Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-10-02

la recognizing the territorial government
and laws ms authoritative, have YOU no
violated tia whole spirit and meaning o
one general principle laid down lIlvt
you not wholly dsrcglrded the csscnta
condition, that the only government whic'
IL !. N'nr duty to sanction must present
'pma evidence of righttul authority You
| recognize the territorial laws "a valid
Nhit IL this but TO act upon thu priucipl,
! that, when the so.callel government nnc
laws come before you without tho shadow
OF evidence Of their proceeding from i right
lul llw-makinS power, but with tho most
decisive and overwhelming proof that they
have originated in u pllpiblo and violent
usurpltlon-that even then, even in case
50 Migrant, it is your duty to sustain and
! execute them, even by tbs armies of the
| United States
Your mcmorialists are hero anxious In
call your attention to an important distinc-
ton, which you appear entirely to overlook
They readily cOncGde that, in cases Of no
unlrequent occurrence one government may
properly rcco Inias another rs authoritative.
or as n government dc Cqcf' ON n very low
degree Of evidence, without rigidly invesii-
gazing its authority, or even considering
its origin. For example, the government OF
Great Britain wien Louis NdnDlcon was
enthroned in France by the army of the
empire, and with the acquios'nco and con-
sent of the people, had no right to interfere
with a government thus 'establshod.' The
British, as foreign government, had no
right of question or e control in the mat.
ter. But does it follow, because the govern.
mcnt OF Great Britain had no right to inter
iere with what was an undenithle usurpt
ton IN foreign kingdom, that the govern
mcnt Of the United States had no right, and
were not bound to interposc, and put down
In one of their own territories, Il rufliln
usurpltiOn from Missouri
In respect to France, there was reason
enough why other nations, for purposes of
ndi'oHql intercourse, should recognize its
present government as an established
government But is not the constitution
9i the United State the supreme law of the
land! Has not our government the right to
authoriz' and regulate the government of
its own territories Can Congress or the
President abandon this right or tho duty
which arises from it II this government
owes any duty whatever to the country, is
it not most slcredly bound to protect both
State and territory against the imposition
of a government and laws by ruff In and
violent invasion from another State Your
mcmorialists, then. streuuously insist that
the only principle on which recognition can
ever be justified is, that there is some evil
dcnc,, be it more or less, that the govern
mont proceeds from an authorized lnw-mik
ing power. An they further insist, that
when such government is within our own
borders. under the supervision and control
OF the federal government and claiming to
derive all its sanction from law Of Con
greSs, tn evidence Of its authority must be
cl,nr and decisive. But how is it when
there lsnD such cvilenr, How is it when
all the evidence is strong az inst its author
lty How is 1t when tle:e is the best evil
deuc3 the clNnlmits Of, even decisive. un-
questionable proof, that the So called gov
crumeut has no other authority than
rutiimlsm and ortrl:' | such govern
lncnt to be lractIc.liy recognized. and
that, too, w,tuin the limits of our own
+ public Ilre surel~ may he eases in
'y".'I It wrg.I b'2 gross wrong to sustain
Il 'oru' erYvcuH n which has u,
p. \'I ",t. We ask. what govern.
,H-.. r.u.j t.tr..l-a 10 sustain, it not one
.a't wi is Origin s,'Ir ia IL violent .
Invasion o. ruHp> .'un another Stat. -
IWt ttn'. IL tna present case, cln b, .
d'u,"d $50 rlr 'rj