Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-01-03

49, 49, N8n 49, " ~ ~ v WI
90 ~ Il warrents, taken up under grants for road
an+ Selected as swamp lands by States. is TWEEN
/ t~ Hur million five hundred and fifty-Seypn
uIoAsand fou hundred aud nine acres: of which
he born u sold was fifteen million seven hun
-, drN and twen;y mine thousand five hundred
D and twenty four Gcres, yielding in receipts the
sum ct eleven million four hundred and
eighty five thousand three hundred and eighty
d%"liafa. In the same period of time. eight mil
> lini seven hundred and twenty-three thousand
eight hundred and fifty four acres have been
surveyed; hut, in consideration of the Quantity
! aIeady subject Ia entry, no additionitf tracts
hAke been brought into market.
f peculiar relation If the general govern
, taatt 10 the District Of Columbia renders ii
prfper 10 commend 10 your care not only its ma
teffl, lat also its moral interests, including
edtfdion more especially ia those parts Of the
diSiflst outside Of The cities Of Washington and
1lhe commissioners appointed to revise
aqdmodify the laws ofthe District have made
SUED progress in the performance of their
task Is to insure its completion in the time
Prescribed by the act Of Congress.
II tormation has recently been received,
taaf The peace OF the settlements in the Ter
rItolles of Oregan and Washington, is disturb
e by hostilities on the part of the Indians,
wtth Indicators Of extensive combinations Of
a fostile character among the tribes in that
4pafter, tue more serious in their possible eC-
iettby reason of the undetermined foreign
Interests eyistingin those Territories, to which
you attention has already been especially
invited. Efficient measures have been taken.
which, it is believed, will restore quiet, and
afford protection to our citizens.
lnthe Territory of Kansas, there have been
acts prcjudicial 10 good order, but "A yet none
have occurred under circumstances 10 Justify
the lnierpOsitiOn of the federal Executive That
could only be in case of obstruction to federal
l3k< or of organized resistance 10 territorial
r&<vssHmiug the character of Instruction,
whieLlit should occur, it would be my duty
prom DIV - overcome and suppress. | cherish
the hope, however, that the occurrence of any
such nntoward event will be prevented by the
SOUND sense of the people of the Territory, who,
by IT'S organic law, possessing the rights 10 de-
termine their own domestic institutions. are
entitled, while deporting themselves peaceful
ly, tothe free exercise ofthat right, and must be
protected in the enjoyment of it, without inter
fererse-6n the part of the citizens of any of the
States.
The Southern boundary line of this Territory
has never been surveyed and established. The
rapidly extending settlements in that region,
and the fact that the main route between indie
pendence, in the State of Missouri, and New
Mexico, is contiguous to this line, suggested the
Z pIouabilllN lnd embarrassing HutStioiS u Ju
risdietion may consequently arise. For these
and other considerations, / commend the subject
TO yOur early attention.
CONSTITUTIONAL THEORY OF THE GOVERNMENT
I have thus passed in review the general state
of the Union, including such particular con-
cernsOf the federal government, whether of do
mestic or foreign relation. as it appeared 20 me
desirable and useful TO bring to the special no
tice of Congress. Unlike the great States of
Europe and Asia, and many of those OF Amer
lea, thee United States are not wasting their
strength either in foreign war nor domestic
strife. Whatever of discomfort or public dis
satisfaction exists, is atssbutable To the imper-
fectionaof human nature, or is incident to all
governments, however perfect, which human
wisdom can devise. Such subjects of political
agitation, as occupy the public mind, consist,
To- a great extent, of eXaggeratIOn of inevitable
evils, or over zeal in social improvement, or
mere Imagination of grievance, having but re-
mote connexion with any of the constitutional
functions or duties of the federal government.
To whatever extent these questions exhibit a
tendency menacing to the stability Of the con-
s%titption, or the integrity of the Union. and no
farther, they demand the consideration of the
Executive. and require to be presented by him
to Congress.
Before the Thirteen Colonies became a
confederation of independent States, they
were associated only by community of trans
atlantic origin, by geographical position, and
by the mutual tie of common dependence on
Great Britain. When that tie was sundered,
they severally assumed the powers and
rights of absolute self Government. The
municipal and social institutions of each, its
laws of propriety and of personal relation,
even in its political organization, were such
only as each one chose to establish, wholly
without interference from any other. In tho
language Of the Declaration of Independence,
eaeh State had "full power to levy war, con-
ciude peace, contract alliances, establish COM
merce, and do all other acts and things which
su3ereadent States may of right do.' The
several Colonies differed in climate, in soil, I
in natural productions, in religion, in system
of education, in legislation, and in the forms
Of political administration and they con-
tinued to differ in these respects when they
voluntarily allied themselves as States tn
carry on the war of the revolution.
The object Of that war was to disenthral the
United Colonies i,om foreign rule, which had
proved TO be oppressive. and TO separate them
permanently from the mother country; the po.
litical result was The foundation Of a federal re-
public of the free white men Of the colonies, CON
stifnied, as they We're, in distinct. and recipro-
caliy independent State governments. As for
the subject races, whether Indian or African, the
v lSA stbu FAdltonlAh " tidb hdf VIII III
gagedin no extrayagant scheme ofsocial change,
left them as they were, and thus preserved them
selves aud their posterity from the anarchy and
the ever recurring civil wars, which have pre-
vailed in the revolutionized European colo
mics Of America.
When the confederated States found it con-
venient 20 modify the conditions of their asso-
citation, by giving to the general government
direct access, in some respects, to the people of
the States rs such, they proceeded to frame the
existing constitution, adhering steadily to one
guiding thought, which was, to delegate only
such power as was necessary and proper to the
execution of specific purposes, or, in other words,
to retain as much as possible, consistently with
those purposes, of the Independent powers of
the individual State. For objects OF common
defence and security, they intrusted to the gen.
eral government certain carefully defined func
tons, leaving all others as the undelegated
rights of the separate Independent sovereign
ties.
Such is the constitutional theory of our gov
eminent, the practical observance OF which has
carried US, and us alone, among modern repub-
lies, through nearly three generations of time
without the cost of one drop of blood shed in
civil war. With freedom and concert Of ac-
ton il has enabled us to contend successfully
ON the battle field against foreign foes, has ele-
waited the feeble colonies into powerful States,
and has raised our industrial productions. and
our commerce which transports them. to the lev
el Of the richest and the greatest nations of Eu-
rope. And the admirable adaptation of our po-
liticil institutions to their objects, combining To-
cal self government with aggregate strength, has
established the practicablity of a government
like burs to cover a continent with confederate
States.
The Congress of the United States is, in eff
feet. that congress of sovereignties, which
| coed mel in the Old World have sought for
but could never attain, and which imparts to
America an exemption from the mutable
! leagues for common action, from the wars, the
mntual invasions, aud vague aspirations after
inc balance of power, which %convulse from
time TO time the governments of Europe
Our cooperative action rests in the conditions
ofpernanent confederation preserved by the
constitution. Our balance of power is in the
separate reserved rights of the States, and
their cqual representation in the Senate
That independent sovereignty in every one of
the States with its reserved rights of local
selfgovernment assured to each by their CO.