Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1855-11-15
We Shall Feat Them.

position. no Will beat ticm Inc DtlnOcliltc
PARTY. of course. On what ISSUE The issue of
popular sovereignty Ii is the same issue that has
ever existed between the Democratic and the anti
democratic parties of this country. 1t was the doc
trinc of Hamilton and the elder Adams that the
people were not capable of sclf-gOvcrnment. and
therefore should not be trusted with power. Jeler
son held differently; and here political parties Sprn
up: dividing the principle of popular sovereign
"; and Oh this principle they have remained di-
vidcd. Issues have changed from time to time
only in name. The principles tlat have character
lied the parties are as marked now as ever.
When the elder Adams and his friends passed
the Alien and Scdition laws which took from the
people the rights of free speech and give to Con-
cress the power punish 'Seditious Offenders or
those who spoke i'll OF the government. the meas
urc was opposed by Jefferson and the Democratic
party, under the plea OF popular sovereignty So,
when the Fcdcrlls extended the term of residence
.or the naturalization Of foreigners fifteen wears,
disrusting their ability for sclfgovernment, said
laws were opposed and finally repeatedly the dem
ocratic party in accordance with the views of popu-
lar sovereignty.
All our accssions of Territory, either from
France, Spain or Mexico, have been steadily OPP
posed by the opposition on the grounds that our
country was too largc-would fall to pieces by its
own weight or in other words the people inhabit-
ing these territories were not capable of sct-gov-
enmcnt.
1t was at one time ccntcnded by the opposition
that Congress alone through Il United States Bank
could regulate the exchanges of the country, the
people could not and Congress was invoked by
the wing party i'm -. and did pass a Bankrupt law
by which commercial balances and mercantile ac-
counts were settled without the aid of money.
In all these trails, the of the people in the
hands of the democratic party, has signally tr-
umphcd. and sooner or later it always will.
This issue now dividing political parties in this
country is the same that it ever has been. and the
parties the same. There is the democratic
party on the one side contcnding for the principle
of popular sovereignty, in the days of Jefferson,
and there is the party of Fusion, alias Federalism,
contcntling as usual for Congressional rule. In Or
ganzing the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas,
the Democratic party have incorporated Jcfcrson's
doctrine of Sclfgovernmcnt, and the fISionists OPP
pose. The former contend that the people of these
Territories capable of regulating their own do
nestle affairs as well now six months or six wears
hence when they shall become States. The latter
contend that Congress should interfere. and that
body of men, fifteen hundred miles away, not one
Of whom perhaps, ever in the Territory, can
better judge the wishes Of the people and admin
lister 10 their wants than those living iii the country
thus governed. Democrats believe in the conipc-
tcncy OF the people, the fl>ionisis in the omnipo
tcnce of Congress.
When Jefferson purchased Louisiana of N,po
leon, i'll isu}, it slave colony. The third arti
Gle of the treaty i in these words: The inllabi-
tamts of the ccdcd Territory shall be incorporated
i'll the Union of the United States and admitted as
soon possible. according TO the principles of the
Federal constitution. to the enjoyment of all the
the United States. and in the meantime they shall
be maintained and protected in the free ENJOYMENT
of their liberty, property. and the religion which
they possess
The property referred to included slaves. and
the religion TO be protected was Catholic. This
treaty. which Congress could not annu became
the supreme law of the land. I'm lc20, that body
i'll violation OF this treaty, declared that slavery
night exist one side OF the line drawn thror g
THIS territory, but prohibited il on the ether. This
declaration had no legal validity and POSSESSED 10
binding authority Succeeding Congresses, and it
has been since annucd by Congress itself, and the
inhabitants thereof left free to act for themselves
The question now i, why restore that which was
people in al parts vi the old Louisiana Territory
be safely trusted to act upon whatever concerns
their own interests and happiness? If they mis-
judge and act unwiSely, the evil falls upon them.
and not upon other portions of the Union. Have
not many States acted unwiscly on some occasions!
Are they therefore to be put under guardianship!
Our political theory is to allow the people the
largest liberty possible without cndangering the
the public good. Will the public liberty be en-
dangered by allowing the Territories liberal self
government. We must soon trust the pcoplc i'm
most of them to manage State government for
themselves. When admitted, each State will, on
this subject. be under no control but that of her
people Why wish to control them now Instead
of attending to the affairs OF the Territories the
philanthropy of the statesman may be well en-
poycd at home in guarding against and correcting
those voices, and REFRESHING and Furnishing those
crimes, whose description fills so large share
of our public Iepers.-Ciereland Plain Dealer.