Congress, under it's authority to
"make needful rules and regulations" respect
ing the public territory, the power TO limit the
sovereign action Of the people therein. 1t is
much easier TO receive and endorse the doc
trines Of governmental sovereignty, and thus to
refuse to recognise the existence Of any rights
or powers outside of the States and Congress
than to acquiesce in this construction of the
constitution. Even the claim to absolute
government by Congress an the Territories,
under the treaty-making power, coupling
the right to govern with the right to acquire,
is more plausible and satisfactory. The first
rests upon naked pervorsion of language to
suit a political exigency, and is made to minis
ter to the designs of revolutionary factions;
he second and third are remnants of consti
tutional tendency on the part of many Of our
public men to strengthen the arm Of the go
vernment at the expense of the people-an
dea borrowed from England, to be paid back
n attempts to bring American policy into sub
ection to British ideas. In the case of the
District of Columbia, the grant is =" Congress
shall have power to exercise exclusive legisla-
ton in all cases whatsoever" Here the right
is conferred by the constitution, but it is clear
in the case of the Territories no such power
was intended to be given, and none was given.
1t is obvious, then, that the Missouri compro-
mise, upon which the negro worshippers have
staked their game'of agitation, is neither law,
a treaty, or q compact. 1t has never been re-
spected as such. When California formed her
constitution, which was done by virtue of the
sovereignty of it's people, and wholly regardless
of the powers ofOongress, and applied for ad-
mission into the Union as State, the efficacy
as well as the faith Of the North, upon the
question of her admission, without reference to
the limitations of that act upon the matter Of
slavery. Halt other territory was situated north
of the parallel of thirty-six and a half degrees
of latitude. California demanded an unc0ndi-
tional admission into the family Of States
Try virtue Of needful numbers and the sove-
reign action of her people. The South then
pleaded for the enforcement of the limitations
of the Missourilaw the North unanimously re-
fused such enforcement The South asked for
the extension of the act Of 1920 to the Pacific !;
the North refused such extension. These were
formal propositions and reflections. They tested
alike the efficacy of the compromise and the
faith Of the negro worshippers, and, as might
have been expected of o bad law and bad men,
both were found wanting California was adj
mitted into the Union, and rightly. Popular
sovereignty was vindicated in the act; the
folly of Congressional limitations upon the
people was made apparent The treachery of
the abolitionists was exposed. Thus the prac-
tical enforcement of the great principle that
the people shall rule, has been attended with
nothing but benefits to the country. 1t has
overturned an unconstitutional law, exposed
the knavery of the negro worshippers, turned
the currents of emigration to the public terri
tory, and will end by the prostration of the
Holy Alliance Of Northumberland, Van
Buren,, Chase Il Co.