Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-03-24
bt DaIp Spp.
MONDAY. MARCH "a, 1856.
Popular Sovereignty.

leaders on the question of the extension of
slavery into free territories, we now propose
contrasting them on another matter-the uues-
ton of the right of the people to institute and
organize governments Of their own forming,
irrespective of leeve granted them so to do by
any pre-existing authouty-the right of .spop-
ular sovereignty, as claimed by the Stree suf
fragists" or Dorrites of Rhode Island in 1912.
the most distinguished advocates of which
doctrine, in the country, were Franklin
Pierce, Stephen Arnold Douglas, James Blu
chanan, Lewis Cass, Benjamin F. Hallet, the
Boston Post, New Hampshire Patriot, and
other leaders and organs of the present ma
tional administration, following in whose
wake, the masses of the democracy of that day
were unanimous and enthusiastic in sup
port OF that same identical doctrine which is
now SO pitlessly secuted and ruthlessly tram
pied under foot by the same shameless leaders
of the pretended democracy of this day.
As to paia llel in the two cases, the valid
ity Of the Kansas proceedings. on the part OF
the people there, in framing constitution and
asking admission into the Union in the man
ner they have, rests upon far more impreg
nable basis than ever could be claimed for the
30 called " Peoples movement in our sister
State, although the prin ciple in each case is
the same. As to the propnety of the Dorr
movement, there might well be entertained
t"o opinions, according to the respective con-
sentative or radical ideas of different persons.
but, in the case of territory, or previously
unorganized State government, we can find no
possible chance for but one view of the question
that the people have right, whenever they
shall so elect, without waiting for special leave
to be granted them so to do by Congress, to
meet by their own delegates in convention
for that purpose, and frame a constitution of
their own liking, and, providing it is " repub.
lican" in form, the only condition required by
the constitution of the United States, to be
admitted into the Union as sovereign
State. Several of the States, Michigan, Iowa,
Florida, Arkansas, and California. have been
so admitted. and the loudest advocates for
such admission, were those who are now fore.
most in opposing the admission of Kansas I'M
precisely the same circumstances,
To illustrate the decided and radical posi-
ton maintained by the great lights of modern
democracy, in favor of the principles of pop
lular sovereignty" fourteen years back, we
will commence with the President himself
At congratulatory meeting held in Concord,
N. H., Dec. ID, 1912, to welcome Gov. Dorr,
who was outcast from his native State, of
which he claimed to be Governor in pursuance
of right not thousandth part as valid as the
right of Chas. Robinson to the Governorship
of Kanzas, or Reeder to a seat in Congress,
Franklin Pierce delivered an enthusiastic
speech to Dorr in behalf of the democracy Of
the Granite State, and closed by presenting a
series of resolutions, en- bodyirg their views
and his, for permanent record, as follows. Itis
refreshin g to peruse them at this day. Let us
pray for their practical application now:
al. Resolued, That all government of right
originates from the people, is founded in consent,
and instituted for the general good.
~ Resotced, That whenever the ends Of gov.
eminent are perverted, and public liberty mani
testify endangered, and all other means of redress
are inettectual the p ople may and of right ought
government.
80. R sofoed. That If the friends Of liberty
should wait for leave from tyrants to abolish tyr
ranny, the day OF Tree government would never
dawn upon the eyes of the oppressed millions Of
our race
"A Resolved That when the people act in
their original sovereign capacity in forming and
adopting new systems of government, they are
not bound to conform to any rules or forms of
proceeding not instituted by themselves
The last three resolutions one would sup
pose, were got up expressly for the present
emergency. At any rate, they are precisely
adapted thereto. If The old charter govern
ment of Rhode Island was in any degree ty-
rannical, the government ofthe United States
as administered by this same Franklin Pierce.
in conniving at the border ruffian invasions Of
Kanzas, and issuing his proclamation to back
up the Infamous dOings of the bogus Legislature
installed in power over the people OF the terri
tory by Missouri invaders, is guilty past all
hope of redemption, of the the dark est crimes
of tyranny and outrage, which it is possible
to be inflicted upon any people. This sent-
ments conveyed in Gen. Pierce's resolutions,
above, if now applied, would effect COM
plete revolution in his mode of administration
Of public affairs, as far as Kanzas is concerned,
and present most remarkable and vivid con-
trast with the course he has pursued.
Another of the famous champions of "pop-
ular sovereignty of the past, was Benjamin
F. Hallet, President Pierces District Attorney
for Massachusetts, quotations from whom may
be made as late down in history as 1853, of
uniform purport with the sentiments preached
by him as leading Dorr orator in I84l, AZ,
and '43. We all recollect the stiffness and
decisiyeness Of his Democracy, on this point
1t was fully up to the Pierce Standard
Here is an extract from his speech in the late
Constitutional Convention =
" Sir, maintain that the people have the
right peacefully to assemble and express their
wishes, in relation to any change they NAV
desire in their government, and that Ii will
of the majority in making organic laws, is the
will of the people"
Mr.. Hallet then goes on to bring to his aid
that model Democrat, just now, in the esti-
nation of some, James Buchanan, from whose
speech, in 1886, Mr.. II. quotes as follows =
The principle established by the whole
history Of American government is. that the
people are sovereign, aud that majority Of
them can alter or change their fundamental
lslos at pleasure. This IL neither rebellion nor
revolution. II is an essential recognized
principle in all our forms of government"
Az. =. Il a.