Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-05-02
n / VI j T. Il 4 4 .

cal lOflSQlttlJn W as the l.ti-lltI N ever
adoptei by law. which must ncc.ssirily ,r,w
out of the Constitution itsolr1 Can vlu oy-
tend the Constitution over a Territory by an
act Of Congress If Won can. YOU have but
to rereal YOUR net Of Conor,.-. and YOUR
Constitution docs not extend thnr,. Sir our
jurisdiction country over il noy.r acquired by
an act of legislation it must be ,reezistiue.
LEGISLATION can extend only over country
which YOU already have within your iurjsdIc-
ton. Congress has no powgr over territory
within itg iurisdirti,n cTcn,t that which I'M,
Constitution coufers All thor rover !. dc.
rived from the eConstitu,ion- n-but to ,vt,ot co,,n-
try, Orcourse to country within their iuris-
diction. and none other.
II ,ee are 70 ado,+ +b;s d,-..,,, .Ao.,;,
,o C,sti,n+ior ~ ths I5.,.aI
nrarat;on in Wissorri or 90 nr If;,,hj'.,n
IE,n,' jtoJ >, VI ylo W
United States. The Old States adopted it in
convention. If YOU call the State which
have the honor. in mart 10 ranrosont a nav
State. it did adopt the Copstitntion. Weas-
sembled, as the old States did. in convention.
and adopted the Constitution of the United
tates, and so, | believe. did Kentucky.
which was admitted into the Union in the
same year; but in regard oall that territory
beyond the Mississippi and north OF the ONO,
there Is not one state formed out OF 1t which
ever adopted the nited States Constitution
by cJnYentlon-and no act oi q stlte LeHsId-
ture could 90 II ana undertake. to sNy there
Is not one OF them over Whie1 IT has been
Sfrea! ny act OF Congress. ben bow Is our
constitution operative there VIII tell YOU.
Mr.. President, would always much rather
cite higher authority than my own ipsc dirY
on any subject and especially when that uu-
thority lies at my hand. In this case think
there is conclusive authority to which ! can
refer. We know that in an carly period Of
our history the power Of annexint foreign
territory to the Union was much agitatcd -
We know that when Louisiana was acquired
Mr. Jefferson was Of the opinion that 1t was
beyond the powers of the Government
and he proposed an amendment of the
Constitution for the purpose Of securing
that which was then regarded as Il verv
great and necessary acquisition. Mr.. JET
erson was over ruleI. however. Congress
did not agree with him in opinion the nl-
ton did not 50 think. Although | have
heard some reasons, which / think exceeding
y lame, given in regard to this point, be-
lieve we now have light enough. derived from
that source of legal intelligence, the Su
prcmc Court OF the / nitcd States. II you
will examine the decision in Cantcr'5
case, you will find the whole doctrine fully
stated
Florida was acquired Ir treaty in the same
manner as Louisiana, and our laws-not our
Constitution-were extended over it by act Of
Congress Goods were seized in Florida.
under our revenue laws. which BROUGHT tho
question before the Surreue Court On that
occasion the counsel. in Tie extremity Of
their deienses. were drive to insist. anon.
other things. that the ACQUISITION of Fjoriih
was beyond the constitutional power of t,,e
Government and they cltcd Mr.. Jefflsyn's
views in relation to the Louisiana case to show
that there was no such power in the Govern
ment. and that therefore the United states
had no such jurisdiction over Florida. and
that. hence tie act Of Cynrress extending
our laws over that tcrritory was jnonerl
tive and void.