Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1856-09-27

people thereof perfectly ffes 10 form and fegu
late their own domestic institutions in ihei
own way, mljso' oaly 10 NE C0Rsiifr,ion o.
NE United States This principle will surely
n0l b. cOnirny-u-d hy any individual Of any
parry prnirssing d Soion to popular govern
,neni. BIS d~s. how vain and ilInsory would
any other principle prove in practice in regard
." the TerTilntirs' This is apparent fran the
fa", admitted hy all that after territory shall
have entered h. Union and become State,
no constitutional power would then exist which
'aulj pn'y'nl il lron either abolishing or es.
r'bl'sbing slavery. rs the case may be. accord.
'ng ",'s sovereign will and pleasure"
fncr nr p'oplr who pretend that there Is
in'i suly hnni what the phrase, The people,
',n, when used b. Mr. Buchanan. This,
however, is Uuly II prclence, and very shallow
one AT thar.
In the year lSiS when Secretary OF State
under Mr. Polk and IN the rourss Of public
speech al Washington, Mr., Buchanan said, in
reiercnce Io slavery in California:
IN California, il must lie finally decided in
n brief period, BY the authority from which,
andsr our Coadi,Rii0n, there can Be no appsai
All admit that the people Of that Territory
when assembled in convention TO form a State
Constitution, possess the sole, the erelusire
power to determine whether slavery shall or
shall not exist within its limits"
He clearly Defined also, his meaning VI the
term the people, in a letter written the same
year TO Mr.. Sanford, by saying that they could
only net when they had reached sufficient
number, and were duly assembled in conven.
Iion, to form State Constitution, and not
when assembled in public meetings.
Every onr who reflects but few moments
on this point, must, We think, conclude that as,
bv the Kansas bill, Congress cannot interfere
with the subject, and as the Territorial Lcgis.
ature, lis creature. ran no more do SO, II must
rest with the peop'e-he actual aud legal res.
idenis--under ihr restrictions indicated by the
Constitution, the Kansas bill, and Mr.. Barha.
nan-when they apply for admission as a
Safe to determine the question. The power
TO decide must neces arily rest somewhere.-
No Southern or States rights man could for
single instant think of conreding it to Con.
ere>s; and, indeed, in the propositions which
have heen brought forward in the Senate By
Mr.. TOombS, and the majority Of the Commit
re OF Territories through Mr.. Douglas, within
the past feH weeks for the prospective adnis.
sion of kan>aS ms State, the power is dis.
inrilv given n the people, when, by census
TO be taken for thai purpose, there shall be
fnun 4 >nic.r M nber of actual, bona.fde
r >Idrnts 10 rntitle Ihen 10 a representative in
Congress nnd.r the existing npportionment, and
when assembled in convention to form State
Coustiinilor, 20 decide whether slavery shall
or shall no. gxst T. erein.
This, we bieYe TO he The proper view Of
the v"xed Question, and the only Just and
practical m Ih"d Of solving it. If Mr.. Bu-
'hanans lrrn@' rppdients, or "enforced" sup.
phr.rr> can find anght in his past history and
r"n'ir'i as public man--anv vote, speech or
lrtter, Inconsistent with the Kansas bill OF the
C'n'''.nl' rlrtor II. they will accomplish more
t'n our researches have enabled us to do.