Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-03-28

You find it there written, "The
Congress shall have power"-to do
what =" to dispose of and make
all needlul rules and regulations re-
spectlng the territory and other prop
erty of the United States"
Some have said that this cannot
mean all rules, because there must
he certain limits, bat what are they
The limits are to he found in other
parts Of the Constitution aud if
there are any restrictions on that
grant, the grant is thus far restrict
ed but If there is no restriction, it
is unlimited. The language of the
Constitution is exceedingly plain
"T'he Congress shall have power to
mate'-how many rules -" all
needfu rules How do Congress
make rules BY law. How do
they make the rules aud regulations
concerning the Navy BY law
How do they make the rules and
regulations concerning the Army /!
BY law. How do Congress make
any rules or regulations BY law,
aud IA no other way. Then, how
many regulations may they make in
regard to territory? ALL IL the
prohibition Of Slavery is a regua-
uou coming within the comprehen-
sive description Of all regulations, +"
it is what Congress has a right to
make but if it be a regulation out
side of all and not included in
the adjective call" we must 60
somewhere else to fud 1t. What
did the men who made the Consti-
tuition think : What did they uu-
derstand What did they suppose
they had done Why, sir, 1t ap-
pears, fortunately for the elucidation
of this history, that in the Conven-
tlon which framed the Constitution
there were twenty men who were
also members of the first Congress
under the Federal Constitution
There was John Langdon, of New
Hampshire, a man of some note in
. his day-a man enjoying the conf
deuce Of the Democracy of this
country, and who was nominated
for the office of Vice President by
that party, when Jefferson was Pres
J. tIant q, nomination r,rb,,b ba 10
clined on account Of his age. He
was a member OF both bodies
/ There were also in the Federal Con-
venuon and in the First Congress,
Nicholas Gilman, of New Hamp-
shire EIbrdge Gerry, Rufus KIGg,
and Caleb Strong, of Massach Isetts
William S. Johnson, Roger Sher-
man, aud Oliver Ellsworth, of Con-
9sc!'S! '!Sg!rSey WRJ55HgE WRJ5gEt Pf9Fson5 5fiTs, n5oaa Si
Clymer, and Thomas Fitzsimmons
Of Pennsylvania; George Read and
Richard Bassett, of Delaware; Dan
iel Carroll, Of Maryland James
Madison, of Virginia; Hugh Will
hanson, of North Carolina; Pierce
Butler, Of South Carolina and vii.
/ liam Few and Abraham Baldwin OF
Georgia All these gentlemen whom
| have named were members of the
I Convention which formed the Fed.
eral Constitution, and also members
Of the first Congress under it,
Gerge Washington was the presid-
ing officer of the Convention, and
he was the first President Of the
United States under the Constilu-
ton Several Of the gentlemen
whom have named were also mem.
bers OF the Confederational Congress
which passed the Ordinance of 1881
besides being members of the Con,
vention and ofthe first Congress un.
der the Constitution.
The First Congress met shortly
after the formation of the Constltu
ton. Prior to the adoption of thai
Constitution, the Congress of the
old Confederation passed an ordi.
nance by which Slavery was exclu.
ded from every inch of Territory
then subject to federal jurisdiction
When the First Congress met, what
did they think T What did those
twenty men, fresh from the forma.
ton of the Constitution, think oi
its powers What did George
Washington, the presiding officer oI
the Convention, think 2 What did
James Madison think Z What did
John Langdon think? Why, sir
you can find their opinions in All act
of Congress, passed without divis-
ion, and signed by George Wash.
ington, and now in full force, unleS;
1t has been repealed by being founo
TO be incon istent with the Com.
promise of 1850. On the 7Ih oi
August, 1889, they passed an act in
these words:
"wnereas, in oidertbat the ordinance oftbe Uni
ted statos in Congress assembled, fl the Govornmeu
ofhe Territory northwest OF the iivef Ohio, may
tnre to have iul effect IL lie requisite thst etuail
provisions should be- mude 80 as 10 adapt ho sume {,
the present Constitution II the United states"
Aud then they went on in two
sections to make a few alterations
which were necessary, merely by q
change of the officers provided foT
under the Confederation. In the
opinion Of those men, when they
had made those alterations, merely
requiring a change of officers, they
tbought-perhaps IN their weak
ness, perhaps in their folly-thai
they had done all that was necessa-
ry to adapt the Ordinance Of 1877
to the Constitution Of the United
States. George Washington alliX-