The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-28
THE REooRD--How 1T LOOKS.

thusastic letter sustaining Mr.. Senator Douglas in
his canvass in Illinois. The Governors letter evnces
All earnestness bordering on dstempered zeal in be-
half Of his western idol He is dangerously explicit,
too, upon the questions in issue between the democ
racy and the senator going to the extent of rebu-
king the latter upon point of vital faith, which
leaves US little uneasy about the real object the
Governor had in view in lending his to the
Illinois controversy Mr.. Douglas a few weeks ago,
made the following emphatic declarations in refer
to the rights of the people Of Territory over
the subject of slavery 5aEa.
q In my opinion the people of Territory ean By a,p-
ta means, exclude slavery before it in State
Whatever the Supreme Court may decide TO the alb
stract question of whether slavery may so in under
the constitution not the people of Territory have
the lawful means to admit or exclude slavery.
Slavery cannot exist day anywhere, unless sup
ported by local police regulations These regulations
only be furnished BY the local legislature q"
This is sufficiently explicit. It is an assertion of
the right Of the people of Territory "by lawful
means to exclude slavery" 1t is an application of
the principle Of popular sovereignty" to the Terri
tories, making them supreme over all their local
affairs, including slavery. Mr.. Douglas maintained
LAST winter that Congress should pass an enabling
act authorizing the people of Kansas to organize
State government. If they possess sovereign au-
thority their affairs, what was the neces-
sity of an enabling act2 They may surely frame
State government at any time--that does not make
them State, nor does it change their relations to
the federal government certainly it impairs no
rights of the latter. If they are then a sovereign
political community, they do not need the au-
thority of Congress to act. als s..~rt . ..... .
Governor Wise lays down what we suppose to be
proposition in striking conflict with the positions
of Mr.. Douglas thus:
Protection in the Territories and everywhere to all
rights of persons and of property in accordance with the
rights of the States and with the constitution and laws
of the Union.
How is protection in the Territories to all rights
Of persons and of property in accordance with the
rights of the States"the States being of course the
constituents Of the territorial government-o be
cured, if ''the people of Territory can by any
means exclude slave property before they come
into the Union as State? How is such protection
to be secured 70 Territory if slavery cannot exist
q day anywhere unless supported by local police
regulations? 2" . Ill., g
Mr.. Douglas does not say that slavery may not be
introduced into Territory; he maintains that 1t
that it may be excluded by the local Legislature. 1t
is manifest from this position that Mr.. Douglas
sders police regulations the authority for hold
ing slaves for they cannot in their absence erist al
ALL Yet they may be introduced? What may be
introducedi Slaves. How? By virtue of t'the
rights of persons and of property in accordance with
the rights of the States, and of the constitution of
the Union" Gov. Wise answers Now, if this be
the source of the authority for introducing slaves as
property, how can Gov Wise sustain Mr.. Douglas
in his assertion that slavery cannot exist day any
where unless supported by local police regulations ?"
Are the local police regulations of Territory para
mount in authority to the 'rights of persons and of
property in accordance with the rights of the States
and with the constitution of the Union ?? .l
We confess analysis of the letter of Gov. Wise
has LETT the painful impression upon that he may
have intsnded to administer to the Illinois senator
sharp and effective rebuke for asserting doctrines
which cannot fail to impair the rights of persons"
of Virginia who may choose to take up their resi-
dence in the public Territories. Be this as it may
we could hardly lay down proposition more di-
rectly in conflict with what Mr.. Douglas has said
than that Of Mr.. Wise which we have quoted.
AS sone of the journals Of the day have invoked
the authority Of the distinguished and able senator
from Mississippi, Col Davis, in support of the doc
trines Of Judge Douglas, and have thought proper
to run a parallel between the two senators, shall
append what the former has raid upon the point we
have noticed. At Boston the other day Col Davis
is reported to have spoken thus 8a.ra s
..what now, is the question: beyond this, connected
with this negro AGITATION II IS In relation to the terri
And fof has IN, a