Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-02-02
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1853.
The Law OF Precedent.

Disguise the fact as we may, the slavery
question is and has been the efficient moving
cause of the agitations and troubles in Kansas
and in the States in regard to her admission
as State. The lust for power bore its stimu-
lating part but the paramount, all-absorbing
question has been whether the peculiar in
stitution " of the South should be established
in and tolerated by the future State. The
new-fangled Douglas doctrine of popular SOW
ereignty has been Matched and thrown out as
tub to the whale, to mystify and obscure the
main question, while the Little Giant can per-
feet his schemes and intrigues for the Presi-
dency. The requirements of this miserable
sophism, are that Congress, in the adminstra-
tion of the territorial affairs, shall first pass
formal Act enabling the people Of territory
to call a convention to form State constitu-
such convention shall be submitted for ratiti-
cation or rejection, to the entire people of the
territory, including aliens, loafers and squat
tiers. This, we understand to be the Douglas
hobby and its logical consequences" Pass
ing over the apparent contradiction in the two
branches OF the proposition-that while the
people are held to be supreme, they are yet
dependent on Congress for the time when they
are ready to take the initiatory steps towards
State government, let us see how it stands
In the past action of the Federal government.
z There are two principal reasons urged against
the admission of Kansas under the LecomptOn
constitution and embraced in this mob sove-
hmm, bfto Let
Act; and End there was no proper submission
of the constitution to the people. The history
of the country shows that as many States
have been admitted without any precious enabl-
ing Act of Congress, as have been with such
Act. No enabling Act was passed in the fol-
lowing instances-to which Texas may be
added:
Vermont Michigan,
Tennessee Florida
Maine Iowa
Arkansas California.
Those in which Congress authorized the cal
ling of a convention were:
Ohio Illinois
Louisiana Indiana
Mississippi Missouri
Alabama Wisconsin.
Thus reads the law of precedent in relation
to the application for admission, without pre-
vious authority from Congress to call a CON
vention to form State constitution. Not one
of the nine Including Texas was rejected for
what is at this day called fatal objection to
the admission of Kansas OF those States
which were received into the Union without
previous submission of their constitutions to
the people, there is very great and over
whelming disparity. We believe tie journals
of Congress do not show a single instance
where there was a serious question made on
the previous submission to the people. The
following States were admitted without such
submission so far as the journals Indicate:
Vermont Alabama
Kentucky Indiana
Tennessee Illinois
Ohio Missouri
Louisiana Arkansas
Mississippi Wisconsin.
While ON the contrary those which were adj
mitted after such submission and ratification,
amount to but five out of the whole catalogue,
to wit: Maine, Michigan, Florida Iowa and
California. These presidents embody the
whole history of our extension, ranging
through period of years, embracing almost
every administration since the foundation of
the government, including that of Washing
ton.
The doctrine, new in its application to the
admission of States, is the offspring of in
trigue and panders to the vilest and most IA
natical passions of the North. Its aim was,
doubtless, to catch the vote of the crazy hordes
of abolitionists and freesoilers aud at the
same time hoodwink the southern people with
q base counterfeit of popular rights.