Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-04-25


gtlmate result declares iGy years of IN
questioned legislation by Congress to be un.
md void II must be wrong.
because YOU thereby undertake to obliterate
and to queuch all that light which is so i'm
portanl 20 us, rs I have already remarked, in
ccnstrulng the Constitution on this great top
ic. have observed in the Kansas. Nebraska
low, amongst o;her features which il seems
To one are now views on the Constitutions. "a
provision for the extension Of the Consiitu-
ton by statute Of the United States over the
Territory of Kansas What. sir, extend the
Constitution Of the United States over a Ter
ritory by an act of Congress! What an A.
nonlly | was surpr sed when saw IL
aud hlvc carefully looked over every ter
rltorial net passed by Congress since the
Foundation OF the Government, and ! have
been unable i1 find IN any one Of them pre-
vious TO 1850, such a provision. ! do not
know to what It is intended 20 lead but !
think t my duty TO call attention 10 its
straugennss and novelty II seems TO me
that Il must hlva some Interior purpose which
cannot discover. Il may perhaps be used
hereafter as a precedent TO sustain some
other new doctrine. aud principle may BE-
"NN'' l'"''' 90 ""lN" ui''1 WIN "H"Pt'u
it ana not think OF, as h's been done ~ many
cases ana especially m inls very law IN re-
gard To ine compromise ol ls1U
Has congress power 10 spread MS authori-
" over country not rlthln us geographical
Junsdlciion Was the Constitution ever a
dopted by law which must necessarily grow
ont of the Constitution itsefs Can YOU ex-
tend lhe Constitution over a Territory by an
act oi congress; u You can You have but
10 repeal your act OF Congress, and yonr
CONSTITUTION does not extend there. Sir, our
lHdSdIcuon over country is never acquired
oy an act ol Iegslauoni u must be pre'eX-
lsIing Legislation can extend only over
country waich yon already have WITHIN your
jurisdiction congress has no power over
territory wltlln us jurisdiction except that
"hich the constitution couiers. Az Their
power is derived from the Constiiuton-bui
70 what country OF course TO country
",n'n 'h'T Jnrisllchon' ana none o'her.
II we are To adopt t1s doctrine, there Is no
Constitution ct the United states now IN op'
parauon 10 Missouri, or Ohip' or Michigan
lhey never adopted the Constitution OF the
United atates. The old states adopted 70 %
convention. II You call the State which
nave the honor ln part, To represent, ne "
State. it did adopt The Constitution. We as
sembIed, as the old States did, in convention
aud adopted ths Constitution Of the United
States, and so believe. did Kentucky, which
was admitted into the Union 10 the same
year; but ln regard 10 ala that territory be
you'd the Mississippi and north of the Ohio
there is not one State formed ont of it which
ryer adopted the United States Constitution
hy a convention. and no act of a State Leg
Bture could do II: and undertake to sa,
there is not one of them over which it ha,
been spread by act of Congres Then how
is our Constitution operative there ? will
tell YOU.
Mr. Pfdsident would always much rath
er cite higher authority than my own ips
DIRT on any subject, aud especially whel
that authority lies at my hand In this cas-
| think there is conclusive authority TO whlcl
can refer, We know that M an early pc
Rod Of cur history the power of annaXln.
foreign territory 10 the Union was much az
itated. We know that when Louisiana va,
acquired, Mr.. Jefferson was Of the opinlol
that it was beyond the power Of the Gov
crnment, and he proposed an amendment q
the Constitution for the purpose Of securing
that which was then regarded as a very grea
.,i'l Hl' '.'i.'''' '"'' ''i'1' ="
"a9 o'.''''Vu' ''o" w. o'"S' S'os9 u'u ~
"'.i ""' 't "P'n'2"' l"u "N't'" u'
~ ''.'e' 'e,., ''3u-" -. NV ueI.u 9o.ii
l9,,''9, .l ",'.- 'i''.N ,h'. 1. ia'ns
s's'' 'l' ''Iniu W ''i'a P'.n'' ! oel'eEe /"
Nv" u', - .'.i,- 'I'' ue'',,u , '.S.p .'' wa
~ou'1o ~ ", ~ '',e.' sou'o elt ouP,eul
oo'll W. 'ie o,'''eu ',','''7' !. you WI, oN
sl'', WV, N',o's''., ~ Ni,g 1asS' you WI
N"I ',s " '''.e . uoe'' ,,s 'ui ''a,'u
ii''0u u-''l ~ '''o s''''
'''l',e' az '-'',''.''' a,'N ou' il"5 tot r ou
D.'I7'.''l,''',' ''g 9N'e''.'o o'e' It oy SN
VI u''- u'',s "''e s.'1eI ''' lo'lu'
"'iue' 0'' '''u' avs ""'1N ","us"' ,I W
Iuv','ou o9'ule '''e supreme Nour~ y
.,'u' ~ ,,a'''' ''u ooo'isu'' ~ ''e eN'''h'y
',ie" '1'onsvs, VII i'.'5n 10 'uS'7. S'''ou
o'''' u''"= I''a' 'I9 't'ol VI '',' ~ ~
~as ey"ul ''ie gou''''ul.pna, ,'ll power o' u,
uu'e'"nen,' nnu .'''y D''eu "'' 'eue'Son
views ~ reta''o" r,.a'" 10 Tue i-ou'9aul case
Sno" l"'' .'ele WIS "1 suoi power ~ tn
EoVe'uHSn' unu Ni'l 'neIe'o'o tue ~, On''e
S'ilos mo no S"cn Ju'lsu'c,i'n y, over io''o'
anu ua'' hc"Oc' 'le aVt "l congress eAleh'