Washington telegraph., 1856-07-02

residents of the Territories, without re-
gard to any qualifications. (such as nat
urallzatien, term of residence, and not
even excluding persons convicted of crime)
the right to regulate their domestic insti-
tutions."
The word people means all classes
OF inhabitants The term "citizens of the
United States means persons naturalized,
who have tina privilege of exercising the
elective franchise, or the qualifications
which enable them to vote for rulers, &C.
The Richmond Enquirer contends that
the meaning of the explanatory clause of
the Kansas-Nebraska act (quo:ed aboye) is
''identicak'' with that of the 7th section.
1t says:
'.In truth, the article (seventh) in the
American platform is plagiarism from
the Kansas-Nebraska bill. So that, if one
afiirms 'squatter sovereignty, the other
asserts it even more strongly and unequiv-
0cally"
Pat pin there. Before We proceed
to show the difference In the meaning be-
tween the seventh section of the Ameri-
can platform and the explanatory clause
of the Kansas-Nebrasaa bill, we have
question or two to propound to the sa-
pient conductors of the Richmond En-
qulrer-
Do you not affirm that the Kansas-Ne-
braska bill contains the true Southern
doctrine on the question of slavery In the
Territories! You do affirm this Do
! You not assert the necessity of insisting
/ nd
this doctrine2 You ao assert this. Do
you not say that the meaning of the 7th
section of our platform and the meaning
of the explanatory clause of the Kansas
Nebraska act are identical ~ You do
sag this And yet you say that the Ameri-
can party in Virginia attempt to disguise
their treaehery to the South, under the
fiimsy pretext that the kansas-Nebraska
bill asserts -.Squatter Sovereignty p
How can this be any treachery TO the
South? You say the meaning OF the 1th
section is identical with the Kansas-Ne-
braska act. Well, grant that it isso, as
to the general question of the power OF
the citizens of the United States perma
nently residing in the Territory, how can
there be any tgeachcry to Tie South in as
serting that the Kansas Nebraska bill con-
tains .'Sauatter Sovereignty when the
American party offer the South a platform
':identicak" in its meaning?
If both platforms are precisely ''iden-
teal (the 7th section aud the explanato-
~ clause of the Kansas-N ebraska bill) in
their meaning, as the Enquirer says they
are, then they equally protect Southern
interests, and when the Americans of Fir-
ginia contend that the kansas-Nebraska
platform docs, and ours does not contain
.:Squatter Sovereignty" (Which the En-
quirer and the Americans of Virginia are
both opposed to- the only complaint the
Enquirer has a right to make is, not that
there is ''treachery to the South,' mani
tested in making an argument IN favor OF
our platform and against the platform on
which the Enquirer stands, but that it
is simply an act of injustice to that
press.
Now, let us sec if these two platforms
are identical In their meaning. In the
first place the Enquirer's platform (for
such we viii call the explanatory clause
of the Kansas Nebraska bill) gives qcLat-
ever political power is granted therein
to the ''peopie'' of the Territories The
American platform (for the sake of the
argument we for the present admit gives
the same po,Oer to ''the native born and
naturalized citizens of the United States
permanently residing in any Territory
thereof" &c. The difference is too plain
to require illustration.
To fix the difference between the two
platforms more permanently in the minds
of our readers, we viii however say that the
Enquirer's Kansas platform gives political
,Otcer In the Territories, to the people
Meye2f''- other words, to paupers and
felons-to unnaturalized foreigners-tO
the ''cargoes of crime, folly and wretch
edness, yearly shipped off to America,
$50 graphically described by Capt Marry
att of the British Navy to those who have
not resided a month in the country-to
those whose shackles were perhaps but
two weeks before knocked off, upon enter
ing Sandy Hook or the Balize- fine, to
all classes and descriptions of men, with
out regard to any qualifications, deemed
requisite in the several States, OF by the
naturalization laws, to constitute an Amer
CitlICu L fCLL ID thC
platform, and there is no escape from it,
except by Jumping from 1t to the Amer
lean platform. The American platform
was prepared with an especial view, to
get rid of this "Squatter Sovereignty
feature, and yet to retain all that was val
liable in the Kansas-Nebraska bill.
We did not propose, when we COM
menced this article, to discuss that branch
of the subject which has reference to the
question hoso far the 7th section of the
American platform sanctions the right of
the citizens of the United States perma-
nently residing in any Territory thereof,
to regulate their domestic and social af-
fairs in their own way, PRIOR to The far
NATION of their State constitution but
We may refer our readers to the precise
phraseology used therein, to wit:
'.The recognition of the right of the
native-born and naturalized citizens of the
! United States permanently residing in