Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-06-27


at all about him or his property, should refuse to
pass laws for the punishmens Of person who har-
bors runaway, or who sells liquor to q slave or
who trades with him for stolen goods, or who in
tlcts on him an injury without the consent of the
owner. We all know there are multitude of such
legal provisions in every aaceholdng community,
without which there could be no control over the
slave population-no discipne-and they would be
nuisance and cu,se =
If the legislature should refuse to throw around
us these guards and should leave prey to evil
doors, what is to be done? Many of these might be
held at least. under the system Of Jurisprudence
prevailing in the Southern States, to be ottenses at
common law--that great body of lee non scripta on
which every Community must rely, to great ex-
tent for the preservation of order-and might be
punished whesever that law is recognized. Blu: it
must not be forgotten that the common law can on
y have force by the express adoption or tacit suf
ferance Of the law-naking power:
The advocates of the doctrine am discussing say
that if the legislatures fail to give suitable and ade
quate protection, Congress must pass what will
for brevity call "save codes" for the Territories
that is must take upon itself the local legislation for
them, at least to that extent.
cannot give my assent to this proposition and
in discussing it. propose to contine myself to con-
siderations of expediency, without going at all into
the much higher and broader question Of the con-
sttutional power of Congress in and over theIerr.
tories. Ny present object is not to seek the boun.
DIARIES of power, but to show that if Congress has
the right to do this thing it ought not to he exer
csed and above ALL that the representatives of the
southern States ought not to ask for nor consent
to it.
Four-fths of the time of Congr S. even now, is TAX
up with questions connected with the Territories
and their inhabitants. From the conflicting claims
OF two squatteTs to quarter section OF land to the
most absurd pretensions to sovereignty over whole
empires of which not one foot is theirs every local
dispute and every vast scheme of plumber seeks ad
mittance into Congress to choke up the channels Of
legislation and to nfuse gall and bitterness into the
councils of the great Republic. II the most lmpor-
tant interests are commerce and
all its attendant interests are left to the guardianship
of subOrdinates in the Treasury Departmental the
relations of the Confederacy with the other powers
of the earth left exclusively to the President and
Senate-if sixty millions Of dollars per annum are
levied on the people under system OF revenue die
tated by combination of interested parties, the de-
tails and principles of which are almost utterly
known to the peoples these sixty
millions are annually appropriated by Congress with
out examination as to the objects of the expenditure
without discussion to their necessity propre'y,
and often without the appropriation bills being even
read to or by the members of the House of Repre-.
sentatves-if all these things are habitually and
VIGOROUSLY DONE and the great interests of the States
and their citizens shamefully neglected. is
because the Territories have taken possession of Con-
gress, and consume the time and absorb the facul
ties of the peoples representatives. If We stand
now on the brink of the precipce and look down
into the yawning gulf of dissolution and civil war;
it was opened by the Territories which have array
ed man against man. State against State and section
against section and where trained the bandits and
outlaws who are the willing and ready instruments
of murder and treason.
Under our nursing care the Territories have de-
stroyed the peace of the family by their turbulen,
conduct and are now threatening its very existence
Shall We give them more of the time of Congress
and multiply the salient points at which they may
assail the peace and quiet Of the country by taking
upon ourselves their petty criminal and police reg
ulations? For myself I answer no! and believe
the great body Of the people-at least of the ole
thirteen States that won liberties and establish
ed our Union-will answer smphatically, nd,
CONCLUDED IN OUR NEXT.