The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-12

I [.
sides, il would be idle to claim the Territories as
the common property Of all the States If the inhabi-
tans thereof may exercise powers in utter conflict
with the rights Of the people of the State. In po-
tical sense, the Territories open to the free in
gress of all who may choose to occupy them; it
would be manifesty unfair to give the people Of
State the right to determine for another what should
be received and treated property.
But II is said by some of our politicians Of course
10 opposition to the theory Of the bred Scott decis-
ion, that practical question, the mere dsfsIni
nation Of the right of the stakeholder 70 take his
slaves to Of the Territories amounts to nothing
because, if the people opposed to slavery, they
WILL by @unfriendly legislation" deny him all the
remedies which are necessary to the enforcement Of
his rights That may in point Of fact, be true. We
not contending about the practice. If we were,
it would be easy to show that. the principle being
settled that slave property is to be treated like any
other special Legislation is necessary to insure its
protection. Hostile Legislation" would be uncon-
stitutional and so declared. All remedies appli-
cable to any property and persons would be applica
BILE to slave property.
But we are looking to something higher than the
technicalities of the case We want to be able
to fix upon principle to guide us in all future cleo
tons. We want to be able to say authoritatively,
by the direct decision of the federal courts that the
question of slavery in the Territories has been finally
determined. If the opposition desire to take issue
with upon the question of the overthrow Of the Su
preme Court, we are ready to accept it, and appeal
to the country. We want skulking and
pettifogging in own party Like Paul, we re-
quire of our stewards that they shall be found
faithful" hereafter. They have been too much occu-
pied in trimming their sails to catch the popular
breeze, and have too little regarded the die
tates of national patriotism and sound national
principles. We want bold, compact, universal de-
mocracy. We stand by the decision of the Supreme
Court and we pronounce the curse of heresy upon
every man who invests his interests in the cause of
northern southern opposition to that decision
We have had enough of time-serving, of yielding to
traitors, because they voteof selling principles
as opiates to stop the clamor of one set of dema-
gogues that another may be elevated to power and
position. The best recipe to reduce and degrade
party is to grant indulgences to trimmers and to
authorize heretics to minister at the affairs of the
faithful. The unity of political organization is as
necessary the unity of the States. Nor is it pos
sible to maintain the latter without the former. No
body but insane men believes that this government
be safely carried on by the people Of the free
States alone 1t isa government of the United States
not of the northern States and the latter have
sought to exercise absolute control over the Terrific
res and thus enter wedge into the Union with which
to sever it. we nerpose the constitutional principles
of the bred Scott decision the only means of avert
ing the calamity. If there is democrat i'll the re-
public who would trust the abotionists to admins
ter the affairs of this government, if there is a
democrat who does not believe that his party is the
only great conservator Of the Union, we trust he
| will lose time in manifesting his apostacy and
placing himself somewhere in the opposition ranks.