The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1860-10-10
The Continental Congress and
the Kansas-Nebraska Bill.

s7 the KanSaS-N ebraSka Bill.
The Declaration of Rights put forth by
the Continental Congress, October 1st,
I7774 contains an explicit and emphatic
declaration of Popular Sovereignty" in
these words That the people of the sew
eral Colonies "are entitled to a FREE and
exclusive power o: Legislation in their
several provincial Legislatures IN all cases
Of internal policy"
The Kansas N Nebraska bill endorses the
same in these words: ait being the
true intent AMI meaning of this act not to
legislate slavery into any State or Terri.
tory, nor to exclude it therefrom, but
leave the people thereof perfectly FREE
to form and regulate their domestic insti.
tutions in their own way.
d The same identical principle was assert
ed by nearly every Colony. when sending
representatives 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 confederation instructed them
by the following resolution:
"Reserying to this colony the sole and
exclusive right of regulating the internal
government and policy of the same.''
Aud in o subsequent instruction, in ref,
erence to suppressing the British author
ity in the colonies, Pennsylvania uses the
following emphatic language:
Unanimously declare our willingness
to concur in q vote of the Congress de-
claring the United Colonies free and indie.
pendent States, provided the forming of
the government, aud the regulation of the
internal policy of this colony, oe always
reserved to the people of the said colony"
Nes0 Jersey instructed her representa-.
tives in the following language:
always observing that, whatever plan
of confederacy you enter into, the regula-
ting the internal policy of this province is
to be reserved to the colonial legislature. "
| Il Maryland gave her consent to the De
claration of Independence upon the condi-
tion cont aimed in this provisc:
.'Aud that said colony will hold itself
bound by the resolution of majority Of
the United Colonies in the premises, pro.
vided the sole and exclusive right of reg.
ulating the internal government and police
of that colony be reserved to the people
thereof" -
NeaO Hampshire annexed this proviso
to the instructions to her delegates to her
vote for independence:
provided the regulation of our inter.
nal police under the direction of oar own
assembly,
Connecticut, in authorizing her dele
gates to, vote for the Declaration of Inde'
pendence, attached to it the following
condition:
Saving that the administration of gov
eminent, and the power Of forming gov.
ernments for, and the regulation of the in
,ernal concerns and police of each colony
ought to be left and remain to the respec
tive legislatures y
Virginia annexed the following condi
tiop to her instructions to vote for tht
! Declaration of Independence:
| provided that the power of forming
governments for, and the regulations o
the internal concerns of the colony, b
left to the respective colonial legislatures.
SO dear was this right, the right of th'
people toform and regulate their domesti'
institutions in their own way. that our rev
olutionary fathers would not surrender it
lne,s not even to free themselves from tn
tyranny of the mother country.
i ID The Tories of the Revolution took tn,
I opposite side They contended tina
George the Third, and the Parliament o
Great Britain, should control and dictat
the legislation of the colonies. Our Blacl
Republican friends are now espousing ant
moving heaven and earth to establish pre-
!; cisely the same doctrine of the old Tor.
party. aIOdte9 sla satfo ss7.