Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-05-15
The Stanton Convention the Kansas Bill
the Philadelphia Platform and Squatter Sow

the Philadelphia Platform and Squattef Sow
eighty.
The Richmond Enquirer of Tuesday devotes
leading editorial 10 the discussion Of that resolu
ten Of the Staunten convention which inciden
tally afirms the authorization Of squatter sover-
eighty BY the law establishing Territorial GOV.
eruments for Kansas and Nebraska. We perfect.
" agree with the Enquirer in its denial that any
such principles embraced ia that law. To our
minds it is clear that the provision which makes
the power t. form snd regulate their domestic
institutions in theE way subject To the
constitution Of the United States" excludes all
favor or couniensnce of measure 80 unauihor
ICED by and inconsistent with the constitution
.ouatfer sovereignty We cannot naai that
tina, false add fatal theory" is warranted by the
Kansas bill. until We can be brought To believe
thai il is warranted by the constitution. Nor
can we believe that a Territorial Legislature.
which derives all its powers from Congress, can
receirefrom that source power which Congress
does no, itself possess--tbe power Of regulating
the douestic institutions Of Territory The
sovereignty of the Territories does not reside in
the people thereof, bat in the people Of the Uni
ted States, whose agent and trustee is Congress.
The inhabitants ofo territory have therefore no
right to do an act implying sovereignty. until
the sovereignty of the people Of the Uni ed
States Is rsliuouished, as i. done when they
grant Authority 30 the inhabitants ola Territory
10 form State. Nor has Congress, as the
r. presf ntative and trustee Of that sovereignty
which, 5sIoacs squa,Iy-to AZ, the people Of all the
States pswer TO do anything incon sistent with
the rights Of any portion Of these people. Such
an act would BE- breach Of faith, and AN exer-
else ~ authority rot Delegated. The meral and
legnl import ct every trus, is that the 6duoiary
will do nothing Inconsistent with The object aud
design Of the trust. A. the attempt BY Con-
gre.s to regulate the domestic iastiiGti ms of a
Territory. by either establishing OF prohibiting
slavery. would ben wrong either TO the people
Of the North the South, inconsistent with
their purposes. Incompatible with their rights
and unwsrranted by the terms of the constiiu-
ton, which is the deed ei trust. it results that
Congress is prohibited from all Intervention in
III e matter. further than the privilege of deolar
ing at whei time the people OF the several States
will transfer their sovereignty to the inhabitants
oi the Territories. and leave them at liberty to
. stablish their own system of government fpro-
vided it be republican, aud ordain their own so.
cial and municipal laws. In the language of tho
Enquirer 1.-The government Of the territories
"of Kansas and Nebraska is organized ON the
''prinoipie ofterriioral inferority and subeo.
''ti"n. Every provision Of the Act is irrcconei-
''laby antagenis,io TO the idea Of Squaiter Sow
"ereignty. In nothing the people of tho
itfprFIfnry r6ad in s,,varsiuu Ito
"Thus, they do not enact their own organic law,
"nur appoint their own Executive or Judicial
innctionaries. nor raise funds for the support If
''iheir government They subsis, on the power
and money 6 The Federal Government. How
then can the people If these territories caim
1.-The sovereign rights Of an Independent ,organiz-
led political community The Kansas Neoras
'ka bill does not give, but deuies them such
''rights-does not involve the principle Of Squat.
"te Sovereignty, but distinctly and emphaiical.
ly afirms the contrary doctrine"
Entertaining and having repeatedly expressed
hese and similar views, we have already decar.
ed our surpriseIs well as our earnest regret that
the Stanton Convention made the unnecessary.
impolitc and unwarranted concession contained
n its resolution on this subject. From the in.
telligence and character Of many of the MON.
bers of that Convention, we are hound 10 be
iieve that the thing was done CONSIDERABLY and
heedlessly. But our chief object in referring tr
the article in the Enquirer was TO Gull attention
d, to the admission it makes that the Kansas bill
=. and the resolution relating to the territories ad
opted by The American Council at its Na,io ia
session last February, in Philadelphia, are den
tical in principle. After quoting the two the
Enquirer asks: us not the meaning of these
'senteaees idenficdR In truth the article in In
American plat form is obviously a plagiarism
'from the Kansas Nebraska Liti so that if one at
''firms Squatter Sovereignty, the other asserts
''even more strongly and unequivocaly." Ap
proval of the Kansas bill has been adopted b.
the Enquirer,and the Democratic press through
out the South, an evidence of orthodoxy an,
soundness on the slavery question. Tho prin
"ciple ofihe equal dignity and sovereignty o
'ail the States--of their exemption from partia
"bnrdens and invidious rostrctions-was (say
"the Enquirer) the animating and esseutia
esprit OF the Kansas Nebraska bill 1t was fo
'';his recognition of its common rights that tn
-''sSouth commended; aud it is this recogniiio
'of its common rights that the South prize
"and applauds in the repeal of the Missouri re
"striction. 1t has not been our task to reconcil
that inconsistency in the Philadelphia pla,
form which. while propounding an elementar
doctrine incompatible with the Missouri restric
tion,found fault with the removal of that restrc
ton. But we did approve. and do now approve
defend and maintain that doctrine Of the Amer
can Council which recognizes the right of III
''native born and naturalized citizens of tn
limited States permanently resi- ling in any Tel
ritory thereof to frame their own consitu,o