Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1856-01-04
The commissioners annoipted to reyis

Z indue sucn progress IN tne performance OF ! v
their task. as to insure its completion in II
the time prescribed BY the act of Congress 9
Information has recently been received,
that the peace of the settlements in the fl
Territories of Oregon and Washington is b
disturbed by hos.ilties on the part of the Il
Indians. with indications of extensive COM Il
binations of hostile character among the h
tribes in that quarter, the more serious in o
their possible effect by reason of the unde- Il
termined foreign interests existing in those n
Territories, to which your attention has t.
already been especially invited Efficient o
measures have been taken, which, it is be- "
lieved, will restore quiet, and afford pro- Il
lection to our citizens. tt
In the Territory of Kansas, there have 5
been acts prejudicial to good order, but as
vet none have occurred under crcumstan- il
ces to justify the interpositon of the feder- "
al Executive. That could only be in case s,
of obstruction to federal law, or of orgalI- W
lied existence to territorial law, assuming fr
the character of insurrection, which, if it ii
should occur, it would be my duty prompt al
" to overcome and suppress. | cherish p
the hope, however, that the occurrence Il
of any such untoward event will be pre- al
vented by tie sound sense of the people of III
the Territory, who, by its organic law pos c,
sessing the right to determine their own Il
domestic institutions, are entitled, while al
dcporting themselves peacefully to the free a
exercise of that right, and must be protect e'
ed in the free enjoyment of it, without in ri
reference on the part of the citizens of e;
anv of the States. a
The southern boundary line Of this Ter c'
ritory has never been surveyed and estab- n
lished. The rapidly extending settlements la
in that region, and the fact that the main %
route between Independence. in the State ii
of Missouri and New Mexico, is contigu- M
ous TO this line, suggest the probability III
that embarrassing questions ot jurisdiction az "a
NAV consequently arise. For these and III
other considerations, | commend the sub IN
iect to your early attention. II
CoNsTITUTIONALT THEORY oFTHEGoyERN- ;
NENT. ;,
have thus passed in review the general II
state of the Union, including such particu- Il
lar concerns Of the federal government. II
whether Of domestic or foreign relation. AZ i'
it appeared to me desirable and useful To "
bring to the special notice of Congress T.
Unlike the great states Of Europe and Asia. /"
and MANY of those of America. these | nj Il
ted States are wasting their strength nei- b
ther in foreign war or domestic STRIFE. r.
Whatever of discomfort or public dissatis- II
faction exists. Is attributable to the imper- u
fcctions of human nature or Is incident TO o
all governments, however perfect, which II
human wisdom can devise. Such subjects
of political agitation, as occupy the public u
mind, consist. to great extent. Of exag- Z
geration of inevitable evils, or over zeal in u
social improvement, or mele Imagination U
of grievance, having but remote connexion
with anv of the constitutional functions or n
duties of the federal government. To l.
whatever extent these questions exhibit 1t
tendency menacing to the stability of the =
constitution, or the integrity of the Union, u
and no farther they demand the consider a
alton of the Executive, and require to be "
presented by him to Congress. "
Before the Thirteen Colonies became D
confederation of Independent States. they u
were associated only by community OF a
transatlantic origin, by geographical po- .
sition, and by the mutual tie of common II !.
dependence on Great Britain. When =
that tie was sundered, they sevcrally as-
sumed the powers and rights ofabsolute self IL IL
government The municipal and social insti u
tutions of each, its laws of property and of o o
personal relation, even its political organi II
zation. were such only as each one chose
to establish, wholly without interference :,
from any other. In the language of the
Declaration of Independence, each State
had g full power to levy war, conclude II
! peace, contract alliances, establish com b
nerce, and to do all other acts and things o
which independent States of right may y
( do" The several colonies differed in eli {
mate. in soil, in natural productions, in s
religion. in systems of education, in legisla- ?
/ ton, and in the forms of political admin !;
istration ald they continued to differ in II
these respects when they voluntarily allied c
( themselves as States to carry on the war of o
the revolution. l.
The object of that war was to disenthral I
the United Colonies from foreign rule, C
which had proved to be oppressive, and
to separate them permanently from the a
mother country: the political result was t
the foundation of federal republic of the f
free white men of the colonies, constituted, t
as they were, in distinct, and reciprocally f
independent, State governments. As for {
the subject races, whether Indian or Afri- a
can, the wise and brave statesmen of that |
day, being engaged in no extravagant S
scheme of social change, left them as they I
were, and thus preserved themselves and
their posterity from the anarchy, and the
ever-re ,urring civil wars, which have pre-
vailed in other revolutionized European
colonies of America.
When the confederated States found it
convenient to modify the conditions of their
association, by giving to the general gov
ernment direct access, in some respects, to
the people of the States, instead of conf
ming it to action on the States as such,
they proceeded to frame the existing con-
stitution, adhering steadily to one guiding ;
thought, which was, to delegate only such
Nd 70 hn