The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-01-27
ridge DougIas ana Popular sover.
eighty.
Br A DEMocRArlc Ex rDrroR.

memorial Of James Fl. Lane, praying for
Che admia ion of Kansas vnder the Tope.
ka Constitution, Senator Douglas says:
The Constitution of the United States
guarantees to every State a republican
form of Government and delegates to
Congress NO POWER to establish arg
law over my State, except such as are
national, and affect the States alike for
the Common good. The people of ang
Territory or State, over whom the Con
stitution extends, although not admitted
into tie Union az a Sovereign State. have
reserved to Themselves The same 5nherent
and s~naliena6le rights, as belonged to the
people Of the severA States of the Union.
The Constitution declares that powers
o delegated to the United States by
the Constitution. nor prohibited by it to.
the States, are reserved to the States re-
spectively or to the people. Therefore,
since the Constitution delegated to Con-
gress no power to establish a government
over the new Territories, the same inhe-
rent rights are reserved to the people of
q Territory over which the Constitution
extends, as are reserved to the people of
the several original States"
Thisis the true doctrine upon tho Con-
stitutional powers Of Congress to legis-
late for the people of tho Territories, and
it is perfectly consonant with the funda-
mental principles of government which
we submitted to our readers in a former
article upon this subject. But how diff
ferent is it from the present position of
Senator Douglas upon the Kansas issue.
Then Congress had no power under tho
Constitution to establish a government
over the people of the Territories, but
now Congress has the power to pass an
+" enabling act" defining what the rights
and duties of the people of the Territories
are. and demanding implicit obedience to
the rules and regulations OF this "enabling
act.n How consistent Is there no vio-
lation of the prineiplesof self goverhment
and popular sovereignty in all this? In.
stead of abusing the President because he
refused to dictate to, or interfere with,
the people of Kansas in the regulation of
their local and domestic Institutions, would
it not be more consonant with reason and
justice. to arraign those who are now de-
handing a violation of a great principle
which lies at the very foundation of Ter
~Titorial organizations, as established aud
d fined by the Kansas Nebraska act /?
Why abuse and denounce the President
for strictly adhering to the doctrine of
nou-intervention and eulogizing NJ r.Doug-
las, because he has virtually abandoned
that doctrine, as promulgated by the Kan
sas-Nebraska ActP
But, whatever may be Mr.. Douglas
present position in regard to the inherent
aud inalieniable rights of the people of
tho Territories to govern themselves, with
out the Intervention of Congress or any
other extraneous authority, we maintain
that the powers of government must and
do reside in the people. And, (althougb
"a few men in society may be violently at
war with tho rights of others, and a large
class of men, when under occasional ex-
oitemont of passion or interest, may be
tempted to infringe upon the rights Of
their feliows,l that almost all civilized
mon arc capable of appreciating the rules
Of right, and, when free from this COCA.
sioual excitement, arc competent to decide
upon rules and regulations for the gov,
eminent of men in the social State. The
enactment and execution of these rules
constitute the true functions of civil gov.
eminent. The power to ordain and es-
tablish these laws primarily reside in the
people,, who alone are interested in its
exercise, aud whose rights are the objects
Il its protection. "Wherever the people
therefore, retain the powers of government
for their direct aud immediate exercise
there is no necess ty for a written Consti
~tution, because their aggregate intelli
eenee aud moral sense would furnish theii
rule of civil conduct. But the power
thus exercised must of necessity be con
ined tosa small Territory, where all tn,
Inhabitants could conveniently ASSEMBLE
together whenever the exercise of thei
public functions we're required"
But where a large Territory likes State
or the United States, presents obstacle
to the assembling of the people en- mass
for the exercise of their functions of civi
government, they must, as a matter Q
convenience, delegate to Agents or Req
r~esentatiyes. such of the powers of gov
ernment as they cannot conveniently ex
erciso in person. It was upon this priu
cipIe that the American Union was form
ed, and our government is, therefore, calle'
= renresentative Democracy-because til
supreme power of the State resides in th
people, and no Constitution, deiegatipl
the powers of government, can be regard
ed as irrevocable, or as diyesting the PEG
pie, the true sOvereigns, of supreme con
troll in the affairs of State. Hence tn
euactment Of a Constitution is a mere del
~eoation of mowers to Agents, which ma,