Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-11-03
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1850,
Squatter SOvereiguty-The Right OF SIav
Property 10 Protection.

Squatter SOvereiguty-The Right of Slave
Property 20 Protection.
The main argument of the DOUGLAS is that
slavery is the creature of local law and that where
there is no law authorizing protecting slavery,
there can be no slavery. Many of Mr.. DoUGLAs'
Southern followers do not like TO swallow his doc
trine, but he will force it down them from every
stump. This heresy of Mr.. DOUGLAS is in direct
contradiction to the true Democratic doctrine that
the Federal Government was formed, among other
things, for the protection of our property Of all
sorts, and as there was no discrimination made
against slavery when the Constitution was framed,
No one has a right TO discriminate against it now.
To show what the great men of the past generation
thought about this matter, refer to one instance
In 1885, the brig Enterprise sailed from the District
of Columbia for Charleston, s. c. She had slaves
on board. She was forced by stress of weather
into Port Hamilton, Bermuda Island, where the
slaves on board were fOrcibly seized and detained
by the local authorities.
The owners of the slaves applied to the British
Government for remuneration, which the Great Bri-
tain refused under Judge DOUGLAS Squatter Sover-
egntydoctrine that slavery was the creature local
law, and that there being no local law in Burmuda
Island authorizing or protecting slavery, therefore,
the moment the slaves landed on that Island they
were free.
Mr. CALHOUN brought the question before the
Senate in the following resolutions which he drew
up for the occasion:
.ResolUsd That q ship or vessel on the high seas
in time of peace engaged in lawful voyage, is, &C
cordng to the laws Of nations under the exclusive
iurisdict ton of the State to which her flag belongs,
as much SOFAS if constituting part Of its own do
minion.
Resoleed. That if such ship or vessel should be
forced by stress of weather, or other unavoidable
cause into the port of friendly power, she would
under the same laws lose none OF the rights apper-
tanning to her on the high but on the contrary
she and her cargo and persons board, with their
property and all the rights belonging to their per-
sonal relations as established by the laws Of the
State to which they belong, would be placed under
the protection which the laws OF nations extend TO
the unfortunate under such circumstances.
Resolved, That the brig Enterprise which was
forced unavOidably by stress of weather into Port
Hamilton. Bermuda Island, while on lawful voy-
age on the high from one port OF the Union to
another comes within the principles embraced in
the foregoing resolutions and that the seizure and
detention of the negroes en- board by the local
authority of the Island an act in violation OF
the laws of nations and highly unjust to our own
citizens to whom they belong"
The resolutions were referred to the committee
on foreign relations which reported them back with
some slight alteration, not affecting or impairing
their force and in that form they were unanimous
ly adopted by the Senate. although there was no
opposition to them the Importance of the occasion
justified a record OF the vote; and they were ac-
cordingly taken by yeas and nays-or rather by
yeas for there were no nays. This was one Of the
occasions on which the mind lCvee to dwell, when
on a question purely sectional and Southern and
wholly in the interest Of slave property there was
no division of sentiment in the American Senate
What becomes now of Squatter Sovereignty or
the doctrine that slavery is the creature of local
Law