The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-09-28
..,.,,- Trumbuli on Popular sovsrsignfy

~ Illinois. gifted republican Senator
.o,,ed at some length IN ,sE g.
which We mar tse following extract. IT.
eGaetaags disposes Of the "LittIe Giants y
,hsnaet. lie quoted the following plank =
from the Cincinnati Platform
RESOLVED. That We recognize the right oi
tie people of all the Territories. including
Kansas and Nebraska, acting through the
legally and fairly expressed will of majority
of actual residents, and whenever the number
Ct their Inhabitants iustifes it to form con
stitution, with or without domestic slavery.
and be admitted into the Union upon terms OF
perfect equality with the other States.
He commented as follows:
Mark that, you Popular Sovereignty Dem
ocrats! You can exclude Slavery from a
Territory, uhen the nsmber Of its Inhabitants
justifes it-not before That is the effect of
that clause. II you owned farm aud told
bov at work on it that he might come up to
the house at three O'Clock. and he came up at
one o'clock. would you not send him back P
w ouId you not insist that telling him lie might
come ap at three was in fact forbiddng him
10 come up before that bour3 So slavery
goes into the Trrrityry under The Consthu
lion. and YOU cannot leeis!ate it out. 1on
have no power over it until your numbers jus
tify your formation OF Constitution and ad
mission 10 the Union. Is that your Popular
|Sovereignts sa-a ~ ~. ss $40! e',rah
Popular Sovereignty" is cheat. 1t is
impracticabie. [ denounce it as subversire
of the Constitution if carried out. 1t never
can be carried out Il is q mere caichword
and not one of its advocates have acted on lis
principles The principle is good enough TO
a certain extent. and in its proper place, but
as taught by its pretended advoc ,tas it is non.
sensical and revolutionary. =
The speaker here read from the article bv
DouGLAs in Harpers Magazine. He said it
was copy righted to prevent its being stolen
1t also should have been patented to prevent
limitations 1t would be a pity if more such
bousense were inflicted on the world. The
fallacies of the article were shown up in a
mastery manner, and caused much laughter
By the ridiculous light in which it was ex
hibiled.
There never was greater faIlacy than the
notion that this country is ruled by popular
msjority. The chief use of the Constitution
is TO protect the rights of the minority against
the power of the popular majority. 15s.a p
III
and of the United States provide series of
checks against the improper use of their pow.
er BY the popular majority. In the General
Government the House is the only branch
elected by the popular vote.@The number of
Representatives is based on the, amount of
population. In the Senate it is different -
There, each State has two Senators and no
more. The little State OF Florida with its
sparse population. has the same voice in the
Serate as the great State of New Y ok with
its multitudes Of inhabitants In the election
of President, both principles came into opera
tion. The number of electors to each State.
is regulated not only by the number of Rep
resentaiives, but also by the number of Sen
ators. The popular majority branch of the
Government may pass an act. but before it
can become q law, it has TO receive the as ent
of the other two branches not elected accord
i ing to the popular majority principle.
1t therefore follows that the doctrine that
tie popular majority should have absolute rule
is clearly revolutionary and subversive of the
Constitution, lTss-.r, .af,.B es 4.as4.-.a
= The popular Sovereignty doctrine, it carried
out, would give the Territories greater power
than possessed by the States. In the States,
there is Constitutional check on the. Popu
lar Majority, but it is claimed that in the Ter:
lrtory there should be none A Territory is
not one Of the States Of the Union. IF there
fore it has power TO govern itself iildepend
antIy, it is not in the Union at all. 1t becomes
an independant country. sI.saf ~ q lza Z! 5sss
But the Kansas Nebraska Act does not
give this Popular Sovereignty power to the
Territories, although it is claimed that it does.
Itis said that by that act, the people are left
perfectly free 10 govern themselves 10 their
own way, Just as much as the people of Penn
\ sylvania. Let us look at the facts.
The President of the United States appoints
a Governor He appointed Governor for
Kansas Hlthe Governor does not suit his
views, be can replace him without consulting
| the wishes of the people He has sent sew
raj TO Kansas Ohio has furnished two OF
;hem. That Governor is clothed with a two
thirds veto power. Is atleaving the people
perfectly free to govern themselves Would
the people of Pennsylvania submit TO that?
| There ia in Kansas o Legislature composed
of twenty-five MEMBERS and a Council. OF
Senate, with thirteen members. Suppose
both Legislature and Council pass a bill. AMI
Gov. Medary writes at the bottom veto
this bill = what then !? The whole twenty
five legislators may pass the bill over the Gov
ernors veto. Eight of the council also vote
| LOT LDG Utt. Dut uhC Vi thC OOuHS' euPPpis
the veto, and these six men over ride the thirty
three Is that Popular Sovereignty
The president appoints the Governor, the
Judges, the Attorneys and the Marshals. and
yet it is clairaed thatihe people ofa Territory
can govern themselves af-i -
But after all. it is said that the people are
| free to maintain or exclude Slavery. So Pop
ular Sovereignty means a right TO make a
Slave out of negro! Can Despotism go
farther !? e vsc.-s SI;s =7s54 -sa $50 Il!
Douglas wishes to make it appear that the
Revolution arose out of The question OF Sia
very. He should read history better. The
great cause was the question of taxation with
out representation. and in the Declaration o
Independence, one of the complaints made
against King George, was" He has made
Judges dependent on his will alone;-just what
is done in the Kansas Nebraska Act.
/ AN EIopEMENT.-Dr. fancy recently eloped
with The wife of Baptist deacon. in Knox
county, Ohio. She left three children, one ar
infant. He left Eve The aday before the,