Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1857-02-07

Fubitauiadl, dDotltlunlSii, MVllaH y rlgntS-
ism, Il id onne goaas Of nominations and
that it will not do to allow institutions in the
territories the incipient co-soyereign States
Of this Union, to grow up froui such source.
A sovereignty which should be the fruit Of
such uoxious dunghill weed would not be
lit for association with that sovereignty Of
the States Of this Union, of which we are 50
Justly proud and so justly beast
Where, then, is The rightful sovereignty
or supreme authority in the territories to be
found? Let Us see
We first hear of the territory as new
purchase by the federal government from
some other ownership. If it be inhabited
by citizens from the alternating nation at the
time Of purchase, the treaty Of purchase ox-
prassly atipulates that these inhabitants are
to enjoy all the rights, privileges and i'm
munities of the citizens of the u. States. -
Thus the very act of acquisition negatives
the idea Of the territory's subsection to the
sovereignty Of vagabond, individual come
caters, such as are the pets of the red repub-
lican theory.
The next acts we hear of in the history
Of the new territory relate to the establish
ment of new land Offices for the sale of its
lands by the federal government, all reserv-
ing the right of eminent domain expressly
to the federal government during the exist
ence Of the territory as such, With reversion
to the State into which ii is in future to ma
ture. Here again is an emphatic negation
of the red republican notion OF the absolute
individual sovereignty Of the squatter in the
new domain
Whose right there is none to dispute
From the centre all round to the sea.
The next step we see taken in the pro-
gress of the territory is its organization into
territorial government within prescribed
territorial metes and bounds, BY act Of Con-
gress. Here again is an emphatic negation
Of the sovereignty of the individual squatter;
For Congress, Of ats o,cn authority oad right,
prescribes the form of government, aud the
territorial metes and bounds of its authority
with utter indifference to the pretensions OF
its sovereign" squatter occupants. More
over, it not only delegates in express terms
to the new government the specific powers
which ii is authorised to exercise, and to the
territorial legislature the specific subjects on
which it may le8slate but it expressly re-
serves to itself veto upon all the acts Of
this government aud legislature, and ex-
pressly reserves to itself all powers in the
territory not expressly delegated to these
subordinate tribunals. Thus the sguatter
has no voice in determining the form of the
government under which he lives, or the
area Of the territory which is to limit the
new community or State which he has en-
tered; Or the subject matters of jurisdiction
delegated to the new government which is
erected over him by foreign agency Thus
up to this point in the history of the terrific
ry We find that he has had no voice in af-
fairs whatever, except in the election of
members to the territorial legislature-a
body of narrowly defined powers, every act
Of which is subject to Congressional reto,
Nor, indeed, under the earlier practice of
the government, did the squatter enjoy any
voice whatever in selecting legislators; for,
until the organization of the later terrific
ries, there was no such thing as a territorial
legislature elected by the territorial inhab-
itants the Governor and his Council, com
posed of the Judges of the Courts, (all ap-
pointed by the Federal Executive consti-
tuting the legislature. Thus there was not
an elective Office in the whole economy of
territorial organization.
Here then we have seen an utter and COM
plete negation of every shadow of indiyidu-
al sovereignty, authority and right whatso-
ever in the squatter from the time of the
territorial purchase, through the whole pc
riod of territorial adolescence, up to the
time of the erection of the territory into
State.
And even at this eventful period, and in
this final act, which closes the existence of
the territory, the squatter is not the actor,
but Congress alone. For Congress pre-
scribes the time, place and circumstances of
holding the territorial convention for the
framing of State Constitution-desi
ing the places for taking the polls and the
officers and judges of the election and pre-
scribing the qualification of voters. 1t is
only after the framing of that instrument
and its ratification by the inhabitants of the
territory, that this discretion of Congress is
limited by the Constitution for, the ineipi-
ent proceedings having been all regular,
Congress has, then, only discretion to decide
whether the form of government provided
for in the Constitution is republican or not.
If it be republican, all other proceedings
being regular, then the sovereignty, not of
the squa'ters individually, but of the new
aggregate community, appears for the first
time, emitting the new sovereign State TO