The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-09-16
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL soy

stitations and the free and independent spirit of
people, we must say there has been too much talk
and writing about popular sovereignty, rights and
wrongs We are amongst those who believe that the
American people have arrived at the point of adj
vancement where no other than popular government
can be instituted and maintained. 1t 80 happens
that our energetic and patriotic ancestors largely
imbued with the spirit of independence and just
Iy regarding themselves as fitted to establish
and carry ON political system of their own,
ordained the federal Union. They adopted a
written constitution or organiclaw, which they de-
clared should be supreme all the civil author
ties created thereby. They provided amongst other
things that new parties to the confederated Union
might be admitted either out of their common ter
ritories or from those which should be acquired in
the progress of events. The States composing the
federal government at all times are by general con-
sent, sovereign and independent There never has
been any dispute about that. A question, however,
has arisen in regard to the character Of the Terrific
Eies, and in respect thereto whether they are sover
eign and independent before their admission into our
family Union? In an earlier period of our history
the progress of population was slow and the Terri
tories remained under temporary government much
longer than at present If we are permitted to re-
gard the rapid movements of the people to our from
tiers within the last 20 years any just criterion by
which to judge the future it is clear that hereafter
territorial governments to be Of short duration and
of Little practical importance. Mr.. Senator Douglas
two OF three years ago maintained in apublic speech
that they are states of preparation for the discharge
OF the high functions Of sovereignty-a species of
preparatory school in which the people are educated
and made to comprehend the duties, obligations
and dignites of an independent existence We did
not concur in the opinion of the senator thus ex-
pressed and the rapid transition of some of our Ter
ritories-California and Minnesota, for instance
from conditions of dependence to the full estates of
sovereignty did much to prove that Mr.. DOUGLASS
politico- educational theory was mere phantasy of
politician. The better opinion and is, that
the Territories provided by the authority Of Con-
gress with temporary governments should be re-
garded as federal dependencies until they shall
be admitted into the Union as States They are
endowed with the authority to legisate for them
selves In respect to all rights not in conflict
with those maintained by the federal constitution
They may then conduct, in their own way and ac
cordlng to their own will all the affairs of civil life
but they have no authority to impair the rights Of
property recognised in the States of the confederacy
so long as they remain under territorial FORMS The
reason of this limitation is obvious they act in ODE
dlencc to authority conferred upon them by all the
states OF the Union; and it would be absurd to claim
that the latter would confer upon them power to in
validate and destroy what their own laws recognise
as property, what the federal government itself has
treated as property, and what half the States
maintain as the sheet-anchor of their prosper
lty' The Territories are the common estates Of
all tne members OF the confederacy. They are
governed as such and must be governed and
ought TO be governed so as to protect the
equal rights of those members and the people there
OF IN the enjoyment therein Of whatever property
any one OF those States may recognise within its
sovereign jurisdiction. Otherwise there is no equal
n.y. MI. Douglass preparatory school would be-
come sovereign political government W
Then, what is the reasonable solution Of This
problem? m Ef8
Inc States are sovereign; the Territories remain
their common property until they are qualified for
admission into the Union, when they, too assume
the functions of independent, equal members Of the
oPuial sovereignty, then, n
term applicable only to those who have reached Tho
condition OF States of the Union, or have come to
that period Of advancement when, by the common
law OF American politics, they are called upon to
ordain and establish State governments prepara-
tory to admission. Justice to the principles of
equal representation and government, Justice 10
the Territories and to the Union itself demand
that tho sovereign powers of legislation shall
be exercised only by sovereign States There
is no sense or propriety in extending these powers
to every handful of people who may be authorized
to institute temporary government at this point or
that. We do not in this question the intelligence or
patriotism of our frontier people. They are hardy
active welldisposed class of American citizens; but
in the scramble Of every new country where there
is little of social educational excellence the peo
pie have quite enough to do to organize society and
direct it in reference to those purely domestic inter-
ests without which the moro comprehensive
schemes of government cannot be carried out We
know OF nobody in the democratic party who does
not fully endorse the great principle of popular SOW
ereignty,' as thus defined. The Supreme Court Of
the United States have distinctly maintained il. and
declared the boundaries within which il NAV be
exercised. The people Of the Territories when tbcv
shall be uualiied for admission inf a. Jr..