The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-08-10
From the Washington Constitution.
Popular Sovereignty Defined in the
Cincinnati Platform.


! The self-styled Democrats who contend tina
under and by virtue of the principle of tn
e Kansas Nebraska BILL the settlers O.. a Terri
! tory from the moment of its organization
!. have the right to pass laws hostile 10 slavery
: or to neglect to provide for its protection-il
: other words, the first handful of squatters ma,
at any time, and nd matter what their mum
Der, determine definitely the stains of tn,
Territory, and arrogate to themselves power.
more unjust and Unconstitutional than the
Missouri Compromise, without its form of lie.
+ gality-haye overlooked or Intentionally dis
regarded that part of the Democratic platform
promulgated at, Cincinnati in 1856 which re.
fers to popular sovereignty, accurately defines
its meaning, and distinctly points out the time
when the inhabitants of Territory may ex-
ercise it so far as concerns the adoption or pro-
hibition of the Institution Of domestic slave
ry.a The resolution to which we refer is as
follows
"ResozUea, That we recognize the right Of
the people of all the Territories, including
Kansas and Nebraska. acting through the le-
gally and fairly expressed will of majority
of actual residents, and whenever the humber
of their inhabitants .justifies 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"
Language cannot be clearer or more forcible
than the above in the assertion of the princi-
pie that when the people of Territory are
sufficiently numerous to entitle them to- ask
admission. into the Union as State, and
when they frame their constitution forsthat
| purpose they have the inalenable right, with
| out any interference or restriction on the part
of Congress, to determine by that Instrument
whether they will or will not permit slavery.
1t has been declared by the adoption of the
Kansas Nebraska bill that the Missouri Com
promise was unconstitutional and that the
black line of offensive discrimination against
the southern members Of the confederacy
s<ls~wn-5y the act OF 10zU uugntt % be and was !
thenceforward forever blotted out When the |
Democratic party North and South agreed to
this compromise as an equitable and satisae- |
tory settlement of the vexed question of sla- |
very, it was universally understood, even be- !
fore the highest tribunal in the land had de- |
fined the constitutional rights of Shareholders |
in the Territories, that the Territories, being |
the national domain, were open alike to all the |
citizens of the United States, without distinc- |
ton, where they might live under the protec-
ton of the Federal Government, as well for
their property as for their persons, rand that
when they were IN . position to emerge from
territorial pupflage and assume the higher pre-
negatives which belong to sovereign State
then was it lawful for them to decide whether
slavery should or should not be enc of their
institutions. The exercise Of this power by
the people Of Territory was aptly designated
popular sovereignty as distinguished from
the power assumed by Congress not only to
exclude the citizens of all the States south Of /
IN imaginary geographical line from the ma
tional domain, but to attach arbitrary condi-
ions to the admission of new States, and to +
egislate for posterity by a perpetual denial of
IS right to legislate for itself in the regulation
If its institutions. To assume that Congress
las the power to prescribe the destinies and !
luties of future States is not whit more OPP
'osed to popular sovereignty, in its true and
egitimate sense, than it is to assume that the
irst squatters of q Territory can pass laws by
which the citizens Of every slave State in the I
Union would be practically excluded from |
hat portion of the common property of all the a
'tates. = q r
We recommend the hunfriendly legislation"
heorists-who argue that it is the essence of
opular sovereig atty for territorial Legislature
citing under powers derived from Congress, >
) exclude or abolish, by direct or indirect n
leans, property which is recognized by the
onstitution, and thus exercise power which
ne authority by which it was created does
OF possess-to read well the platform of 5
rinciples of the party to which they claim to Z
elong, and particularly that portion of it to u
Ehieh we have drawn especial attention, and :.
ueted at length for their benefit. n their p
ocular construction of popular sovereignty y u
rises from misconception or misinformation, Il
ley will agree with the masses of the Dem o
sratic party who maintain that the inhabi- "
lnts of Territory have the power to settle P
le slavery question at the time of the forma= %
ON of the incipient State, and not before u
ut if they have originated their peculiar the 81
y for the mischievous purpose Of creating q
rife in the ranks Of the Democratic party
nd subscribing their own selfish interests, we y
Innet expect that truth will convert them, ID
Dr. can we wish them any severer or more
nominious punishment than the contempt 81
it'll which the intelligent masses of the peo- ~
e will treat them and theirodious doctrines, u 7,
ID the devotion with which the great Demo- y
q.
'ctrine OF popular sovereignty, as understood q
the people at the passage Of the Kansas =. ~
ebraska act as defined in the Cincinnati u
atform, and as interpreted by President Bu- 1
anan in his letter of acceptance and Inau- d d
raj Address. Ill