The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-16
FEDERAL "GUAls 1IANSHIP . OF SLA
VERY IN THe TERRITORIES.

The President on. tied to recommend the
establishment of Slat.sy in the Territories, but
he lays down the cons ntional doctrine stronger
than ever. He says
"The Supreme Cert of the United States
had previously decids THAT all American citi
zens have an equal ,,ht to take into the Terri
tories whatever is he las property under the
laws of any of the astes, and to hold such
property there under the guardianship of the
Federal CONSTITUTIONS long as the Territorial
condition shall renal"
We apprehend thu there may be typo
graphical error in thh paragraph; and that the
President is made ts~speak lin the plupertec,
tense, instead of the. first future. No doub,
the decision will be gnade, now that the Pres
dent has announced / but we have no recollec
ton that any caseeset decided covers the
ground assumed. +. is said that on men-of-
war it is never. noaI until the captain orders
the hellman to "makss noon;" and it is posi-
BILE that this arrange .nt has been adopted foI
the manufacture Of. institutional law. The
President gives the vsssd of command, and the
Court responds "aye3se, sir" with the prompt
itude of an old salt.
We may hence LOOK out for decision from
the supreme tribunal Of the nation, declaring
the Territories in ascondition of wardship tc
the Federal Government. The President, a:
the head of the Government, will become ca
o6fcio the Territorial Guardian.
THE OXFORD (K4NsAs) FRAUDs.-The St
Louis Democrat contains letter from Bat
Jones, whose name appeared signed to the Ger
tifcate or return of tse fraudulent Oxford vote
He now declares that he never put his name t.
it, but that the persuasion of frie nds induced
him to keep silent.
Here it is:
EST. Lo.Is, Mo-, Noe, %, 1853.
To the Editor Of tn Democrat
upon the ,returng Of an election held at the
Oxford precinct, in Johnson county, Kansas, in
October, 1857, my nspe appeared as one of the
Judges. | never put ,tthere, nor consented thai
any one else should do so. The first i knew o.
it was from the Lawrence Herald of Freedom
L might have made this statement sooner, and
probably should, but for the persuasion offriends
and the excitement which prevailed at the time
of the transaction. ] did not choose to expose
the affair voluntarily at that time, though
should not have hes.tated to have done so if
had been called on 10y any tribunal having ju
| risdiction of the ma.fer. In September last,
communicated the above statement in substance
to the st. Louis Republican, from Westport
Missouri | came here to ascertain whether i
had been received, put was unable to do so
Upon calling on ont of the editors of that pa
per this morning, h declined to publish any
statement in the preSnises. therefore submit
this statement to the Democrat, and trust it viii
receive a place in ID columns. lido this il
Justice not only to myself, but to the country
/ am aware that my conduct is blamable, bu
wonld nevertheless have the case properly un
derstood. What the threats and curses of my
enemies in Kansas failed to obtain in times o.
great excitement, / now voluntarily give.
am not disposed to iR.plicate others, and will mo-
do so, except it be il selfdefence.
"By publishing the. above, you will do me q
great favor. Respectfully, BAIT JONES"
Russia IN THE MEpIrERRASEAN.-AR Russian
newspaper, entitled the Inrolide Russo, give.
the following account of the new Russian &C
QUESTION in the Med yterranean. If this account
be correct, it would ,eem that the importance
of the affair has beea much exaggerated, and
that the whole thisg resolves itself into the
lease by trading company of a part of the bay
for the constructionsof warehouses, &c. After
stating that villafraaca has been hired by tn,
Russian Steam Navigation Company, as a de
pot for provisions aed Goals, the bscahde Russ
| continues: -.
"Villafranca is asmaritime town of Sardinia
distant about three miles from Nice, and sub
ject to the local government of that city. 1t
port is composed ola spacious bay, nearly fou
| miles long and one mile wide. As the port o
Nice cannot be e3tered by vessels of deer
draught, and as ACCESS to it is otherwise difficult
ships of war generally anchor in the harbor o
| Villafranca. The t,wn is encircled by embat
| tied walls, and defended also by fort, fanket
| by three bastions, CONSTRUCTED upon an eminence
Another fortifcatioR, called Fort st. Alban, il
built upon the moant which separates Villa
franca from Nice, aad is intended as a defenc,
to the two towns. The Russian Commercial
Steam Navigation Company, whose vessels nov
run direct from Odessa to the Mediterranean
has rented from the<Sardinian Government, fo
a term of twenty-foJr years, not the port Of Vii
lafranca, but partsof the bay, near the eastern
side, and a sufficient space on shore for the es