Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-09-23
Squatter Sovereignty.

The Southern democracy now demand
the enactmen by Congress of slavs code
for the territories! Does any body re-
member the harangues of is569 We
were told "the people of the territory are
competent to make their own laws. Why
should Congress interfere? They know
what laws they want, better than Congress
can know. The true Democratic doctrine
is, that the people of territory, like the
people of State, have the right of self
government Was it not so? Was not
this the doctrine everywhere from press and
platform? See now, what has become of
squatter sovereignty.
A SLAVE CODE FOR THE TERRI
.Ife TORIES.
From the Charleston s. C. Mercury.
If the Constitution confers upon slavery
the right to 90 there, Ito the TerritorIes,)
as according to the Kansas-Nebraska bill
and the bred Scott Decision it does, then
it also imposes the duty of protecting that
right and this cannot be done Dithout pos
itive pro-slavery legislation and A FED
ERAL SLAVE CODE FOR THE TER
RITORIES.
From the N. Y. Day Book
Ofcourse, the people of Territory, when
they frame their State Constitution may
adopt or exclude slavery but while they
are Territory, if the fail to protect prop
erty invested in the person or Industrial
capacity of the negro, they grossly violate
ao,oI r;,bts ,nJ tba.afo-o o. =, ~ o,,fbo-
ICED to consider themselves Democrats
The whole question is resolved into this
simple right of no right to protection of
slave property an the Federal territories,
and, as the Charleston News suggests, 1t
must constitute the issue of 1860.
From the Richmond (Va.) Enquirer.
The right of property in slaves in the
States is now placed practically as well
as legally, beyond the reach Of Federal
legislative encroachment. But in the
Territories the case is different. 1t is
not sufficient that the decision of the
Supreme Court prevents Congress and all
| its delegates, from the prohibition of slage-
ry in territory. There must be positius
Legislature enactment; a eivI and crinai-
nal code for the protection of slave proper
ty IN tile territories ought to be provided.
In every Territory containing a majority of
proslavery men, the power of the Terrific
rial Legislature is all sufficient for the pur-
pose. In other Territories, it is at leas:
doubtful whether the legislatures will exer-
else this power elsewhere to compel such
exercise. In such case of omission and
under the present state of Federal legisla
ton, much, if not all, must depend upon
the loyalty and efficiency of the President
of the United States. He it is who ap-
points the territorial Executive and Judicia-
ry. 1t will be the duty of the President
to hold both functionaries to jealous per-
formance of their several Offices. Hence,
we cordially unite with the Day Book in
the assertion that the Democratic nominee
for the Presidency should be pledged to
the protection Of slave property in the
Territories.
And we go further. 1t is very desira-
BILE that Congress should pass additional
laws for the protection of slave property
in the Territories. Tile present code Of
Federal legislation is sufficient for the p'sr-
7lose