Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-03-07

lThe Editor Of aIae United state
DeaAoeEsstlc Review ON P0pu.
ular Sovereignty.
/ Dr.. O. A. Brownson recently wfoto q
Islashing article on the aincomlng Admin
Iistration," in which he took occasion te
show up the gross inconsistencies Of the
so,called Democratic party. This article
has called out George P. Buell., Esq, edit
or ofthe United States Democratic Re
uiev, in reply, in series Of articles which
have been published in and endorsed j
the Washington Union. We segregate
the following passages from the last of Mr.
Buclls efforts to show the manner in which
leading Democrats now scout their once
favorite dogma Of popular sovereignty
As for squatter sovereignty-I mean, as
a proposition su; generis-it is tfloral, so.
|cial, and political humb ug; in theory j,
was simple error, in practice 1t has pro
ed d gross crime.
am aware that this political chimera
idenominated ssquatter sovereignty" Has
been ably defended by some Of leading
Democratic statesmen Of the land; but,
even as Northern man, 1 have no hesita-
ton in saying it is an incubus which the
Democratic party, strong as it is and flush
ed with recent victory, is not strong enough
to support. |: is a political nuisance,
which will probably be abated under the
operation of the common law of progress
and decline, but which will evidently find
q grave at the instance of the Democratic
party, operated upon by motives of self
preservation. You are right in saying
that s'squattef sovereignty is An absurdity,
and contrary to first principles of all legal
order" The idea that every man whom
accident happens 10 land or poverty to de-
tain in Territory like Kansas, is to be re-
garded as an unqualified and absolute rcss-
essor Of all the rights enjoyed by citizen
Of the, States, IS a naonstrosity, fatheriess
ind chiieless, without model and ,oisA-
cut shadoaO, having neither collaterals
nor Gpfdttanity for retreat-a naked suf
terer from every political wind that 5loacs.
= 4 \ y
We should have some settled creed upon
this question, and what creed could be so
polite or just as that of the absolute SOW
ereignty of the people of a Territory when
their opinions are expressed through the
medium Of their primary organic laws p
Il Territorial Legislature has no right
to regulate the Question Of slavery.
Il Y
shakespeare says he scas obliged to kill
lNercutio an the third act, lest he should be
killed By him, The greatdelineator of ma
ture doubted his ability to carry even a
character so noted as that of the 'kinsman
to the Prince and friend of Romeo, thro'
the entire play without his Becoming a
dead weight on his hands. Squatter sop-
ere;g,ty IS a political 1Nereuiio, and the
Democratic party, with all It's illustrious
memories and glorious hopes and Prestige
of success. will prove inadequate to the
task Of perpetuating it in the dramatis per-
sond. Sfustter sovereignty has been mer
ciessfy pu ishel by its friends and its en-
enties, by gentlemen in the North and
in tho South, and let us bid it a long adieu
Let as dig aide and deep its grdoe, that
1e may bury it beyond the reach Of 1Ajaa
Of the resurrectioaist school that shall at
tempt to galvanize 1t into lye."
We commend the above to tho especial
attention OF the Democracy Of this State
who support the repeal Of the Missouri
compromise on the ground that it estab-
Eishes the principles Of Popular Sovereign
~.