Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1860-06-29
CT A r K 8 VILE.
Friday, June 90, 1850.
The Hypocricy and Inconsistent
cy of Southern Democrats.


naturally suggest review however hasty, of its
past course upon the Territorial question-its
hypocricy and Inconsistency. Whilst the old Wing
party and the American party advocated the Con-
stituonal doctrine that it is the duty Of Congress
to govern the Territories, and that the people of
Territory have no right to pass upon the question
Of slavery until they form State Constitution, the
southern democrats were upholding the doctrine
of sqatter sovereignty and bartering southern rights
for federal spoils This last assertion we will prove
by few, only, of the many facts at our COM
mand
In ls4s Gen. Cass was earnestly supported by
southern democrats after the PRONUNCIATION Of the
squatter sovereignty doctrine of his Nicholson letter.
and in spite of the efforts of the Wing party to i'm
press upon them the character of that doctrine
and its dangerous influence upon the rights of the
South. This is now a part of the history of the
country, and no one will question its truth. Gen.
Cass letter bears date the gath of December, BAT
and ON the 28th of the same month and year, the
Legislature Of Florida passed the following resolu-
TONS embodying the very doctrine taught by Gen.
Cass.
SECTION O. Be Il further resolved, That, in the
opinion of this General Assembly, just and correct
Interpretation of the Constitution Of the United
States vests in the Territorial well as the State
Legislature e1clsive jurisdiction the persons of
individuals within their respective limits and that
it would be arbitrary, unjust and usurpaton of
power on the part of Congress TO annex conditions
to the admission Of State into the Union, or the
anncxinga Territory thereto, involving the right
of jurisdiction in Congress over this Subject, which
exclusively belongs to the Territory itself before its
Al
wards.
Src. g. Be IL further resolved That the people of
the Territory alone have the right to determine
upon this subject and il is for them tchle they
radin TerrIory and for the State when they shall
ask TO be admitted as State, to say whether the
institution of slavery shall exist within the limits
OF such Territory or State--they having, by just
Interpretation of the Constitution exclusive jurs-
diction over the subect-matter within their
limits.
There never has been n clearer enunciaton of
sQuatter sovereignty than this, emenating from any
q iarter, and II comes not from party Convention,
but from a State Legislature, and that in the ex-
IRENE South. But to show more fully, the pre-
valance of this doctrine throughout the extreme
South, we annex two resolutions adopted by the
Democratic State convention of Georgia. in De-
ccmber, ls47
Re,olped, That Congress possesses no power I'M
der the Constitution to legslate in any way or
manner in relation to the institution of slavery.
II is the constitutional right ofevcry citizen to re-
move and settle with his property in any of the
Territories Of the United States
Resolued, That the people of the South do not
ask ofCongress to establish the institution ofslavery
in any of the Territories that may be acquired by
the United States they simply require that the IN
MI oil he 10
mine for themselves whether The institution Of slavery
shall or shall not form part Of their social system
We might multiply proofs, ad Ebit,Im, to show
the advocacy ofthe doctrine ofsqmtter sovereignty
by southern democracy, as early as the year l847,
and anterior to the nomination of Gen. Cas- in
ls4S whose support of this doctrine strenuous
ly denied, during the campaign, by every southern
democratic leader. And as still farther conirma-
tory of the Ct that southern democrats did support
Gen Cass, with full knowledge of his squatter
sovereignty views, it is only necessary to state that
in the democratic National convention, at Baltimore
which nominated him, their attention was pTticu-
larry directed to his views and their dangerous
bearing upon the South, Yancey, Of Alabama
McGehee, of Florida, and Commander Of South
Carolina, offered minority report from the Com
mittce ON platform, in which they set forth their
objections to the majority report and denounced, as
Ruti-democratc and dangerous, the doctrine of the
Nicholson letter. and offered the following resolu-
ton with view to nullify that doctrine as embod-
led in the platform.
Resolved That the doctrine of non interference
with the rights Of property of any portion Of the
peaple of this Confederation be il IN State or in
Iv .,tl.a 10. t,,ta
ested in them, in the true repubcand recog-
n1ed by this body.
This resolution, setting forth that neither Con
gress nor Territorial Legislature has the right u
prohibit slavery in the Territories, voted down
and squatter sovereignty sustained by the democratic
national convention; and among the States thai
voted against the resolution, were Virginia NORTH
Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Mary
Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. The facts, herr
Induced prove coucusiVely, that squatler sovereign
" was to large extent southern democratic doc
trne rs early rs the year ls41 that the whole part!
South. adopted II in 1913, bj their support of Gen
tass AMI thus prepared then'clNcs 10 enact It int
the law, known as the Kansas Nebraska iii, An,
nothing can be clearer than the democrats Of tn
South have advocated squatIer sovereignty and de
lied the power orCougreS to protect slavery in tn
I,r.toric.; and this they have done for thrice
consecutive YEAR,
Bu, nov, "a change has come over the spirit O
their dream and forgetting how long they hav
teen Advocating this dangerous doctrine larg
proportion of the party deuounce Douglas as trait
Ca gambler in politics because he odheros
the toctriue Which it suits them now to rcpudiate
nuI they "bur.ted up the Charleston Convcntio
because il woulI not tmLody into the platform q
1850, the very principle which they themselves n
I.tt q" o.. .r.t rI.n t'e p'~'rm ~ !s. ANe