The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-07-29

VIII JuuSC IL SuCiO 10 oil iOiOS III io'
| Applause Popular Sovereignty! ev-
erlasting Popular Sovereignty /! Laugh
ter and cheers. Let us for moment
enquire into this vast matter OF Popu-
lar Sovereignty. What is Popular
Sovereignty? We recollect that at an
early period in the history of this
struggle there was another name for
the same thing-Sq@atter Sovereignty.
1t was not exactly Popular Sovereignty,
but Squatter Sovereignty. What do
those terms mean? What do they
mean when used now? And vast cred
it is taken by our friend, the Judge, in
regard to his support of it, when he
declares the last years Of his life have
been, and all the future years of his life
shall be, devoted to this matter of Pop
ular Sovereignty. WHAT'S it? Why,
it is the sovereignty of the people.
What was Squatter Sovereignty? l
suppose if it had any significance at
all, it was the right of the people to
govern themselves, to be sovereign
over their own affairs, while they had
squatted down in country not their
own, while they had squatted on a ter
ritory that did not belong to them, in
the sense that State belongs to the
people who inhabit it-when it be-
longed to the nation-such right to
govern themselves was called "Squat-
ter Sovereignty"
Now wish you to mark. What
has become of that Squatter Sovereign
ty? What has become of it? Can
you get anybody to tell you now that a
people of territory have any authori-
ty to govern themselves, in regard to
this mooted question of Slavery, be-
fore they form a State Constitution ?
No such thing at all, although there is
a general running fire, and although
there has been hurrah made in every
speech on that side, assuming that Poi-
icy had given the people a territory
the right to govern themselves upon
this question yet the point is lodged.
To-day it has been decided-no more
than year ago it was decided by the
Supreme Court of the United States,
and is insisted upon to-day, that the
rpeople of territory have no right to
exclude Slavery from territory, that il
any one man chooses to take slaves in
to territory, all the rest of the people
have no right to keep them out. This
being so, and this decision being made
one of the points that the Judge ap.
proved, and one in the approval Of
which he says he means to keep me
down-put me down, should not say
for have never been up. He says he
is in favor of it, and sticks to it, and
expects to win his battle on that deci
sion, which says that there is no such
any one man may take Slaves into g
territory, and all the other men of the
territory may be opposed to it, and YET
by reason of the constitution they can
not prohibit it. When that is so, how
much is left of this vast matter o.
Squatter Sovereignty, / should like tc
!. know?
When we get back, we get to the
point of the right of the people to make
a constitution. Kansas was settled, fol
example, in 1854. 1t was a Territory
yet, without having formed a constitu
ton, in very regular way, for three
years. All this time negro slavery
could be taken in by any few individ
uals, and by that decision of the Su
preme Court, which the Judge ap
proves, all the rest of the people canno
keep it out; but when they come t.
make constitution, they may say they
will not have slavery. But it is there
they are obliged to tolerate it in som,
J way, and all experience shows that i
[ will be so-for they will not take tn,
! negro slaves and actually deprive th,
owners of them. All experience show
f this to be so. All that space of tim
: that runs from the beginning of the set
' tlement of the Territory until there is
/ sufficiency of people to make Stat
D CONSTITUTIONAL that portion of tim
Popular Sovereignty is given up. Th
i; seal is absolutely put down upon it b,
E the Court decision, and Judge Dougla
e puts him on the top of that; yet he
$ appealing to the people to give hir
f vast credit for his devotion to Popula
;, Sovereignty. Applause and cries Q
/. "right:" bright; !" "good )" "good.'
| Again, when we get to the right q
r the people to form State constitutio
: as they please, to form it with SLAYER
t or without slavery-if that is anythin
!, new, confess l don't know it. Ha
: there ever been a time when any on
: said that anybody other than thepeopl
: of a Territory itself should form thei
n constitution? What is new in it, tina
a Judge Douglas should have fought sey
n eral years of his life, and pledge himse
r to fight all the remaining years of hi
t life for? Can Judge Douglas find any
1 body on earth that said that anybod
Il else should form a constitution for
i people? Ia voice, "yes."] Well,
!, should like you to name him; l shoul
t like to know who he was. Same voic
g =" John Calhoun"
: Mr.. Lincoln-No, Sir, / never hear
n of even John Calhoun saying such
a thing. He insisted on the same prir
S ciple as Judge Douglas but his mod
b of applying it in fact, was wrong. ]
y is enough for my purpose to ask thi
s crowd, when ever Republican sal
n anything against it? They never sal
It anything against it, but they have cor
/; stantly spoken for it; and whoever wi
: undertake to examine the platform, an
3 the sneeches of responsible men of th