The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1858-09-23

I ioI tHc CoHSti uCtion VI leiiiTV'ius.
contends for reform in the Public
| Land system, so that homestead NAV
be granted to all actual settlers, and in
this state is pledged to efforts for the re.
covery of the Five per cent Fund which
is now unjusdy detained from the State
by the General Governments The Dem
ocrats do not attempt the discussion Of
any of these questions in this CANVASS
Not word is said in their State platform
in regard to them, or TO any other ques-
ton except slavery, unless it is to allude
to the aggression of Great Britain upon
our commerce. question in no way
making up an issue between the two par
ties. (The speaker then read over the
resolutions of the late Democratic State
Convention, which proved his position. J
Upon the question of Internal Improve
ments, appropriations for Railroads, and
in regard TO Public Lands, Democrats
were divided. They were united upon
one-and only one doctrine, namely
that Congress possessed no legislative
control over the Territories. This is the
only issue which they present, and there
fore the only question for us to argue.
He had said that a crisis had again
called the Republican party into exis-
tence. That exigency was the repeal Of
the Missouri Compromise, and the adop-
ton by the Democracy, of the new doc
trine that Congress has no power to ex-
clude Slavery from the Territories
From the. formation of the government,
down to 1854, there was no time wher
Congress had not exerci sed that rio hit
STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS himself had en-.
dorsed it, in endorsing the Missouri re.
striction. He came from the Senate
during the Christmas recess of that body
in 1858, breathing the greatest devotion
to that measure, and in speech at
Springfield, delivered during This tempo
rary ADJOURNMENT of Congress, declared
that the Missouri Compromise was as
sacred as the Constitution itself, and cal.
led down curses upon the head of him
who should be so bold as to seek its Vi
olation, and yet Mr., DoueLAs, as soon as
he returned to his duties, after tn is short
recess of ten days or two weeks, brought
in a bill to abrogate that time honored
measure. 1t was repealed, and the prin-
ciples and policy of the Government
since its fdkmation, were abandoned for
the speclous pretence of Popular Sove-
freignty. And those who refused to ac-
Iquiesce in that change Of policy, have
been denounced as traitors, fanatics, abb
olitionists asd disunionists The old
methods ofialerpreting the Constitution
were discarded, and the Cincinnati Plat
af0Gm was made the rule for It's construc-
- JAMES, BUCHANAN had once writ
L. SANFORD, that having endorsed
and. advocated the Missouri Compromise,
he Of course conceded to Congress the
right to control the question of Slavery
in the Territories, but when Mr.. BUcHAN-
AN received the nomination for President
he said that he was no longer simply
JAMES BucHANAN, but standing on the
Cincinnati Platform, deemed it his duty
to square his conduct by that instrument
The result was that the Platform swal-
lowed the words and principles of JAMES
BUCHANAN, and he now contends that
Congress not only does not have legisla-
tive control over the Territories, but that
there is no power to prevent Slavery
from existing therein. and wonders how
it could ever have been doubted. Popu-
lar Sovereignty was specious pretense,
and as soon as it had done its office of
electing JAMES BUCHANAN to the Presi-
dency was discarded. During the whole
Presidential canvass of SO this doctrine
was interpreted to mean, that the people
of the Territories should be allowed to-
adopt or prohibit, at their will any in
stitution of a domestic character, which
they saw fit-Slayery as well as any
other. But this rendering was dropped
as soon as Mr.. BUCHANAN was elected.
and in his inaugural address, he speaks
as follows: -.
+" Congress is neither to legislate Slay-
cry into any Territory OF State, nor to ex-
clude it therefrom but to leave the PEG
pie thereof perfectly free to form and
regulate their domestic institutions in
their own way. subject only to thecon-
stituton of the United States. As nat
ural consequence, Congress has only pre-
scribed that when the Territory of Kan
sas shall be admitted as State, it shall
be received into the Union with or with
out Slavery, as their constitution may
prescribe at the time of their admission, /
4 difference Of opinion has arisen tn rel
,o,J H., yLo f;,ns arb OF, Tho ,,on,,Jo If fLo ~.