Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-01-03
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| proper to commend 70 your care not only its
material, but also its moral interests Including
education, more especially in those parts Of
the District outside of the cities Of WASHING
ton and Georgetown.
The Commissioners appointed to revise and
modify the laws of the District, have made z
such progress in the performance of their task
as to insure its completion in the time pre-.
scribed by the act of Congress-
Information has recently been received that
the peace of the settlements in the territories
of Oregon and Washington is disturbed bv
hostilies on the part of the Indians, with in
dications of extensive combinations of hostile
character among the tribes in that quarter. the
more serious in their possible effects, by reas.
on of the undetermined foreign interests exist
ing IN these territories, to which your attention
has already been especially invited. Efficient
measures have been taken, which, it is be.
lieved, viii restore quiet and afford protection
to our citizens.
KANzAs.
In the territory of Kanzas there have been
some acts prejudcial to good order, but as vet
none have occurred under circumstances tn
justify the interposition Of the Federal Exc
cutive. That could only be in case Of obstruc-
ton to Federal law, or of organized resistance
to territorial law assuming the character Of
insurrection, which, if it should occur, it
would be my duty promptly to overcome and
suppress.
cherish the hope, however, that the occur.
renee of any such untoward event will be
prevented, by the sound sense of the people
Of the territory, who, by its organic law pos
sessng the right to determine their own do
nestle institutions, are Untitled while deport-
ing themselves peacefully, to the free exercise
OF it without interference OH the part of the
citizens of any of the States.
The southern boundary line of this territory
has never been surveyed and established. The
rapidly extending settlements in that region,
and the fact that the main route between In
dependence, in the State of Missouri. and
New Mexico, is contiguous to this line, sug.
| gest the probability that embarrassing ques-
tons OF jurisdiction may consequently arise.
For these and other considerations Icolnmend
the subject to your early attention.
CONSTITUTIONAL THEORY OF GOVERNMENT,
have thus passed in review the general
state of the Union, including such particular
concerns of the Federal Government, wheth-
er of domestic or. foreign relations, as it ap-
peared to me desirable and useful to bring TO
the special notice of Congress.
Unlike the great States of Europe and Asia,
and many of those of America these United
States are wasting their strength neither in
foreign war nor domestic strife. Whatever of
discomfort Or public dissatisfaction exists, is
attributable to the imperfections of human
nature, or is incident to all Governments.
however perfect, which human wisdom can
devise.
Such subjects of political agitation as occu-
Ply the public mind consist, to a great extent
OF exaggeration of inevitable evils, or over.
zeal in the social improvement, or mere imag-
ination of grievance, having but remote con-
nection with any of the constitutional func-
or dllfiee Of ha Eadorol
10 whatever extent these questions exhibit
tendency menacing to the stability of the Con-
stitution, or the integrity of the Union, and no
farther they demand the consideration of the
Executive, and require to be presented by him
to Congress.
Before the thirteen colonies became a con-
federation OF independent States, they were
associated only by community of trans Allan
tic origin, by geographical position, and by the
mutual tie Of common dependence on Great
Britain.
When that tie was sundered. they seyerallv
assumed the powers and rights of absolute
self government. The municipal and social
institutions of each, its laws Of property,and
of personal relation, even its political organ
ization, was such only as each one chose to es-
tablish, wholly without interference from any
otSer. In the language of the Declaration Of
Independence, ''each State has full power to
Ivy val SOnOAuuC pSdCcy COHIIhCb Alliances,
establish commerce, and to do all other acts
and things which independent States may of
right do"
The several Colonies differed in climate in
soil, in natural productions, in religion, in
systems Of education, in legislation, and in
the forms Of political administration, and thew
continued to differ in these respects. When
they voluntarily allied themselves as States to
carry on the war ofthe Revolution, the object
of that was to disenthral the United Colonies
from foreign rule, which had proved to be OPP
pressive, and to seperate them permanently
from the mother country. The political re-.
suit was the foundation of a Federal Repub-
lie OF the free white men ofthe Colonies, con-
stituted as they were in distinct and recepIo-
cally independent State governments. ~ 4
AS for the subject races whether Indian or 4
African, the wise and brave statesmen Of that
day being engaged in no extravagant scheme
of social change, left them as they were, and
thus preserved themselves and their posterity
from the anarchy and the ever recurring civil
wars which have prevailed in other revolu-
toned European Colonies Of America. M
When the confederated States found it COM
venient to modify the condition Of their asso-
citation by giving to the general government
direct access in some respects, to the people Of
the States, instead of combining it to action Of
the States, as such, they proceeded to frame
the existing Constitution, adhering steadily to
one guiding thought, which was to delegate
only such power as was necessary and proper
to the execution Of specific purposes, or, in T
other words,t retain as much as possible con-
sistently with those purposes of the independ-
ent power of the Individual States. For OBJ
jects of common defence and security they en-
trusted to the general government certain
carefully defined functions, leaving all others
as the undelegated rights OF the separate i'm
dependent sovereignty. tsa.9sg. ~
Such is the constitutional theory Of our gov
eminent, the practical observance Of which
has carried us, and us alone, among modern
republics, through nearly three generations
Of time, without the cost Of one drop Of blood
shed in civil war. IN .'.r0s =. IN .e
The freedom and concert of action it has
given us, has enabled us to contend success
fully on the battlefield against foreign foes
has elevated the feeble colonies into powerful
States and has raised our industrial produce
tons and our commerce, which transports
them to the level of the richest and greatest
nations Of Europe, and the admirable adapta-
ton Of our political institutions to their OBJ
jects, combining local self-6oyernment with
aggregate strength, has established the prac-
ticability Of government like ours to cover y
Continent with confedeTated States. & sis1 q
The Congress Of the United States y, in eff
feet, that Congress OF sovereignties which good
men in the Old World have sought, but could
nevar attain mud which imnarts 10 America