Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-12-24

AlOLl III kit NEot3$AA 1A %
Missouri restriction, prohibiting the people from
deciding the slavery question for themselves
constituted an exception TO = general rule, IN
violation of the principle of selfgoyernment,
and hence that that exception should be repeal
ed, and the slavery question, like all other ques'
tfnns, submitted to the people to be decided for
Sir, that was the principle on which the Ne
braska bill vas defended by its friends Instead
of making the slavery question an exception, 1t
removed an odious exception which before eX-
listed. Its whole object was to abolish that obi
Gus exception, and make the rule general, uni
versal, in Its application to all matters which
were local aud domestic, and not national or
Federal. For this reason was the language
employed which the President has quoted; that
the eighth section of the Missouri act, common
Is called the Missouri compromise, was repealed
because it was repugnant TO the principle ofnon-
Intervention established by the compromise
of 1850, lit being the true intent and
meaning of this act not to legislate slavery into
any Territory or State, nor to exclude it there
from, but to leave the people thereof perfectly
free to form and regulate their domestic institu-
tons in their own way, subject only to the Con-
s~titutiOn of the United States" We repealed
the Missouri restriction because that was con-
fined to slavery. That was the only exception
there was to the general principle OF self-goYeEn-
ment. That exception was taken away for the
avowed and express purpose of making the rule
Of selEgovernment general and universal, so
that the people should form and regulate all
their domestic institutions in their own way.
Sir, what would this boosted principle of
popular sovereignty have been worth, if it
applird only to the negro. and did not ex-
tend to the white man? Do you think we
could have aroused the synpathies and the
patriotism of this broad Republic, and have
carried the presidential election last year in
the face of a tremendous opposition, on the
principle Of extending the right of self.gOvern-
meut to the negro question, but denying 1t as to
all the relations affecting white men! No, sir.
We aroused the patriotism of the country and
carried the election in defence of that great
principle, which allowed all white men to form
and regulate their domestic Institutions to suit
themselves-institutiOns applicable to NhItc
men as well as to black ADMINISTRATIONS appli-
cable to freemen as well as to slaves-inStitu-
tons concerning all the relations of life, and not
the mere paltry exception of the slavery ques-
ton. Sir, / have spent too much strength and
breath, and health, too, to establish this great
principle in the popular heart, now to see it
lritted away by bringing it down to an exceP-
ton that applies to the negro, and does not ex-
tend to the benefit Of the white man. As | said
before, | can well imagine how the distinguished
and eminent patriot aud statesman now at the
head of the Government fell into the error-for
error it Is, radical, Northumberland if perSG-
vcred in. subversive of that platform upon which
he was elevated to the Presidency of the United
States.
Then. if the President be right in saying that
by the Nebraska bill, the slavery question must
be submitted to the people, it follows inevitably
that every other clause of the constitution must
also be submitted to the people, The Nebraska
bill said that the people should be left "per-
fectly free to form and regulate their domestic
institutions in their own wny'-nOt the slavery
nor the Maine liquor-law question,
not the banking question, not the school ques-
ton, not the railroad question, but their do
nestle institutions" meaning each and all the
which are local, not national, State,
not Federal. l arrive at the conclusion that the
enunciated so boldly, and enforced
with so much ability by the President of the
United States, require US, out of respect to him
aud the platform on which he was elected, to
send this whole question back to the people of
Kansas, and enable them to say whether or not
the constitution which has been framed, each
and every clause of it, meets their appreciation.
The President, in his message, has made an
unansSetAble argument in favor of the principle
which requires this question 10 be sent back
II is stated in the message, with more clearneSs
and force than any language which | can COM
mnnd; but can draw your attention to it and
refer YOU to the aTgument in the message, hop
ing that you will take it as n part of my speech
AS expressing my idea more forcibly than /
am able to express 1t. The President says that
a question Of great interest, like the slavery
question:, cannot be fairly decided by a conven-
ton Of delegates, for the reason that the dele
gates, are elected in districts, and in some dis
tricts a delegate is elected by n small majority;
in other by an overwhelming majority, so that
it often happens that a majority Of the delegates
are one way, while a majority of the people are
are the other way; and therefore it would be
unfair and inconsistent with the great principle
of popular sovereignty, to allow a body If dele
gates, not representing the popular vol ., to eS.
tabliSh domestic institutions for the mas uf the
people. This is the Presidents argu.uent to
show that you cannot have a fair and no, est de-
cisiOn without submitting it the popul,r vote.
The same arguments is conclusive with regard
to every other question as well as with regard
to slavery.
But, Mr.. President, it is intimated in tue mes
sage that although it was an unfortunate circum-
stance, much to be regretted, that the Lecomp-
ton convention did not submit the constitution
to the people, yet perhaps it may be treated as
regular, because the convention was called by 4
Territorial legislature which had been repeated
~ recognized by the Congress of the United
States as a legal body. beg Senator's not to
fall into an error as to the Presidents meaning
on this point. He does not say, he does not
mean, that this convention had ever been recog-
niZed by the Congress Of the United States as
legal or valid. On the contrary, hc knows, as
VIC here know, that during the last Congress I
reported a bill from the Committee on Terrific.
ries to authorize the..peOple of Kansas to assem-