The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-09-28

You refer to Jefferson as authority-will you
please explain his views of the Ordinance OF
| 1887.
take it for granted that he does not
know what the views of Mr.. Jefferson
were, Or he would not have asked me the
question. Great laughter.) If he does
know, and yet is disposed to interrupt this
meeting by putting silly, useless questions
to me, 1t only goes to confirm what 1 said
a little while ago, that the Republican plan
is to disturb our meetings. But can ex
plain to him and to this crowd, what the
opinions of Mr.. Jefferson were. Cries of
good" and applause.')
MR.. JEFFERsoNs OPINIONS o.
Mr.. Jefferson had nothing to do with the
ordinance of 1857 at all. He was Minister
to France, when the ordinance of 1887 was
adopted in New York. CHEERS and shouts
OF laughter.'0 History does not record
that he knew anything at all about it until
after it was adopted. l will now tell the
Republicans what perhaps they do not know
that on the 10th of October, 178O, the
Congress of the Confederation passed re-
solution requesting Virginia and New York
and Connecticut, and the other States claim
ing lands Northwest of the Ohio river, to
cede those lands to the Federal government
to pay the national debt. In September,
1888, Virginia led off and coded her claim
to that country. Thomas Jefferson present
ed deed cession by Virginia to the Con-
gress of the Confederation, on the LIST day
of March, 1884; and on the same day, on
bis motion, committee was appointed to
draft form of government for the territory
ceded or to be coded to the United States.
He reported bill from that committee
which was modified, and on the 23d of
April, 1874, was adopted, and became law
of the land.
JEFFERSON IN FAVOR OF POPULAR sovER.
EIGHTY.
By that bill it was provided that when.
ever the Indian title should be extinguished,
and the country thrown open to settlement,
the inhabitants might meet and choose for
themselves constitution and laws of some
one of the original States for their govern
ment. They were at liberty either to take
free or slave State, as they preferred. And
after they had thus adopted temporary
government, they were to live under it until
they had 10000 inhabitants. As soon as
this fact was ascertained, they were at lib.
erty to call convention, make a State
Constitution, just as they pleased, and reg
ulate all their affairs to suit themselves,
although still not in the Union. When
they obtained population equal to that of
the smallest State in the Union, they were
to be admitted into the confederacy, with
representatives in Congress like the other
States.
Thus you find that the plan of govern
ment for the Territories reported by Mr..
Jefferson and adopted by the Continental
Congress in 1884 was the broadest popular
sovereignty ever proclaimed in America.
Loud applause and "Three cheers for
Douglas.')
A VOice-Aint there another Republi-
can in the crowd who has another paper to
send up? Loud laughter.)
THE SLAVERY PROHIBITION EXPLAINED.
Mr.. Douglas-There is one other fact
that ought to notice in connection with
the matter, and it will show how unfairly the
leaders of the Republican party deal with
their instruments who they send into Dem.
ocratic meetings. Laughter and cries of
chit him again!'O In that plan of govern.
ment to which l have referred as being re-
ported by Mr.. Jefferson, there were con.
tanned several propositions which were to
be submitted to the people of the Territories
Tor them to accept or reject as they pleased.
One OF those propositions was, that slavery
should be prohibited in those new states af-
ter the year 1900. But mark you-that
a0as but a proposition, and aUas not binding
unless agreed to by the people; in which case
only it became an article of compact, ire
vocable, except by common consent
loud cheers.)
Thus you find that Jefferson held to the
doctrine of Popular Sovereignty, euen on the
Slavery question. Cries of "good," and
loud applause. Now, some Republican
leader has taken from Mr.. Jefersons plan
the one article about slavery, and suppress
ing all the stipulations, has made the poor
fellow believe that Jefferson wanted to pro
hibit slavery against the will of the people,
and has sent him here under that delusiOn
Loud laughter and applause
Mr.. JEFFERsON's PLAN OF GOVERNMENT.
believe that Mr.. Jefferson's plan of ter
ritorial government, as modified by Congress
and adopted in 1874, was the best plan ever
yet devised, and hope we shall soon return
to it. According to that plan, the people
OF the territories were to regulate their own
affairs to suit themselves, just as fully and
completely as the people OF the States.
am much obliged to our Republican friend
out there for calling my attentionsto this
Jeffersonian plan. [Great laughter and
warm applause.