Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1856-07-09
Squattsr Sovereignty.

There is now no political principle
more imperfectly- understood than that oil
Squatters Sovereignty. Upon the one
hand we find intelligent persons conten-
!: ding thatthe principle of squatter Sow
ereignty is contained in the Kansas Ne
braska Bill, and upon the other We find
equally as: well-informed politicians dc.
nying that there is any such principle
: contained in that much discussed bill
A.Kno* Nothing editor asserts that Blu
chanan is in favor Of Squatter Sovereign
ty, and Democratic one denies it in toto,
and yet each editor comes to his conelu-
sion fromueading the same letter Of Mr.
Buchanan. And why this diversity of
opinion? W by this conflict about the
position of prominent politicians on this
+ squatter Sovereignty doctrine?s 1t is
chiefly because men differ among them
selves as to W hat is Squatter Sovereignty.
/. -FAs we understand squatter Sovereign
/ ", it is the exercise Of sovereign rights
by squatters Of Territory right, to
! decide upoa dH questions appertaining to
the well-being and regulation of a Terri
tory.: 1t is granting to the inhabitants
ola Territory right to decide upon the
slavery question and all other questions
whenever tits their pleasure so to do
1t is comforting the power upon the first
settlers of Territory to decide whether
or,not slavery shall exist in the territory,
not taking into consideration who those
settlers are and what their number may
be. - f., l.. ..
l. Squatter Sovereignty, as thus under
stood and defined, the Democratic party
are opposed to, heart and soul. The
Democrats deny, in toto, thcright Of tn"
inhabitants of a Territory to exercise all
the privileges and powers belonging to
q sovereign; people whenever 1t may
seem their interest and pleasure so to do.
They deny tina a Territory has sover,@
eighty whilst it is Territory; and assert
that its, sovereignty is held in allegiance
whilst a Territory, and SO remains in
allegiance until the people Of the Territory
meet in Convention, under and by virtue
Of an act Of Congress, and then decide
what form and kind Of government they
prefer. And. until the population Of a
Territory is such as to entitle them to
hold such a. Convention, the inhabitants
of a Territory cannot exercise all the
rights of sovereigns. And when the
population, the bona fae inhabitants of a
Territory, do reach that number WHICH
entities them to hold such a Cony ention;
and they do hold such Convention, they
become clothed with the rights and priv
ileges of sovereign people; and can then
decide for themselves whether slavery
shallor shall not be part Of their Consti
tuition. ; But until the bona .fde inhabit-
ants Of Territory do reach that number
they arc not entitled to exercise all the
rights appertaining to sovereigns, they
are under the guardianship. of Congress,
and can only pass such laws for their
own government as will not conflict with
the Constitutional rights Of the citizens
Of any one Of the United States. To il
Illustrate: The inhabitants of Kansas can
notnow (it being a Territory enact laws
declaring that slavery shall not exist
there. and because the passage Of such a
law would be in conflict with the Con-
stitutional rights of the slave States
But when the people Of Kansas are emit
tied, BY their nurn bers, to adopt q Con
stitution, they can then, decide whether
they will have slavery or not; for then,
for the FIRST time, arc they clothed with
full powers Of soyereigns: a
The doctrine Of squatter:@soYereig
however, confers sovereign rights upon
the inhabitants Of a territory long before
their number is such as to ent'tle them to
in Convention and adopt a Con-
In fac t, it allows any number,
-yg ~ -
ht'w+ser small, d persons in = territory