Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-07-10
The Richmond Enquirer.--The Missouri
COmpromise.-The Sanford Letter.

can presses In the country, publishes, under
the head of buchanan on Squattsr Soper-
eighty: another important document" the
letter of James Buchanan to T. Sanford, ESQ,
which was written and originally published in
1848-which letter we have republished--a
on which we have made extensive comments
within the last few days. Our readers will
doubtless remember the following portion OF
that letter, the authenticity of which, though
no one doubted it we are most happy to have
now confirmed, by its publication in that lead
ing journal of the foreign Democracy, the
Richmond Enquirer. In that letter Mr.. Bu-
chanan said:
".Having urged tho adoption Of ne Missouri
Compromise, the inference is irresistible that Con-
gress in my opinion possesses the po,oer to legis-
late upon the subject of SLAVERY an the Territories
What an absrdity Would it then be, If sc1ilst as
sorting this so VEREIGN POWER IN CON.
GRESS, Which po,oer from ats nature must be
EXCLUSIVE, 7 should in the Gerry same breath
also claim this identical po,cer for the population
Of Territory in an pnorganized capacity"
A man of plain, practical common sense
would understand by the above language that
Mr.. Buchanan claimed for Congress sover-
eign and exclusive power upon the subject Of
slavery in the Territories" for such is his Ian
guage A man of plain, practical common
sense would also understand from this language
that Mr.. Buchanan claimed for Congress the
right as well to prohibit and exclude as to
sanction slavery in the Territories; that the
power of legislation being sovereign" power,
and an " exclusive" power in Congress- accord
ing to Mr.. Buchanan's 0aon words, Congress
could legisate pro or con-, in favor of or
against, to admit or to exclude, to establish or
to abolish the institution Of slavery in the Ter
ritories. We venture to affirm that no man of
common sense, or Of any sort of sense, except
non-sense, would otherwise construe Mr.. Blu
chanan's language. 4
Now hear what the Richmond Enquirer has
to say on Mr.. Buchanan's SANFORD letter,
above quoted. 1t says
"This is a formal and public exposition of opin-
ion, and presents the deliberate conviction of Mr..
Buchanan on the vexed question Of the relations
of slavery in the Territories"
That is frank open, candid, and to the point
This, then, is Mr.. Buchanan's deliberate con-
viction on the vexed question Of the relations
of slavery in the Territories" Good! We
assent to the truth of every word of this SEN
tence. 1t is Mr.. Buchanan's deliberate con-
viction" that the power of Congress over sla-
very in the Territories is sovereign" as well
as exclusive" Now, Mr. Richmond Enqui-
rer, don't back square out of this position short
of one month, and we will be content. That
is long enough to drive every man in the South
from any candidate who maintains such opin-
ions. But hear the Enquirer further
:" In claiming for Congress exclusive control over
the Territories, Mr.. Buchanan emphatically repu-
dates the idea of squatter sovereignty"
Most certainly, Mr.. Buchanan did, in the
Sanford letter of August, 1S4s, "repudiate
the idea of squatter sovereignty" We agree
to this proposition.
But here we beg to ask the Richmond En-
quirer to explain that clause Of Mr.. Buchanan's
recent letter, of acceptance, in which he says:
"1hat the people of Territory, LIKE THOSE
OF STATE, shall decide for themselves aohether
slavery shall OF shall not esist soithin their linn
its"
Obi but this was not in his letter to Mr.
Sanford in 1913! Certainly it was not, for
Mr.. Buchanan said it would be an "absurdity'
to claim this power for a Territory Gin the
same breath" in which he claimed sovereign
and exclusive power" over the subject for Con-
gross Old Buck had no idea of uttering two
antagonistic opinions ]" in the same breath
4 hat ha hos
absurdity," but it would be greater /" alb
surdity" were Old Buck moo to reject "squat-
ter sovereignty" when platform embracing it
has been made by Cass, Douglas, and Compa-
ny, and he has been placed upon it, and has
sunk his own identity in the candidate Of the
foreign Democracy?
We respectfully commend to the examine
ton Of the Richmond Enquirer, Mr.. Buchan,
ans letter of acceptance, and comparison of
this precious document with the aforesaid let
ter to Mr.. Sandford
But we now present in detail the erplana-
tions given by the sublimated genius who oc-
cupies the tripod Of the Richmond Enquirer,
as to what Mr.. Buchanan meant by the "soy-
ereign and exclusive power of Congress over
the subject of slavery in the Territories -
Here they are:
"But, in claiming for Congress the exclusive
sovereignty he does not imply that the Federal
Legislature may prohibit or abolish slavery in the
Territories. II does not follow that because Con-
gress may legislate for the protection Of slavery in
the Territories, that it may legslate for its sbo
ton. The distinction is obvious and incontestabe.
Indeed the very fact that power is reserved to the
Federal Legislature to protect property within this
Territories implies that Congress has no power to
destroy it. The sovereignty of the Federal Gov
eminent over the common territory ia absolute,
Just as it is absolute in respect Of any other sub
ect within its legitimate jurisdicton-it is absolute
for right and justice, but not for wrong and OPP
preston. It's sovereignty is absolute for the pro-