Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-05-15
Cen. Cas-. ON ..saua..er sovereignly.,,

AS seen by our Congressional record, Gen.
Cass concluded his speech on "Squatter Sover-
eighty" in the Senate, on Tuesday. As to
whether he made any attempt to defend his old
position of entire denial of the constitutional
right of Congress to legslate in regard to terri
torial affairs we can tell better when we see full
report of his remarks. AS far as they have come
over the wires, they seem in a remarkable degree
both :" foggy" and il" fogyish,'' on the matter. In
1850, the great Michigander laid down his doc
trne with distinctness as follows, in his speech in
the United States Senate March 18th, of that
year:
"There are two positions l have always main
tanned with reference to this subjeet-frst, that
Congress, under the Constitution, has no right to
establish governments for the territories second
w. that under no circumstances hare they ther1gt
to pass ana laao to regulate the internal affairs of
tbs people iaha5iting them The first may be a
matter of necessity; and when the necessity ex-
lists, if Senator votes for it, he votes upon his
own responsibility to his constituents. II they
believe the necessity, and support him. he is safe,
but if not he must fall. If 1 had voted under
such circumstances, l must have looked to my
constituents for my justification; but under no
circumstances, could have voted for any law an
terferi1g soh the internal concerns OF the people
ofG territory. No necessity requires it, there is
no necessity which wo1ld justify it.
To apply this doctrine to the present time, in
the case of Kanzas, what could be said
strongly in favor of the principles upon which
the people there have acted throughout, in their
organization of State Government, Independent
of ''interference by Congress in the internal af-
fairs of that territory" If meeting at their own
time and in their own mode to institute State
Government for themselves and the right to ask
q omission into the Union, be not business or ''af-
fairs coming strictly according to his doctrine)
within the special jurisdiction of the people of
Kanzas, then Cass's whole theory of ''squatter
sovereignty" may as well be buried first as last.
What right has Congress to presume so far to
''regulate the internal affairs of the people of
territory" as to dictate to them on this matter in
any way whatever? None at all, if there be any
meaning in the Nicholson letter. or in the eecho
of its sentiments in the speech from which the
aboYe extract is quoted.
As Gen. Cass has assured us, in his speech of
last Tuesday that "the recent troubles in the
territory of Kanzas had not in the least weakened
his faith in the right ofman to g5uern himself, it
is hoped that he will still continue to adhere to
his old doctrine, and apply it in all its length and
breadth, to the present state of affairs in Kanzas,
by voting for its immediate admission a State
with its present constitution. Let him demand
the immediate carrying out of his so much yaunt.
cd 'squatter sovereignty" policy, by the present
national administration, which he gave the whole
weight of his vast influence to nstate into power.
But we have not much confidence. however
much we should be pleased to see him do it, that
Gen. Cass will csme up to the scratch in the pres.
enl case in defence of his own doctrine, although
in SO doing he would be only walking in the foot
steps of the precedent es ablished in the admis
sion Of his own State into the Union. Yet we ar,
curious to see how he can manage to get rount
the matter, or evade showing his hand explicitly
one way OF the other.