Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-01-22

tual benefit they expected to derive, or in
jury they expected to suffer from the laws
Of their own State. Indeed they were sell
dom called upon to consider those subjects
which more nearly affected their local in
terests, but had their attention. rather d.
rected to the laws and institutions of those
who reside in neighboring States and Terri
tories; and l think am warranted in ex-
pressing the opinion, that the people of no
State ever more thoroughly investigated
their duty. After the most careful con.
sideration they have decided that, rs for
Indiana, she will recognize and execute the
Constitution of the United States as the
highest law for the government of her peo-
pie, as that Constitution is interpreted by
the tribunal established and authorized by
the instrument itself, to decide between the
separate and United States.
That as for those who regulate the laws
and institutions Of other States, we will
concede to them the same sovereignty and
independence which We claim for ourselves.
Nor do We stop here. 1t our fellow -citi-
zens desire to 90 beyond the limits of our
States and make their homes within
the Territories, purchased by the blood
and treasure of all, we say they 90 shorn
of none Of their sovereign rights which
they possessed as citizens of the State, but
fully authorized to regulate their domestic
affairs in their own way, subject only to the
Constitution of the United States. At The
time the Federal Union was formed, all
thought as we now do. They believed that
it is safe to permit the people of each State
to regulate their local institutions in their
own way: and that patriotism and christian
duty demanded that they should protect
them in their rights as they were guaranteed
by the letter and spirit of the Constitution
which made that Union. But during the
last canvass, from the press, the rostrum
and the pulpit, tie proclamation was made
that the citizens Of some of the States were
violating the laws Of God and injuring the
cause of human freedom by holding kind
of property, which, when the war of the
Revolution began, had legal existence in
every lor,ion Of the vast empire which
now recognizes rs supreme law the Consti-
tuition of tie United States--:hat it WIS
our duty to disregard The plighted faith OF
our fathers, and trample under our feet the
agreement they had made, rather than see
the consiiuioI.al rights of property main
tanned; and moreover lha: :, was Our du Y
to elect President Of lie United States,
with Congress 10 sustain him, no main
tanned that whena American ci izen cross
ed the boundary of the State and entered
the Territory, lie should be 10 longer a
freeman, possessed of the inaieuable right
OF life. liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
but reduced to the position of colonial vas
salage-that no new Stale should be added
to this confcderacy unless her citizens made
their laws, not in accordance with their
own will, but III obedience to the tyrannic-
Ill dictation OF the citizens of the old.
Indiana rejected these anii-democratic,
unconstitutional doctrines, exhibi ING pat
riotism and a fidelity to liberty worthy OF
the best days of the Republic. She in
struc.ed her representatives in the Fed
eral Government to protect each citizen III
all his rights of property, according to the
guarantees o the Cons.i ion and at they
should admit new States mo the Union,
demanding only that they present a repub-
4 lican form Of government.
If | should become possessed of any
information during the present session of
the General Assembly, important to be
considered, | shall avail myself Of the earli-
est opportunity to communicate he same
to their respective bodies.