Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-03-15
THE SENATE DEBATE AND mR. DOUGLAS
70 The ENtors cf lie fnIoR::

points tiken, ask the favor. n, Statc-r1eh'S
Democrat, 10 allow me simply 10 State my own
impressions of the nature "i the i>>'ics in,"t'ch
in the late discussion.
On the application Of the people residing III
that portion of the Louisiana purchase lynn.
west Of Missouri for territorial organization,
Mr. Douglas, at the time the head OF the Com
mite" on Territories. introduced into the Sen
ate hi. celebrated Nebraska bill. lie sought
20 imbody in this proposition something more
than 4 provisional governments; he amed to
make it the occasion Of announcing certain
principles in connection with the question oi
slavery in the Territories, which, ior years
past. had been di>tractng subject of section
al strife. Ic cndcavorcd 10 Use the opp0,tt-
nitv 10 cngrait on the domestic policy Of the
country ideas which could Lc accepted and de-
Tended in all sections of the Union. lie found
the question involved III nUmbcrlcSs cOnplIc,.-
tions and cnbarrassmcnt$; the result Of quach
Legislation and the occasion Of periodical con
vuSions threatening the peace and permanent
cy Of the confcGlcracy Like Skilful surgeon,
Mr.. D,ugla, proposed in his hill {" attack The
root of the evil and in place Of 4 catapla>rn I"
substitute tie knife in the shape Of a principle
going down 10 the seat of the affection.
Mectin. him at the threshold cf hi, work.
was the Missouri restriction running its black
line over To the Pacific, and declaring in effect
that rort! of 50 deg. 80 min. wss ground too
sacred Cor the southern Shareholder To tread, al
hcit acquired BY the joint efforts and "nt t!ca-
sure of i'll the people; while the ,oantry south
OF this line was understood To lr open 10 sc.-
tlcncnt by northcrn and southern men. In
word. he found Intervention on one side and
intervention on the other. lh, intrrdir-
ton the Nebraska bill removed boldly assert
ins that il was null and void. Here WIS GER
tlinlr ali immense progression for the South.
IL was an authoritative announcement tand the
first time ever authori,atiycly announced) that
Congress co.ll not prollibi, the southern citizen
from carryin. his property into any Of the ter
ritory Of the Union. 1t wiped out 4 stigma
which, for thirty years, had hung over the
southern States that daily rcproachcd them
i, interiors IN Union Of coequa! s"ye-
rcignties This vas the heart and kernel Of
the Nebraska hill. 1t was ground on which
all the sound Democrat, in Congrc.>. North
as well A. South, promptly arraycd them
selves. II was equally agreed, and as
promptly, that the proper ,ourcr of this
power denied 20 Consrr,, lay in the people
Of the Territory. IL was held on all sides. hY
Democrats North and South, without 4 d.>cn-
ticn,, that the people should be the guardians
of tiicr institutions. \ delicate 1ieStiou here
arose threatening for a time the lcca, of the
mrasurc--thc point in dispute being the .in.
when the people can exercise this power and
the trtcR. of their authority. The large body
Of the Northern Democrats, with Gcn. Ca>s
and Mr.. TOuccy at their head maintained what
Wa known aS the doctrine q. 'squat.er sovc
r-.nty. or the competency "f the Territorial
Legislature during the rupilagc oc the 'rc'ri;O-
~ 80 intcrdct slavery; while the whole body
Of the Southern Democrats denied the existence
of any such power in the Territorial Ic.i>a
turc. The syllabus of their rca>onin. may bc
stated. that Congress having no right to pro
hibit slavery. the Territorial Legislature b,in.
lis creature, hal no authority uo' derived from
Congress. and that the agent could not cxcr
else any dcriyatiyc authority whrh Con-
grcss had not, as principal, the primitive
right itself TO exercise. Here, we repeat
arose an apparently irrecnnci!ab!c difference
Of opinion, jcoparc!ing the success Of The
bill and threatening 10 leave the Mis-
souri, restriction Oh the statuc.hook At
this .jlnc,rre Mr.. Douglas came forward, and
proposed 10 obvate the dIili ,ulty hy a clause
m III" bill making the question in dispute the
subject Of judicial inquiry and exposition. To
carry ont tnis view he inserted a pro,l-n
clothing the people Of the Territory with the
power to determine their institutions and to
make their own aw, n their own way. ".ui-
jrrt ante I" ttc coE,'.i"fion of n. Eui'.d
.St"feS," thus removing from the halls Of Con.
grcsS the two questions Of the |,i.,;t of terri.
torial power in puragc and the time when it
can bc exercised. and rcmittiuG them 10 the
courts; this 10 be done by general phrase nj.
lowing the Territories all power consistent ,ciM
tic ToHSfitniir", and making the supreme
Court the umpire and cxpo~itor in the prem.
iscs. iid Ms ;ra. ""r,j,i,i Ly Norij.s7! aud
.>o~iifra Nfmocr,'> and vas nadc the ark o:
the covenant. Conspicuous arnong,; those
who chccrfully endorsed aud hailed this ,olu-
ton Of the difficulty were Senators Hunter,
Benjamin. Brown and others. From no Dc.
mocrat in the Senate At the time was heard
ono murmur Of di>approbation OF dissent
In order to give complct"uc>, and full e.
feet to this pacific settlement o( the differences
amongst the friends Of the measure. Two amend
ncniS were crgraftcd on the bill with the unan,
imouS 20 currcncc Of Southern Senators The
first. i'll effect. drclarin. that the laws of the
territorial legislature should not bc supervised
hy Congress, and the second providing that the
jurisdiction Of the courts should extend To il
cases ;.i'tcting the title 10 slaves, without ie
gard 10 the amount Of value involved. AMI
thus the Nebraska bill was passed, with per
feet under Standing At the time anong it, iricrd
Is to It's II Gaming, terms, and import. 1t an
nounccd five propositions First, that Con
grcsS couid not intcidict or prohibit slavery
the Territories. and that the citizen Of Eirg.-
mia had as much right to take his slave there
the New England man his horse Secondly
that'thc power Ia establish or abolish slavert
l,y in III people Of the Territory Third, tha,
the time when this power could bc exercise
was n mater of judicial inquiry and expoei
ton. fonrihly. that the laws OF tie terrific
rial Legislature should not he revised by Con
gress. Filthy, that if the legislature OF tn
Territory exercise any power touching slave
ry, affecting the constitutional rights Of the
citizen, his appeal lay in the courts, and that
.hcir decree should he final iu the premises:
and that thC President of the United States
by virtue Of hi, executive authority. should
sustain the decree Of the court with the pas,
c"miti,ns Of the country. If necessary These
arc the positions taken by Judge Douglas in
the Senate debate on Wednesday. and, beyond
doubt announce the true and historical con.
struction Of the Nebraska bill
The gi>t and soul Of the Nebraska hill wa,
its distinct prohibition Of Congressional! in
tervenlion in the Territories, and the announce
Incnt Of the equal right Of the citizens of all
the States 10 move into the common territories
Of the Union with their Effects and property.
no matter whether slaves horses or clocks.
The other propositions were for hypothetical
cases never likely to ari-c
Mr.. Douglas deserves mare credit Tor his
treatment Of this question than any statesman
dead or alive He has eliminated ont If il the
only two views on which it can oscr he set
ted viz the doctrine Of congressional non-in-
tcrvcntion. and the other idea that slavery is a
question % political economy. to be settled in
the new States and Tcrriiorlc, m the princi-
rcs governing all other questions Of social
economies