Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-05-17
The Richmond Enquirer, and g Squatte
SOvereignty.o


The Richmond Enquirer, and g Squatter
II E5g 49, 49, SOvereignty.oe
n The Richmond Enquirer is enyeloped in diff
ficulties on the questions of "squatter sover-
eighty" and the construction of the 7th section
of the American platform. We intimated, a
few days ago, that the Enquirer would be obliged
to do one Of two things, either back out from
its denunciations Of "squatter sovereignty"
or withdraw from the support Of Forney,
Pierce, and Company Instead Of retracting
its dcnnnciations Of "squatter sovereignty"
Or withdrawing its support from the Forney
and Pierce dynasty, that press now boldly as
sumes, that there is no "squatter sovereignty
IN the Kansas Nebraska bill, or if there be any,
the American party, through its National
Council, have adopted precisely the same prin-
ciple in the It'll section of its platform. Now
It seems to us, and we will endeayor to make
it appear to others, that the Enquirer misun-
derstands what is meant by "squatter soyer-
eighty, " and also that it misinterprets the 7th
section Of the American platform In the use
of the phrase squatter sovereignty, J" the latter
Of the two words cannot be interpreted literal
ly, because socersignty does not reside in the
people, nor in those citizens of the United
States" W 10 may inhabit Territory
81 The word IS sovereignty" as used in this
phrase, can only be construed to mean that po-
Gtical poUer which those who exercise the
privilege Of free suffrage enjoy, in any Of tho
organized Territories. The prefix squatter is
well understood to mean that class of persons
who settle on the public lands without title,
or, in other words, the temporary occupants Of
the public lands, without reference to the ques-
ton whether they are "citizens of the United
States or not. The plain meaning Of the
term "squatter sovereignty" then, is, the
poseer enjoyed by heterogeneous mass Of hui
man beings, without restriction as to suffrage
qualification, by residence for stated term,
and by naturalization in the cas-, of aliens
The residents of an organized Territory,
whether aliens or "citizens of the United
States cannot be sovereign until, in due FORM
they have become State with the consent of
Congress Eo Instant that they are admitted
as a STATE, their sovereignty commences Until
that moment, they are under the, control of
Congress. This we take to be sound doctrine
But what is the meaning Of the explanatory
clause Of the Kar sas-N ehraska acts 1t reads
thus: 3 4ot tt g8fs3s,s5 #ea
SIT being the true intent aud meaning of this
act not to legslate slavery into any Territory or
State, nor to exclude it therefrom, but to leave
the people thereof perfectly free to form and regu-
late their domestic institutions in their own way
subject only to the Constitution Of the United
Etatesnl - @.
" The meaning Of the above clause most un-
questionably was, to give the "people" the
sqyatters on the public landslide residents of
the Territories, without regard to any gua5if-
cations, (such as naturalization, a term Of res
idencc, and not even excluding persons con-
victed of crimes the right " to regulate their
domestic institutions"
The word people" means all classes Of in
habitants. The term citizens of the United
States means persons native or naturalized
who have the privilege Of exercising the cleo
tive FRANCHISE, or the qualifications which en-
able them to vote for rulers, &c. s.
The Richmond Enquirer contends that the
meaning Of the explanatory clause Of the Kan
SASH Nebraska act QUOTED above) is identi-
car with that Of the nth section. 1t says
!" In truth, the article (seventh) in the Ameri.
can platform is plagiarism from the Kansas Ne
braska BILL So that, If one affirms squatter SOW
ereignty, the other asserts it even more strongly
and unequivocallyl"
Put q pin there Before we proceed to show
the difference in the meaning between the 18th
section of the American platform and the ex-
planatorv clause of the Kansas N braska bill,
we have question or two to PROFOUND to the
sapient conductors of the Richmond Enquirer
Do you not affirm that the Kansas Nebras-
ka bill contains the true Southern doctrine on
the question Of slavery in the TerritoriesY You
do affirm this Do you not assert the neces-
sity Of insisting upon the maintenance and en-
forcement Of this doctine9 You do assert
Ma. Do you not say that the meaning Of the
7th section of our platform and the meaning Of
the explanatory clause ofsthe Kansas N ebras-
ks act are "identical :" Roy do say this
And yet you say, that the American party in
Virginia, attempt to disguise their 1eachery 70
the South, under the himsy pretext, that the
Kansss-N Nebraska bill asserts "squatter soye-
reignty J" How can this be any treachery 70
the SOUTH You say the meaning of the 7th
section is identical with the Kansas Nebraska
act Well grant that it is 50, as to the general
question Of the power of the citizens Of the
United States permanently residing in the Ter
ritcfy, how can there be any trsachery % TIE
South in asserting that the Kansas Nebraska
bin CONTAINS "sqaattcr sovereignty" when the
Anssican party offer the South . platform
|" identical" in its mespingf
II both platforms are precisely identical"