Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-09-23

WEDNESDAY, sEPTEMBzR 2s. 1857.
Inatter Sovereignly-Its CROWN ana



IN from his true course. Let us initiate
= his prudence. and before we float farther,
afer co the point from which we departed,
at we may at least be able to conjecture
here we now are" We may recall to
lind this happy figure, and apply it to our
curse and condition upon the subject Of
quatter Sovereignty So soon as the
reatest minds Of the country, moved to
esOlute and vigorous action by the prompt
ings of noble and unselfsh patriotism,
ad passed from the arena of American
olitics, host of inferior intellects arose
lto greater prominence, as the stars appear
fter, but not until, the going down of the
an. The great question left to these
mailer lights of American craftsmanship,
Tas that of slavery. At the head of these,
Z o6ieio, was the mediocre Brigadier, Gen.
fierce. At the beginning Of his admins
ration the coast was clear, and all the ele-
ilents were calm To him and his party
continuance of this peaceful state of affairs,
ROuld have been inevitable destruction.
they set about again stirring the deep and
lvoking the storm. The turbulence had
Z be so directed and ridden as to bring
destruction to every thing but themselves
nd however the timbers of our ship of
state might be strained, and weakened by
he commotion, naught was the evil, if the
Democracy should ride still in triumph.
With this view, as we sincerely believe, and
rged on by a hot lust for power and blind
d by self interest, the great question was
e-opened, and Kansas was thrown down
proper apple of discord between the
North and the South. The dealings of
Gen. Pierce with that Territory are pain
fully familiar to the whole country Whilst
he beguiled the South by the extravaganza
use of honied phrases, in his annual mes
sages, he never failed to appoint a rabid
abolitionist or freesoiler to the executive
control of the Territory. The blunders he
committed in appointing men, wholly in
competent to fill this station, either for the
good of the Territory or the cOuntry-some
from constitutional imbecility, and others
from constitutional perverseness, are monu-
ments either to his weakness, or to a reck-
less disregard of the peace and welfare of
the country. But to make show of en-
deavor to quell the storm which had been
raised, the doctrine of Squatter Sovereign
(which had been timidly proposed by
Gen. Cass in 1848, and Indignantly scorn-
ed by enlightened and patriotic men of all
parties-was put forth in so specious and
equivocal form that it was successfully
foisted upon the country; and at the next
succeeding national convention Of the De-
mocraey at Cincinnati was engrafted in
their platform as one of the fixed prinei-
Piles of that party. This much was &C
cOmplished during the administration of
Gen Pierce. The distracting question of
slavery had been re-opened-it had swept
so violently over the popular mind, that out
of the raging elements new party had
sprung into existence-had received form
and substance by thorough organization,
and threatened the overthrow of the very
Democracy whose policy had spoken it into
life. 1t was thus the National Democracy
barely escaped being blown up by their
own mining and pipe-laying.
In the meantime, while politicians and
parties were disputing the construction of
the Kansas-N Nebraska bill, and the Cincin-
natl platform on the question of Squatter
Sovereignty principle which the democ-
racy of the South were united in denounc-
ing, and indignant in denying-exsted in
either of these documents-the principle it.
self, in all its hideous length and breadth,
was in most complete and active operation
in Kansas. The Territorial Legislature,
which had been created by an inconsidera-
BILE vote of the actual squatters of the ter
ritory, had taken the whole subject of sla-
very into its own hands, over the heads
both of Congress, and the two sections of
the Union. That body assuming power
Independent and supreme, aud unexampled,
except in one single instance, in the history
OF the Government, dictated call for
convention to frame State Constitution,
prescribing the qualifications of voters, the
time and manner of the election of dele
gates, the meeting of the convention, and
providing for registration of voters. This
was done without scintilIa of other au-
thority than their own volition, and had
not the plausible pretext which justified, or
excused, the similar act of California. 1t
was acting under and by virtue of the prin-
cipIe Of Squatter Sovereignty unmltigated.
unreleYed.
Thus matters stood at the Inauguration
of Mr.. Buchanan. Without single doubt
or scruple, or the slightest hesitation. the
present administration, taking up Kansas
affairs where its predecessor had left of,
endorsed the entire proceedings of the Leg
islature as the law Of the land in that ter.
ritory, not even referring TO their regulari-
ty or the authority for their passage. 1t
forthwith appointed Governor, and pIae-
ed in his hands written Instructions to sus-
tain the convention law, whose very essence
aud being is a broad assertion Of the prin-
ciple Of Sqaatter Sovereignty But Mr..
Buchanan has not stopped with his mode