The Van Buren press., 1860-02-24

pat Vi INC Uenerai Government towards
the people of the Territories has always
been discharged and the people who were
the recipients have always proved by their
legislation, that the exercise of the right
was only equal to their wants.
In the face of common sense and the uni
form practice of the U S. Government.
and In opposition to no such proposition
from any quarter, some persons assume
that the principle advocated by Judge
Douglas requires that the first few-tcn or
twelve they say-inhabitants os n territory
shall decide as to what shall be its Internal
polity. 1t is needless to say that no such
a thing was ever thought Of. But this, that
they, the people may decide for themselves
upon those things hereafter as they have
ever in such cases done heretofore, when
they get their legislature.
Our first territorial organic law -provid-
cd that when there were five Thousand free
male citizens in the Territory, (about thirty
thousand free people, they should assume the
right of legislating for themselves. And
about this number of inhabitants every terri
tory since has been required to have bcforethc
people thereof undertook the responsibilities
of self government. In the organic law
for Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan,
which was framed by the meuuwho framed
the Constitution of the U. s., in following
up the progress of the territories to the pc
riod when they will be admitted into the
Union, from the period when the people as
sumo their right to provide for their social
wants by legislation, the terms Estate :"
and new States are applied to them
AS the legislatures of those new States shall
IL, II
OF the soil," DC. And "wheneyer any of
the said States shall have sixty thousand
free inhabitants therein, such State shall be
admitted into the Congress of the United
States, and on equal footing" &c. The
lower word territory is used now in a more
comprehensive sense generally for the sinis-
ter purpose of making the impression that
people of the new State" " should exist in
a condition subordinate to their rights
| The organic law for the Territories of
Missouri and Arkansas provides for their
taking this power of legislation. That
the General Assembly shall have power
to make laws in all cases, both civic and
criminal, for the good government of the
people of said territory, not repugnant to
or inconsistent with the Constitution OF
the United States' THAT the House
| of Representatives shall be composed OF
members elected every second year by the
people" &c. That every bill that shall
have passed the House of Representatives
and the legislative council of the Legisla-
ture of the Territory, shall, before it be-
comes a law, be presented to the Governor
of said territory ii he approve, he shall
sign it if not, he shall return it with his
objections" &c, and goes on to provide
! if-.wo thirds approve it, it shall become a
law. The limit to the territorial legisla-
tion is the same that every State is subject
to. Here are some Of the subjects Of leg
/ islation upon which laws were enacted in
/ the Territorial legislatures of Arkansas and
Missouri; Abscondirg Debtors, Attach
ment, Horse and Negro Stealing, punished
with death Bigamy, Adultery, Gaming,
| Divorce, Eiectment, Suits for Freedom, In.
solvent Debtors to be imprisoned. Libel
certain persons may be oStlawed, if he has
wife and children to forfeit half his es-
tate !; no wife or children forfeit all Tax
on Slaves, Tax on Peddlers, Migrants to
be hired out, whipped" DC. In this man
ner the people of the Missouri and Arkan-
sas Territories legslatcd to suit themselves
They taxed peddlers, they taxed slaves,
! they imprisoned debtors, they prohibited
polygany, they established slavery, and
they provided all these laws because they
had right to regulate their own internal
affairs in their own way there being nc
"power on earth but their own authori-
zed to lcgislate upon those things for them
This is the so-called "squatter sovereignty
that the Constitution OF the United States
the Kansas Nebraska act, Democratic prin-
ciples, the Cincinnati platform, common
sense and Judge Douglas require shall con-
tnue to prevail in all the Territories of tho
U. S. But if, according to some. the Ter
ritorial Legislature can only interfere with
and regulate such institutions and interests
| that the U. S. Government has power tc
interfere with and regulate. it is plain the
territorial Legislature can regulate nothing
'twould be a mockery to give those people q
, Legislature if the doctrine of those men
was the law and the Gospel.
| In the cities and towns of New Mexico
and Kansas the canvass of the pcddler'
Wagon might give us the notification
"Cheap goods no tax. no unfriendly leg
islation';" we might find written over the
door of Polygamsts' hall Men married
to as many women as they want. TIE
U. S. Government has no power to reSu-
late the marriage institution, therefore il
can confer none to regulate it upon the ter
ritorial legislation Droves of infectious
Spanish CATTLE" may be introduced with
out let or hindrance the leading bull
would have upon his horns, " By virtue o
the Constitution. The vagrant would de
claim, no hiring out here, no lashes fol
me here. The. U. S. Government itself ha,
not The power to do it. Then where doe:
the Legislature get the power to do it, I'D
! like to know ?"
We, who are used to negro slavery ma y
| think it unreasonable that its chances for q
! foothold in a common territory should be
left to, the judgment of its people through
their legislature. The most moderate O
those who are used to the -siauehoidinS
condition of society think it is equally un
reasonable to want such foothold for il
upon more favorable terms. Each pre-
! fers different social condition. The world
| is full of these dissimilar conditions, ant
men often decide that this and that is wrong
1 Iv tho ii Of a vory little 1irht IN tho en- h