The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-13
THE WASHINGTON UNION.


slavery Institution that the rule had been violated
After enumerating many Of the objects Of govern
ment, and showing that to all these it is agreed
and conceded on all hands that the people may
govern themselves, he adds why make an ex-
eeption Of the slavery question by taking it out of
that great rule of selfgovernment which APP
plies TO all the other relations Of iJeY This
may be assumed, then, conclusively settled
that the Missouri restriction repealed for the
purpose of removing the only obstacle to the univer
salty of the rule of selfgovernment in Kansas and
consequently, that this was the only object sought
10 be accomplished by the Kansas Nebraska act.
As far distant as Mr.. Buchanan was and as deeply
engrossed as was his mind with great questions
Of foreign policy, he had at least leisure enough
to read the speeches of Judge Douglas. He would
naturally look TO these the best opponents of the
object aud meaning of the Kansas act. In all Of
them he found the one single idea pressed-that the
Kansas bill designed TO enable as psope Of Kansas
20 regulate The question of slavery IN their ray IN
order that their right Of self government might be perfect.
When therefore, in his message the President CON
strues the Kansas act as having for its great
trolling object the protection of the people of Kan
in the right to regulate the slavery question in
sheir own way, he adopted the construction put
upon that act by the whole country, and by none
more unreservedly than by Judge Douglas. We are
smazed now to find that Judge Dodglss accuses the
President Of committing "a fundamental error in
adopting this construction of the aw--"an error
adds Judge Douglas (which lies at the foundation of
his whole argument on this mattcr!" If the Presi-
dent has erred in his view of the object and principle
of the Kansas act he has only erred in following in
the footsteps of Judge Douglas.
But the President has not fallen into funda-
mental error in his construction of the Kansas act
He has not only the authority of Judge Douglas,
the author of that act sustained by all the support
of the measure, but he is sustained by the Ma
tiona Convention which nominated him for the presi-
dency. That convention indicated in language 80
clear that it admits of controversy that the only
controlling object and meaning of the Kansas act
was that the people of Kansas should regulate the
question of slavery in their own way when prepared
to come into the Union State their right to regu-
late other matters not having been disputed by any
this is the fundamental truth mot the fundamental
error on which the inpregnability of the Presi-
dents argument rests. If the true meaning and OBJ
jee of the Kansas act were that the people of Kan
should be secured in the right to adopt reject
slavery they pleased, the conclusion is irresistible
that the Kansas convention has carried out faithfully
that object and the President stands fully and tri
umphantly indicated in sustaining the action of the
convention.
But Judge Douglas displays his great skill as a tao
tcian in assuming that because it was the object of
the Kansas act to remove the only obstacle to the
universally of the rule of self-government in Kan
by repeating the Missouri restriction therefore
it the meaning and object of that act that the
entire constitution should be submitted for popu-
lar ratification. Here Judge Douglas falls into
ga fundamental error which lies at the fcnn-
dation of his whole argument. He assumes that
because the people of Kansas have right to regu-
late all their local and domestic questions in their
own way, they only do this by the submission for
their ratification of The nhole Of any constitution that
this convention might frame. In other words, he
CONSTITUTES popular sovereignty and selfgovernment
to mean that no constitution can be made and adopt
ed by the people of Kansas unless it shall be submit
Tea J0f popular TW,HC0tiOH, anu uns lie HslSb was
the true meaning of the Kansas act. Now, utter
ly deny this proposition. We affirm that the people
of Territory or State enjoy popular sovereignty
and exercise sef-government when they make their
constitutions and laws through the agency of their
legallychosen delegates and representatives well
as when the acts of their agents submitted for
ratification. The viii of the people may be ascer-
tanned either through their representatives, selected
to speak and act out their WILL or it may be ascer-
tanned by submitting the work of their representa-
tives for popular ratification. Judge Douglass doc
trine carried to its full extent, would make all laws
imperative until submitted after their passage to the
ratification of the people.
AS Judge Douglas has appealed to the universal
understanding Of the authors and supporters of the
Kansas act TO ascertain its true object and meaning
we now appeal to that same tribunal, and ask if,
amongst all the supporters and advocates of that
measure, Judge Douglas included the suggestion
was ever made that the doctrine of popular self
government contained in the bill required that the
whole by the convention should be
submitted for popular ratification? Every supporter
of the bill throughout the Union maintained that the
people of the Territory should have the right to de-
eide whether slavery should exist or not when a
State constitution should be framed but no one of
them. from the most exalted to the hmblest ever