The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1859-09-22

respectful of these men; think that
they are about the best Buchanan could
get, but of course those gentlemen near
er to the time when the constitution was
made than we are, would know little
better what was meant than we would
Monroe himself did not entertain doubt
upon the subject land he was something
of MANI that if any Legislature could
expel or admit Slavery into the Territor-
les Congress could do it. There was no
other legislative function to be performed
by anybody. and nobody to perform it..
Mr.. Writ, Mr.. Southard. Mr.. Adams,
Mr.. Calhoun, Mr.. Crawford, all of them
agreed Some of these gentleman | had
the honor to know and l do not know
of those who hold to the doctrine of the
bred Scott decision, any that could be
said to be their equal, or the equal of
any of them. 1t was so in 1923.
ask you. my fellow citizens. is there
ever to be an end to this question ? What
does the Judge tell you when he decides
case T? He tells you in the language of
the law, that +" it is expedient for the
country that there should be an end to
the question Your titles depend upon
that. Would you not consider it strange
if, twenty years after, another Court
should come and decide the contrary :?
A sensible Court would say. this has
been decided twenty years ago. argued
legally, and g it is expedient for the
country that there should be an end to
the question" If you want 10 have a
written Constitution that yoa can rely on
at all, you must have an Interpretation
put upon the words, and let it read that
way until the people choose to change it
by altering the words, otherwise writ
ten Constitution will be made to read this
thing one year. and another thing an
other year.
1t was settled, then, in 1903, in 1905,
in 1922 in the great Missouri restriction,
by the judgment solemnly of an entire
Cabinet, one Of the profoundest lawyers
we have known in the country being At
torney General.
WISCONSIN AND MICHIGAN.
But what else did you do about it? /
tell you you did right on the same thing
to the year 1850. In the year 1896,
Wisconsin came as territory you or
ganized her. Michigan came as Ter
ritory. and you organized her, and you
provided in that organic law that while
the Legislature might make laws and
send them to you, if Congress disapprov-
ed of those laws they should be null and
void. President Jackson signed bills of
this kind Did not '.Old Hickory"
know a thing or two about this matter ?
President Adams signed such bill /;
both the Adamses signed such bills t;
Monroe signed such bills Madison sign
ed bills like it. All those bills involved
that question, and all decided them one
way. and even in 1850, in that compro-
mise, as it was called, it is enacted that
New Mexico and Utah shall send their
laws to Congress. and if Congress disap-
prove of them, they shall be null and
void.
Now, my brother Democrat, what be-
comes Of your "Squatter Sovereignty ?"
Do you know more than all these men
Are you egotistic enough to believe that
you understand the words of the Consti-
tuition better than all the statesmen, pub
lie men. lawyers and private men that
have lived before you for seventy years ?
Havo you that confidence in yourself ?
If you have, God have mercy on your
soul. You are past praying for, and l
am done. Laughter.
0t0 $50 Folks DOCTRINE.
Don't you know we acquired the Ter
rito,y of Oregon under Folks Admins
tra.ion. and putthe Wilmot proviso upon
it? Did not Polk know as much abou:
it as Mr.. Douglas ? Did not Jackson
know as much about it as Stephen A.
Douglas ? Did not Mr.. Monroe and his
Cabinet ? So far about the legislative
power on this question. Is a,H sav
THE suPRsME couRr's DECISION. m
The question came up from Florida in
perhaps 1924 or 1926. in the case of
Canter against an Insurance Company
You win end the case in Howard's. John
Marshall was Chief Justice Of the United
States then. Mr.. Story was on the bench;
man whose law books on the subject OF
our laws. and on the subject of law and
chancery in general, have been read with