Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1856-12-11
PLYMoUTn INDIANA, THURSDAY DECEMBER H. 1856.

| into ihe Union. When il was oropo.
sed TO admit the State of Maine by sepa.
ration of territory from that Of Massa.
chusrlts. and the State Of Missouri form
ed portion Of the territory ceded by
| France TO The United States, represents.
lives in Congress objected TO the sdmis-
sion Of the latter unless with conditions
soi,ed TO particular views Of public policy.
The imposition Of such a condition was
successfully resisted but, OF the same pc-
| rod the question was presented of impo-
sing restrictions upon The residue Of the
territory ceded by France. Ths, question
was. for The time disposed of by the sdor-
ton Of geographical line of limitation.
In this come xioa it should not be for.
I gotten that France, OF her own accord,
! resolved for considers ions Of the mos,
far sighted sngacity, 10 cehe Louisiana to
the United States. and that accession
was accepted by the United States. Tho
latter expressly engaged that inhabi
tsnis of the ceded territory should be in
corporaled in the Union OF the United
States. and admitted as soon as possible
according TO the principles of the Fede-
raj Constitution, to the enjoyment Of all
the rights. advantages and lmmunities OF
/ citizens OF the United States. and in the
meantime they shall be maintained aud
protected in the free enioymen, of their
liberty. property and the religion which
they prJfessed.
That is to say, while it remains in a
territorial condition. rs inha 5itants are
IN .intained and protected in free enjoy
ment of their liberty and property. with
a right then to psss into the condition of
STAIRS on faoting Of perfect equality
With the original States. The enactment
which established the restrictive geo.
lgrap phical line was scquieced in, rather
than approved by. the. States of the u
nion... /, stood on the sta ~ To book, how
ever. for number of years. end the peo
pie Of the respective States scquiesced
in the re ensctmen, Of tie psiaclple as
applied to the State of Trxos, and il was
proposed 10 acquiesce in iis'fauher sp-
plication TO the territory acquired by the
United States from Mexico; but this
] proposition was successfully resisted by
the representatives, OF the Northern
States. who. regardless Of the statute
line. insisted on applying restriction to
the new territory grnerslly. whether ly-
ing North or South ofil-thereby repeal
ing il as legislative compromise, and
on the part OF the North persistently vi
olating the compact. il compact there
was.
Thereupon. this enactment ceased to
have binding virtue in snr sense, wheth
er as respects the Nor tn or The South. snc
so in effect il ives treated on the occs
sion OF the admission of ths State Of
Califuibio. ond the organization Of the
Territories of New Mexico. Utah snd
| Washington. Such was the s,ate OF this
question when the time arrived for the
organ zstion OF the Territories OF Kansas
aud Nebraska. In the progress OF con
s:ituionsl inquiry aud reflection. il had
now at length come 10 be clearly sten
that Congress does mol possess cons,iiu-
tionsl powar TO impose restrictions oI
This character upon any present or future
State of the Union.
! In long series of decisions on the
fullest argument. nnd after the most de-
iibers;e consideration. the Supreme Court
of the United States had finally deter
mined this point in every form under
which the question should arise, whe tn
er as affecting public orsprvste rights or
questions of the public domain or relig
ION. navigation. or Of servi;ude. The
several States OF The Union ore by force
of the Constitution CO equal in domestic
legislsiiye power. Congress cannot
change law of domestic relation in the
State oi Maine. No more can it in the
5 ate Of Missouri.
Any statute which proposes TO do this
is mere nulli,y: it takes away no right
ii. confers none; IL il remains on the
statute boek unfepesled. it remains there
only ss a monument OF error. and bea-
con of worning to The legislator and the
statesman; 10 iepesl will be only TO re
move impe,frclion from. the statutes
without affecting either in the sense Of
permission or Of prohibition the action
of tho States or OF their citizens. Still,
whom the nominal restriction oftthis ma.
ture. already dead letter in law. was re
pealed by the last Congress. in a clause
Of the Act organizing the Territories Of
ksnsas and Nebraska. that repea; was
m sde the occssiun Of wide spread snd
dangerous sgiiation.
IL wss sllegsd tha. the origina! enact
meul being compact OF perpetual mora
oolIgation, Its frpesl constituted an odi
oss breach of faith, An sct OF Congress
while il Is unrepesIed. more especially if
ii be constitutionally Wild in the judg.
ment OF those public tuncticnaries. whose
DUTY il is to pronounce on that point. is !
undoubtedly binding on the conscience I
Of each good citizen If The Republic; |
but in what sense can il be asserted that
the enactmenl in question vas invested |
with pespetuity. aud entitled TO respec,
of solemn comPacll Between whom
was the compact no distiuct contending
power OF the government-no srpsrs,r
sections of the Union. tsss,ing as such /
entered in the treaty stipulation on The
subject.
ltwss a mere clause OF an act Of Con +
gress, and like any other controveried
matter Of legislation received its final
shs pc end was passed BY compfomise OF
conflicting opinions or sentiments Of
the members of Congress: bat il il had !,
uorsl sutht,rttv over mrn'a coust iauc.s