Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-04-16
An Appropriate Extract.

Inc 'hionNllle ItmcS rcpubhsheS the fol-
lowing extract from Mr.. Calhouu's speech,
in the United States Senate, in 1913 ON tho
bill to establish the Territorial Gov rnmcnt
for Oregon. 1t waswhen this bill was under
discussion, that 1t was prOposcd-to use the
language of Mr. Clayton. who was Chair
man OF the Special Committee of which Mr..
Calhoun was n membcr--to "rcsolye the
whole question between the North and the
South, tnto constitutional and jutiicim qucs-
tom One whose clear intellect and fine
discriminating powers so glaringly exposes
squattcr sovercigpty," will certainly not
be accused of having advocated it. when he
expressed his willingness to reSolyS tho is-
sue into Il iHiicidt one and to accent it MS
"a permanent settlement of the whole qucs-
ton" Non-intGrycntion by Congress means
nothing moro than judicial reference We
give the extract hoping it may assist those
who confound the two ideas:
"1 have now shown, | trust beyond con
troversy that Congress has no power what
ever to exclude the citizens of the Southern
States from emigrating with their property
into the Territories of the United States.
or to give an exclusive monopoly of them
further, and show that neither the inlabi-
tants of the Territories nor their LcgSla-
lures have any such right. a very few
words will he sufficient for the. purpose for
OF all the positions ever taken, | hold that
which claims the power for them to be tho
most absurd. If the Territories belong to
the United Statcs--if the ownership. domin-
ION and sovereignty over them lie in the
States OF this Union, then neither the inhab-
itants of the Territories, nor their I.egisla-
lures. can exercise any power but what is
could bc shown, which hold to hc impoS-
| sihle. it would he subject to all the rcstric-
tions, to which | have shown the power of
Congress is, and for tho same reason, what
ever power they might hold, would. in the
case supposed, he subordinate to the Con
sttution, and controlled by the nature and
character of our political Institutions.
Butit the reverse he truc--ifthc dominion
and sovereignty over the Territories he i'm
observation-disclosures, instead ofthc United States,
they would indeed, in that case, have the
eSclu"ive and absolute power of governing
them. and might exclude whom they pleased,
or what they pleased. But, in that case, they
would cease to be the Territories of the Uni.
ted States. the moment we acquire them
| and permit them to be inhabited. The first
| hall dozen OF squattcrs would become the
| sOvcreigns, with full dominion and sovereign
| ty over them and the conquered people Of
New Mexico and California would become
the sovercigns of the country as soon as they
become the Territories ofthe United States,
vested with the full right of excluding even
their conqucrors. There is no escaping from
the alternative. but by resortng to the great
est ofall absurditics, that ola divided sovcr.
olgnty-a sovereignty, n partof which would
reside in tue United States, and part in the
Inhabitants of the Territory. How can SOW.
ereignty-,he uitimate,and supreme power
of n lie divided? The exercise of the
powers 1T sovereignty may he divided. but
how can there be two supreme powers?"