Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-03

importance. Upon its admission or nom
admission rest Interests of high import not
only to the present but to the future welfare
OF the Republic. Looking to the next Presi-
dental election. the Democrats are determn-
ed to press into the Union territory whose
population, according TO the best and most
recent estimates. docs not reach the existing
rat of Congressional representation. For
this sake of three votes the party In power is
bent on setting precedent fatal alike to the
future interests of Democracy and the Union.
This rash exercise of power viii be resisted
both by the Americans and Republicans. Mr..
Grow. from the House Committee on Terrific
ries. has already presented his oil ctioDs to
the admission of Oregon, the substance of his
minority report having already appeared on
Friday last in New York paper. The ofgec-
tons of Mr. Grow look mainly to the fact
that Kansas is placed on different footing
from Oregon. 1t would appear that the sole
aim of the Republicans and d mocra's is to
secure votes. regardless of consequences ana
constitutional violations.
! Mr. Zollicofftr, also # the House Commit
| tee on Territories, takes higher ground. The
sole representative of the American party in
| the Committee he presents his own report
\, the material portion of which Is printed
elsewhere in to days impression of the
| american. 1t will he seen that he resists the
admission of Oregon. first upon the ground
| the not less important ground OF the recogni-
ton of alien suffrage in its Constitution. He
shows that by the census of 1866 the popula
| ton was but 43-472, and by contrasting the
! popular vote Of '57 with that of '56, estab-
| fishes the fact of "a slowly increasing popnia-
| ton" As a member of a Committee before
| whom not only Oregon and Kansas ate
| applying for admission, but Arizona, Dacotah
! Nevada and Colona. in the persons OF their
Il Il t.e lrr inar for n
| territorial organization and speedy erection
! into sovereign States Mr.. Zollicotfer CLEARLY
| forces and fo chilly pOrtrays the danger OF the
| precedent which the dominant party Ii
| determined to establish. "Other COM
| munities, The we'll remarks, with populations
less than that of Congressional district,
would also knock at the doors OF Congress
for admission and be admitted" IhTse
petty communities" with populations les
than one thirty-ihird part of that of the State
Of New York. would each WELD in the mate
of the United States power equal TO that of
New York. and. in contingency under the
Constitution, an cqaal power i'll the elections
of President and Vice President of the United
States" Their introduction, a balance
of power, might not only be made to control
Presidential elections, but the very destlnies
of the American Union. Would this be just
to the larger States, or to the bulk Of the
before party politicians holding temporary
ascendency in the Government would be
tempted to bring in new States, regardless OF
population? How long before this would
bring retaliation in more reckl sssplrit and
when and where would such warfare, once
begun, terminate p
These well PIT questions are pregnant with
suggestions. This dragging, by main force
and for party purposes alone, OF spafsely po-
thaT T,,ig &c oft.
the fatal heresy of sqHatter sovereignty re-
duced to it's worst form and elevated to dig
nifty and directness OF operation which even
its OriginatUrs scarcely contemplated. 1t Is
worse than Mr. Douglass antrlendly legis-
lation against slavery, by so much as pre-
sent issue is more dangerous than an extinct
one. 1t is no longer ''despotIsm OF The
majority" but deSpotism OF the minority,
and of an illiterate and lawlcss minority. Its
eff;'ct is immediate upon the legislation not OF
State but of the General Government. Its
tendency is to expand hercsy heretofore
confined and thereby partially nentralized;
and if carried ont in the case of Oregon and
not i'll that of Kansas. its inevitable result
will be to strengthen the now very nearly
distintegrated sectional party. and thereby to
place tn" government in the hands of those
who will commend the poisoned chalIce OF
premature admission TO the lips of the DINO
CIdtIC NltHOut cSluPiO "iiN "ASHON' ~
morse.
After showing that the ordinance OF 1877
does not properly apply to the case OF Orc
gon, and hence that Congress is under no Oh
legation to admit her with population OF
60 900. and having previously shown that
from the organization of the Federal Govern
mcnt down to the present time, no instance
has ever occurred in which Il Stale has been
admitted with population less than the then
I, h
exception of Florida, which had the requisite
number at the time of application, but owing
to the ravages of Indian wars and the Increase
in the ratio before her admission, did not
have quite the number required. Having
shown this, Mr.. ZollicOier proceeds TO discuss
the important feature of alien suffrage as
established in the constitution Of Oregon, and
as bearing upon the Consultation of tn
United States. While disclaiming the right
of Congress to interfere with the elective
franchise in the States so far as the exercise
of that franchise is confined to matters mere
~ municipal, he holds, that ''whilSt the States
may confer upon aliens rights of citizenship IN
matters peytainlng erciusirelyJ the State. they can
not constitute the status of citizenship; they
cannot convert aliens into citizens, Chat power
having been conferred by the Constitution
upon Congress alone,) and they cannot, there
tore give 10 aliens the rights Of citizenship m
But this is precisely what the Constitution of
Oregon does. BY giving aliens the right to
vote for members of the State Legislature. it
confrrs upon them, incideutly but certainly,
power of control over every department. of
the General Governm mt. Hence the Consti-
tuition OF Oregon is in direct conflict with the
Constitution of the United States.
In establishing this p lsition, as he has done
conclusively, Mr.. II llicotier cites the high au-
Of e IL, Il
houn, the Constitution of the United States
Mr.. Jefferson, Mr.. Madison, aud the Debates
in the Convention to frame the Constitution.
We invoke the readers attention to this CO.
gent and lucid argument. in which logic and
research are 50 well blend d. Our comments
could add nothing to its value.
Towards the close of the RcDOrt, in which
Mr.. Zolicoffer sums up his conclusions, the
following sentences occur whilst the rights
of the States as they have been reserved
should be sedulously maintained. those rights
which have been conceded to the General
Government should not he rnthlcssly ignored.
Especially is this true in regard to those ele-
mental principles upon which rests its self
preservation. The General Government
stands between us and all foreign innovation
OF invasion. The word ''iuvasion" is adDli-
rably chosen in this connection. 1t need not
he an armed invasion TO call forth the powers of
the Federal Government. And II it were.
what more terrible 'arm" can be placed in
the hands of the invading hordes of foreign
immigrants than the elective franchise ~
Have we not felt the force of thtt terrible
weapon, and are we not at this moment virtu-
ally conquered people? The party now ia
power is the foreign party. The Republican
party looks to the foreign element for success,
nor will il look in vain, if Congress do not
speedily arrest the ''innovatinn and iava-
sion.' which Mr.. Zollicoaer has so ably ex-
posed.
A successful resistance tn the admission Of