Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-04-29

ne attempts toextFicste himself BY assertingl
hat "the right of Congress to pass the or
ganic act for The temporary government (ofl
the territories) is clearly included in the
provision which authorizes the admission Of /
new States" But this is not ALL this DOW
er being incident to .an express grant, and
from it," the Senator sagely con-
cludes that rthe people'Iof the territories
Of the us, must be left "entirely free to
form and regulate their own domestic in
stitutions, ard internal concerns in their own
way = Congress having no power to pro-
hibit slavery therein. We have thus brief
ly, and as nearly as possible in his own |,
words, given the views Of Senator Douglass
--and we may say of the entire Democratic
(l) party-in regard to the constitutional
power of Congress over the territories of
the us. In opposition TO these views we
wish to present those Of Judge Story, Asso
ciate Justice, for number Of years, of the
Supreme Court of the U. s., and one of the
ablest jurists of the age. He was also a
cotemporary of Adams, Madison, and
number of other members of the convention
which framed our Federal Constitution -
Upon page 9th Of his constitutional class
Book" chapter 25th, upon the "Admission
Of New States. Government of Territories"
under the first division of his subject
"Admission of New States"-he quotes
the first clause Of the third section Of the
fourth article which says: "New States NAV
be admitted by the Congress into this Union.
But no new State. &c, &C." Comments
are then made upon the necessity Of this
clause. the benefits conferred BY it. the States
admitted under it, &c. But it is not even
limited in any remark upon this clause that
it confers the least power upon Congress in
regard to the government Of our territories
But in commenting upon the second clause
Of the same sec;ion--that "The congress
shall have power to dispose Of and make al
nee1ful rules and regulations respecting the
territory or other property belonging to the
U. S. Judge Story says: "As the Gene
raj Government possesses the right to acquire
territory by cession and conquest, it woult
seem to follow as a natural incident tina
, it should possess the power to govern ant
! protect what it had acquired. At the tim,
Of the adoption Of the Constitution, it hat
acquired the vast region included in tn
Northwestern Territory; and its acquisi
tons have been, since, greatly enlarged b,
e the purchase of Louisiana and Florida
. The latter is subject to treaty stipulations
! the former has been peoped under the ad
= mirable Ordinance Of 1897, which we ow
i to the mise forecast and polital wisdom of
e man whom New England can never fail t
s reverence" Hon. Nathan Dane. AS vii
j. BE- seen by the foregoing extracts and re
i marks the views of Judge Story are in d
" rect conflict with those Of Senator Douglas,
Il But this is not all the authority which cor
1t Aicts with the honorable Senator; Washing
IL ton, Madison. jefferson, Adams, Hamilton
d Clay, Writ, Webster, and Benton, have a
by their public acts proclaimed the views
Douglass unsound. There is also anoth,
q significant fact which deserves notice in tn
% connection, the doctrine of the Senator W,
,e first introduced into the U. s. Senate
ii l848; where according to Col. Benton it WI
:. - received as "the qu;nteysence Of nonsence,
% and verify we believe its reception was we
81 merted. Certainly nothing can appel
s, more "nonsensical." than the idea that Il
y. power to make "aH needful rules and re-
ulations, respecting the territory Of the |
III s., means the power to make only part
of which is the doctrine of Douglass as S
: forth in this Report" It's doctrines a
= " now before the people, they are the issu
8 upon which the coming Presidential conte
OF is to be fought. The Democracy acce
tn and support them; while the Re- ublica
t. following in the footstel of Washingto
:. " jefferson, Madison. and Story, repudia
Us these doctrines iS subversion of the r;ao:
a pies Of constitutional freedom, and as Il
essence of nonsense" Where stand Il
ty people? L..