Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-07-15

Inc 1olloWlng caro- from TINS gentleman
will command universal attention:
LOUISVILLE, July l, 1859.
To the Editors Of The Louisville Journal:
GENTLEMEN-I find that there is an
idea gaining ground by its repeated publi-
cation that my declension of the candi-
dacy for Congress in this District resulted
from a feeling of dissatisfaction on my
part with what is now known as the inte-
Uentiou principle asserted by you and the
Opposition candidates generally. | wish
to say through your paper that this idea
is erroneous, and that my course has not
been dictated at all by the motives at
tributed to me. My view is this The
Territorial government is the creature of
Congress, has just the capacity and no
more than Congress chooses to give it, and
Congress cannot impart to it power
Congress does not itself possess.
If the STAKEHOLDER has the right to carry
his slave into a Territory and has the
right to hold him there as a slave (and
the Drcd Scott decision says he has this
right and believe IT'D then my opinion
is that the Territorial Legislature can
neither abrogate or annul or impair this
right by its legislation, and l said in a
speech made in Congress last winter, and
now repeat, that, if the Territorial Legisla-
ture should pass law with such object or
effect, | think it would be the duty Of
Congress to draw the Congressional pen
through the law and send it back to the
Territory as usurpation Congress had
abrogated | would not wait for the law
to be pronounced unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court of the United States, but
| would act upon it at once in Congress,
if could induce Congress to do its duty
in this regard
| have no doubt of the power of Con
gress, and | have no doubt of the duty Of
Congress to provide remedies for the re-
dress of all the grievances a man can s,,f-
fer in the Territories i'll the enjoyment of
his rights and his property, for though
Congress may delegate to the Territorial
people the power of legislation and give
to them legislative, executive, and judicial
departments of Territorial government,
still Congress does by this only perform
its own duties with more convenience, for
the responsibility of Congress to the States
and people that this creature of its max
ing shall act properly constantly con-
tinues, and cannot be shaken of, until the
Territory becomes State and thereby
"acquires the means of self government" 4"
(Sec the language in American ms Co.
vs., Canter, Peters reportl
As practical statesman, in the present
condition of public sentiment as to slavery,
&C., l would say that the South has the
deepest INTEREST," in tranquilizing the public
mind on the whole series of questions
connected with slavery, and, therefore, l
would say that we will wait for the oc-
casion which shall prove by the juc gment
of court of competent jurisdiction that
the remedy is wanting to assure the prac-
tical enjoyment Of the Shareholders rights
in the Territories, but whenever that fact
appears l would apply to Congress, if
necessary, to afford that remedy, and |
would agitate it session after session, and
every day of the session, and Congress
after Congress, until obtained my rights,
and until l could embody the popular
sentiment to do the Southern people justice
under the Constitution.
These have been and remain my opin-
ions, and l am not willing that there
should exist any misrepresentation about
them, for still now as in 1856 would not
give the toss of copper" between Black
Republicanism and that Squatter SOver-
eighty idea which accords to me right,
yet claims the countervailing right to de-
prive me of the enjoyment of that which
is my own.
| am, very respectfully,
II. MARSHALL.