The Nevada journal., 1858-02-12


relieved the general government of all
participation in the establishment of the
domestic institutions of the people of a
Territory. In other words, the people
of other incohate States having full pow
er, or having exercised full power before
the passage ofthat act in forming and reg
ulating in their own way all the other
domestic institutions except slavery,
that institution by the terms of the Ne
braska Act was undertook to be thrown
in with the rest, to be decided upon by
the people themselves. Slavery in ex-
press language, it was argued, should
not be an exception. The people were
equally as competent TO decide the point
whether slavery would promote their
happiness or prosperity or not, as any
other question. We were told the Kan
sas-Nebraska Act was but the recogni-
ton of the capability of people for
self-government, and the carrying out of
a great democratic principle. 1t was
held up TO the Democratic party and to
the people of the Union as a great pan
acea for sectional fevers constantly af-
fiicting Congress and the politics of the
nation The people were tired of agita-
ton and embraced the hope held ont by
the Kansas-Nebraska Act What has
been the result? The doctrine of squat
ter sovereignty was SO lily defined, its
practical workings taken into so little
consideration. and its great fathers waut-
ing so sadly in sagacity as not to fore
see the thousand constructions that could
be put upon it, that the whole country,
and especially the Democratic party is
thrown into confusion worse confound
ed" i'll attempting to solve the riddle.
Nc two Democrats can be found who
will agree precisely as to the true mean
ing of squatter sovereignty, and taking
their own definitions all together, it
means nothing. A philosopher from an i'm
partial stand point would declare the doc
trine as defined by the various factions a
mass of unintelligible jargon. The most
that appears to be generally understood
is, that the people of Territory when
they come to form State government
have the right by this doctrine "to form
and regulate their domestic institutions
in their own way subject only to the
Constitution of the United States" A
faction has arisen which contends that a
people half represented in a consttu-
tional convention, Aattered that they
were to vote directly upon the offspring
of that ill-begotten body, but cheated of
that poor privilege have ''formed their
domestic institutions in their own way"
1t is contended that the sway" chosen
by the people of Kansas to form their
domestic institutions was through dele
gates to a convention wherein one half
the bona fde people of Kansas were not
represented, and the result of whose la
bors is repudiated by four-ffths of the
people of the Territory. This is one
definition of squatter sovereignty An
other faction talks with amazing volubil-
ity of enabling acts, and enters into long
winded dissertations upon the difference
between the Topeka and Lecompton
Constitutions, containing more adroit
ness and ingenuity than practical sense,
but enunciates clearly at last one prin-
ciple which sounds democratic at least,
i. e. the necessity of submission of all
Constitutions to direct vote of the peo-
pie. This sounds fair and above-board,
and commends itself to the sober iudg-
ment of men unbiased by the spoils and
hope of office. That this is the most
straightforward side of the question is
evident.
James Buchanan was elected to carry
out the principles of the Kansas Nebras-
ka Act which declares that the people
of Territory "may form and regulate
their domestic institutions in their own
way" BY the submission of one ques-
ton alone to the people can it be said
that they form their institutions? d? In
stead of throwing in the question of sla
very with the other local issues it is
made the exception in the Lecompton
Constitution and the people are permit
ted to have direct voice in that and
nothing else. Their own way is con-
strued to mean any course a set Of rec
reant delegates choose to pursue. Had
those delegates Incorporated in the Le-
compton Constitution a recognition of
the laws of primogeniture, of Moses or
the sang Iinary code of Draco; had thev