Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1860-08-14
The Continental Congress and
the Kansas Nebraska BiII.

The Declaration of Rights put forth by the
Continental Congress, October Ia, l7T4, con
tains an explicit and emphatic declaration
Of popular Sovereignty in these words
That the people of the several Colonies "are
entitled to Q FREE and exclusive power of leg
isation in their several provincial legislatures
IN dH cases Of iRt,rnal policy"
The Kansas Nebraska Bill endorses the
same in these words 3 'It being the true intent
and meaning Of this act not to legislate slavery
into any State Or Territory, nor to exclude il
thereirom, but teave Tie people thereof per,
fectH FREE to form and regulate their domes
tic institutions their own way
The same identical principle was asserted
by nearly every Colony, when sending repre-
sentatives to the Congress which voted the
Declaration of Independence and framed the
articles of Confederation.
Pennsylvania, when she consented to send
representatives, for the purpose of forming q
confederation instructed them by the follow.
ing resolutions
"Reserving to the people of this colony the
sole and exclusive right of regulating the
internal government and policy of the same. =
And in subsequent instruction, in refer
ence to suppressing the British authority in
the colonies. Pennsylvania uses the following
emphatic language:
Unanimously declare our willingness to
concur in vote of the Congress declaring
the United Colonies free and independent
States, provided the forming the government,
and the regulation of the internal police Of
this colony, be always reserved to the people
of the said colony"
Ne,0 Jersey instructed her representatives
in the following language:
Always observing that, whatever plan OF
confederacy you enter into, the regulating the
internal police Of this province is to be reserv.
ed to the colonial legislature"
Maryland gave her consent to the Declare
ton Of Independence upon the condition con.
tanned in this proviso:
eAud that said colony will hold itself bound
by the resolution of a majority of the United
Colonies in the premises provided the sole
and exclusive right of regulating the internal
government aud police Of that colony be re-
served to the people thereof"
Nep Hampshire annexed this proviso to
her instructions to her delegates to her vote
for Independence
provided the regulation of our internal
police under the direction of our own assem-
bly," 10
Connecticut in authorizing her delegates
to vote for the Declaration of Independence,
attached to i the following condition:
Saving that the administration of govern
ment, and the power of forming governments
for, and the regulation OF the internal con-
Germs and police of each colony, ought to be
left and remain to the respective colonial leg
islatures.
VayiRia annexed the following condition
to her instructions to vote for the Declaration
of Independence
Provided, that the power of forming gov
ernments Tor, and the regulations Of the infer
nal concerns of the colony, be left to the re-
spective colonial legislatures"
So dear was this right, the right of the peo-
pie to form and regulate their domestic insti-
tutions in their own way, that our revolution
airy fathers would not surrender il, no, not
even TO free themselves from the tyranny of
the mother country.
The Tories of the revolution took the oppo.
site side, They contended that George the
Third and the parliament Of Great Britain,
should control and dictate the Legislation of
the Colonies. Our Black Republican friends
are now espousing aud moving heaven and
earth TO establish precisely the same doctrine
Of the old Tory party. a