Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-10-14
From the Vermont Phoenix.

The few persons who have read Douglas
| Harper article on the Dividing Line be-
tween State and Territorial SlvereIgnty' and
the larger number who hayo .-~4 his various
| political speeches during the last two years,
/ will remember that the Illinois S-nat0r has
! latterly insisted upon the right Of the people
of a territory to determine for themselves the
| character oi their own local institutions; or
to use his own language at Cincinnati, on
the 9th of september last,
"Exumine the bills and search The records
and you will find that the great principle
which underlies those measures is the right
of the people Of each State and each Tsrrif0ry,
lchiie Tery1tOry, to decide the slavery cues
ton for themselves.
To ascertain exactly what the Senator
means by this 1t Will be well to search the
records, and see it we can find any expluna-
ton or modification OF language which Is
| apparently 50 clearin its meaning and lLicdl
bearing. Having look at the record 20
vauntlngly aPpcdle to by Mr. Douglas, We
find that when the Nebraska bill was pending
in the Senate the prop sIJion was distinctly
made to confer this very power upon the
people OF the Territory whiiea Territory.
and was voted down by an Overwhelming
maIority-Nr Douglas voting with that
majority qgeiHst the grant Of any such po;oer.
We quote the flIloNIns proceedings from the
Congressional Globe for the 1st session, 33d
Congress, pp. 434, SO, $40.
Fcb. Is. 1851 The Senate, as in
committee o. the whole, resumed the con-
sideration of the bill to organize the Territory
of Nebraska-,he pending question being on
the amendment submitted on the 18th inst
H. -t,.
Of the substitute reported from the aInrnittee
on Territories. as u ueuJcd on the motion of
Mr. Douglas. the words
Uadsr ohirh he peop'e oCtde Territory,
through hs IN oPpr0pr1ate eDreseHlairsS, If
they see tt, may Prohl6H The existence 0j SiQce-
rg HerciH.'
So that the plrtof the section relating to
that matter would read
THAT the Constitution, and all laws of
the United States which are not lOc lily in
applicable, shall have the same force and
etf.ct within the said Territory Of Nebraska
as elsewhere within the United StlleS, ex-
cept the eighth section Of that preparatory
u the admission of Missouri into the Union,
approved March 6, 1920, which, being in
consistent with the principles OF n0n-inter-
vention by Congress with slavery in the
States and Territories, as recognised by the
legislation of 1850, commonly called the
compromise measures, is hereby declared in
operative and void-it being the true intent
and meaning of this act not to legisla,e
slavery into anv Territory or State, nor to
exclude it therefr0m; but TO leave the people
thereofperfectly free to form and regulate
their domestic institutions in their own way.
subject only to the Constitution Of the Uni
tod Pa .b ha Of
Territory through their appropriate repre-
sentatives may, If they s'e ht, prohibit the
existence Of slavery therein
Mrch ?, 1851. The Senate resumed the
consideration of the bill to organize the Ter
rltory OF Nebraska
The debate was continued until half-past
six clock, when Mr., Chase 5 amendment was
rejected-yeas 10, nays 30 as follows:
YEAs-Messrs Chase, Dodge of Wisconsin,
FeSsenden. Fish, Foot, IL lmlin, Seward
Smith, Summer and Wade-l0.
NAYs-Messrs Adams, AtchisOn, Padger,
Bell, Reniamin, Brodhead, Brown, Butler,
Clay, Clayton, Dawson Dixon, Dodge of
Iowa, Douglas, Evans, Fitzpatrick, Gwin,
Houston, Hunter, johnson. Jones of Iowa,
Jones of Tennessee. Mason. Morton, Norris,
Petit, Pratt, Rusk, Sch stain, Shields, Sill
dell, Stuart. Toucey, Walker, Weller, and
Williams-35.
The amendment of Mr. Chase contains the
very doctrine for which Mr. Douglas is now
cOntending; and if it had been incorporated
into the bill would have left no room for
doubt or construction on the subject. 1t
was, however, repudiated and rejected, and
Mr. Douglas assisted his democratic collea- |
CUES, in its rejection. Mr. Douglas no" Tow
insists that the construction wh,caH 'tio
Republican Senator's attempted in 1914 to
put upon the I'''';5 Nebraska bin is the true
Construction, and tnas il was then her 50 con con-
strued by the democrats. Is w ol[ .b Douglas
aud nO his T statement in his Cincinnati speach is
Of total variance with MS record on the
snbiect The fact is Mr. Douglas used the
Nebraska bill to hoodwink the democrats
and he is now attempting the same game,
and carrying it to the point Of selfstultifca-
ton to hoodwink the Republicans.