Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1858-03-04
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~Ths E-a SAYS that It would ike to
know "shere Congress obtained the power
t. govern the Territories Now this seems
strange when this subject hiss been so fully
ne over heretofore. the Era should SO
soon forget. We will again state where
We conceive this power comes from. Primar-
ally il must come from tie people of course,
and the question then rrmaining. and the
only question to be decided il, did the Peo-
ple ever confer such power on thst body
We clsim first, that this power was not dis
puted in the Continental Congress. That
It's exercise in the Ordinsnce OF 1857 was
a clesr evidence of the right, not then be-
Ing in dispute. and as the Era takes BEsToH
for authority. we refer it to his opinion on
this point. But says the Era, the power
wa. not given Congress in that session.
But the rightto adopt such laws as they
miLht prefer, was reserved to the people
1t should have said, was left to the penple'
but BY whoml b. a Congress of the States
that Congress too made m of the very men
who framed and adopted the Constitution
Bot we ask did that scssinn leave the ques-
ton OF slavery for :he people 10 decide as,
they "migh. prefer" Verify no. And up
on this and kindred evils is only where It 10
iudicious to exercise this power. And in
c~cssions TO which we be fore referred Of the
Territory OF Georgia and North Carolina,
the same subject was acted upon without
question of the right. In all 'the .cess,ons
of Territory by the different states TO the
general government, the power over the sol
was no more clearly recognized than was
the jurisdiction. And more, was the Erd
familiar with the discussions upon the..Various
Constitutional provisions, it would know
that it was the understanding of the trainers
of the Constitution, that the section u hlch
we have already qlo,ed, giving Congress
power to make all needful rules and regula'
tions, was intended to invest Congress with
power. Mr.. MORRIS who wrote it had that
in view at the time, Chief Justice MARSHALL
who we have already quoted, took this m
depreciation of that clause attorney Zen
era. WRIT did the same, so did all lie men
who voted for the Ccmp,omi,e Of 1890, and
tie Era must acknowledge that there
we're sereral great men who endorsed thai
measure. We never claimed that Nj. BUcE'
1sAs, had appointed all the officers Ct Kan
sas az IAN ed by the Era, and it is a pity
ii wasted so much hightsluton about moth
ing. But now we do say that this p%rartica'
instance of squatter sovereignty has ever
gone farther than the opposers of the sham
ever thought Of. So far from the principal
working, we now say, the administration
has directly and indirectly, done all the aP-
pnibting that has been done in Kansas
But in conclusion the Era asks if Congress
has this power, why are States formed We
reply, because the Constitution makes pro-
visions for their formation. TIE EraS con-
Guiding fancy castle of Colonial vassaiage
is a good picture OF the application of squat
ter sovereignty in Kansas. 1t must have
had that in view at the time. The Era Is
always Jumping at conclusions, but Inior-
t~nna,aly too often comes wide Of the mark
with commendibic cunning it avoids dltilcu!;
issues and changes front with every attack
This of course has its advantage but Is u
poor way to arrive at the truth.