The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1856-08-07


has assured us that the people of the
Territories were equallyeseyereign with
the people of the States. The Missouri
Compromise, it was claimed, interfered
with the right of the people of the terrific
ries to govern themselves--hence it must
be removed, for Democracy could tolerate
no such interference. 1t was in vain that
we urged the binding nature of thatco
promisc--that the territory north of So
deg, 80 min belonged to freedom--that
the Missouri Line was formed thirty FIVE
years ago, by the representatives of both
sections of the Union, after a protracted
and exciting controversy--that the people
Of neither section of the Union had called
for its repeal--that the South had reaped
her full share Of the benefits under it,
and was in honor bound to maintain it.
All these weighty considerations had no
effect when placed in the balance against
"squatter sovereignty" The "great
principle of self government" by the
people of the Territories must be vindi-
dated, and to the Democracy was the
task assigned.
The opponents of the policy which in
augurated the repeal of the Missouri Re-
striction could we'll afford to rest their
case upon the practical workings of the
principle Of "squatter sovereignty in
Kansas. They might well cite the com
pact breakers to the history of that terri
tory for the past two years, and exclaim,
"Behold the fruits % But we are not
confined to these limits. If it is objected
that the principle has not been legitimate
ly carried out, we turn to the Cincinnati
Platform-the latest authorized declara-
ton of the Democratic creed--and we
there discover that the principle itself is
squarely repudiated, and the Calhoun
sectional doctrine that slavery is admissi-
bic into all the territories of the United
States, and cannot constitutionally be ex-
cluded by the people thereof, broadly
maintained. The resolution denying this
power to the people of the territories, we
quoted last week sa
Thus it is seen that "squatter sove-
reignty' has gone by the board--denied, i,
repudiated, spit upon, by the Democracy
in National Convention assembled and
with it the last peg upon which the north
ern supporters of the Nebraska swindle
had to hang an excuse for their perfdy.
And now we ask attention to the fol-
lowing letter written by James Buchanan
in 1848, in reply, as will be seen, to the
question whether he believed the people
of territory had the right to exclude
slavery under the Constitution 80
WASHINGTON, Aug 21, 1848.
DEAR S1R:-I have just received yours
of the 18th inst, in which you submit to
me the following paragraph, and ask
whether it contains an accurate version of
the conversation between US, concerning
my Berks- County letter, on the occasion
to which you refer:
s"Happening to meet Mr.. Buchanan at
the Presidents levee, on Friday evening,
called his attention to this letter, and
asked bim if he intended to be under
stood as claiming that the population Of a
Territory IN an unorydnized capacity had
tile right 10 control the question Of Slavery in
sssch Territory. He declared that no such
iden had ever been maintained 6y him, that
the construction put upon his language by
Mr.. YANCEY was perversion of his plain
and obvious meaning; that, in his opinion,
the inhabitants of Territory, as such, had
no political rights, although they possess
ed all the private rights of American citi
zens;1 that they had NO POWER WHATEVER
OVER THE SUBJECT OF SLAVERY, and they
could neither iaaterdict nor establish it, except
,ozen assembled in Convention To- form State
Constitution. He further authorized and
requested me to make any public use of
these declarations that might think prop
er, to correct any impression which Mr..
Yancey's construction of his language in
the Berks letter might have made.''
With the addition which [ have inserted
between brackets, this statement IS SUB
sTANT1A1LY AND ALMOST LITERALLY COR
RECT, according to ny recollection. Il II
Huoa5 Yours, very truly,
ser.1-. JAMES BUCHANAN.
From the above it is evident that Mr..
Buchanan, even before he &c squared him
self" with the Cincinnati Platform, was
strongly committed to the Calhoun doc
trine ofthe nationality of slavery.
Let it be. remembered, then, that the
SO called Democratic party. by its plat
form and candidate, denies the Constitu-
tiopql poacer Of the People Of The Territories
to exclude Slavery.
- Another Important Accession.
Lieutenant Governor MYERS, of Toledo,
who ran on the ticket last fall with Me-