Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-04-30
The Richmond Enquirer 6quatter Sovereignty
and the Cincinnati Convention

The McAmoud 6nQulIet oQudtteI sovereignty
and the Cincinnati Convention.
The Richmond Enquirer is determined that
.quatter sovereignty that "ugly idol" of fools
and dcmagogues" --shal no longer be recognized
among the divnties Of Democracy. In it's is
sue of Monday il says; I'VE must, in the Gin.
'.cincnnati platform. rcpudate squatter sover.
"eignty and expressly assert State equality
I'VE must declare that il is the duty of the gen
"eral government TO see that no nyidious or in
..jarious distinctions are made between the pee.
.ple or the property Of different sections in the
"territories We do not mean to dictate. II
"nsy be that the assertion in the Platform of the
abstract proposition of State equality may suf-
"fce to carry along with il the consequences
(which desire. But it is efies charged tina,
",he Kansas Nebraska bill contains the doctrine
''ef Squatter SO, ereignty, aud that Squater Sow
"ereignty is the most efficient agent OF free soil
,ism. Some Northern Democrats have main
",ained this ground Now this gun must he
"spked. Ii must appear from our platform that
I'VE maintain practical State equality, and re
.'pudiate that construction Of the Kansas Ne.
'braska act which would defeat it. The South
"only demands equality of right. The more
ICY i. ready 10 concede il to her, the more Ger.
"iain is our candidate Of success"
The demand of the Enquirer that tho Cincin.
matt platform shall repudiate Squatter Sovereign.
ty il bold and manly. But il will have to be
very wa,chfu and oncompromising to proven,
being imposed on by some ambiguous generality
Resolutions proclaiming the equality of the States
will not safice-for there ia no party North
South dcpraved enough to deny that. The Black
Republicans preach that doctrine and even VIII
son OF Massachusetts, avows bis approval of the
resolutions of $500. II is manifest. therefore.
that the purpose of the Enquirer only be Of.
feeied by a resolution distinctly defining villa, Is
meant by Squatter Sovereignty and repudiatng
it, as defined Those who have fallen into this
gross and fatal heresy maintain that slavery Is
local and can only ess, by virtue Of positive en-
sotments establishing it. As there no such
enactments in any of the territories, il follows
that the slayehoder could not go iato any of them
carrying his property. until authority should be
given him by the non Shareholders residing these.
through laws establishing savery--a result which
we need not say would never occur. The theo-
ry of Squatter Sovereignty invests the frs, set
tiers Of neutrality-suspicious. they have the popu-
lation required TO form State, and before they
have permission TO call a convention. but while
in their territoria condition with absolute con.
troll over the institution OF slavery. IL they say
the Shareholder may come, he can do soft they
forbid him, he is forever excluded. This is the
doctrine so fercey denounced in a recent mum.
Der Of the Enquirer. This is the deadly ulcer
tb., In. g. 49,
very vinls OF the Democratic party and which
the Enquirer now demands shall be excsed.--
We applaud the courage of the attempt, but doubt
the success of the operation. As this subject
involves the interests of the whole Southern
people, aud concerns us as much as the Euqui-
rer, we feel no hesitation in suggesting to that
journal Tire sort of resolution that il should TO-
quire to be adopted at the Cincinnati Conven-
ton. II it will turn back TO the proceedings of
the Democratic State Convention which sat in
Richmond in March Is4s. il will find that after
earnestly protesting against the Proyiso a. a
wsuton violation of the constitution and a will
full assault the rights aud interests of one por-
ton of our confederacy, the Virginia Democracy
of that day did most solemny declare that
''there is no power either in Congress o, a Ter-
EDITORIAL Legislature, which is its creature, or
"any where else, save only in the people of
"territory, in the adoption Of State Constitu-
"tion, preparatory to admission into the Union.
40 prevent the migration of any citizen OF any
state, with bis property whether it be slaves or
anything else. 10 any domain which may be ae
'.qared by the common blood and treasure of the
people of all the States: :" And that they would
"under no political necessity ,ohaterer support
''either for the Presidency the Vice Presi-
"dency any person who shall not be the firm and
'avowed opponent of any plan or doctrine, which
Tin any way interferes with the right of citizens
''of any one State 10 possess and enjoy all their
- property in any territory which may be nc
''qaired by the Union. ms fully. completely and
"securey as citiz.ns of any other State shall en-
10y, theirs" And that subject to this "indis.
pensabie condition, they would support any
Democrat, &c.
The Enquirer cannot be too exact or particu.
lar IS to the terms which shall be employed in
repudiating squstter sovereignty. Northern pol
iticlsns are expert in the invention of Delphic
phrases,and the South bias shown itself too much
dlsposed to be conteat with eguivocsl profess
sions. In any true sense. the theory of State
equality would exclude the odious subterfuge of
freesoilism that skulks beneath the name of
squatter sovereignty-but, as we have already
stated. abolitionists. Black Republicans and all
profess to stand by that principle. BY any far
Interpretation. the Kansas ebraska bill discoun-
tenanoes and disallows the bastard idea, but the
friends OF that bill in the North. almost without
exception are also thefriends Of squatter sover-
~eignty-and at the very moment of its adoption
in the Senate distinguished northern demo-