Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-09-27
The Continental Congress and
The Kansas Nebraska Bill.

he
The Declaration of Rights put fort
by the Continental Congress, October Ii
IVA, contains an explicit and emphati
declaration of popular Sovereignty" i
these words: That the people Of III
several Colonies "are entitled to FIRE
and exclusive power Of legislation in thei
several provincial legislatures in all case
Of internal policy"
The Kansas Nebraska Bill endorses TIN
same in these words: at being the tru
intent and meaning Of this act not to leg
islate slavery into any State or Territor,
nor to exclude it there from, but keaue III,
people thereof perfectly FREE 10 form one
regulate their domestic institutions in thei
own way.
The same identical principle was as
serted by nearly every Colony, when send
ing representatives to the Congress which
voted the Declaration of Independence
and framed the articles of Confederation
Pennsylvania, when she consented tc
send representatives for the purpose Of
forming a confederation instructed then
by the following resolution:
"Reserving to the people of this col
ony the sole and exclusive right of regu
lating the internal government and pol
icy of the same"
And in subsequent instruction, il
reference to suppressing the British an
thority in the colonies. Pennsylvania
uses the following emphatic language:
Unanimously declare our willingness
to concur in vote Of the Congress de
cla,ing the United Colonies free and indie
pendent States, provided the forming o
the government, and the regulation of tn
internal policy of this colony, be Away
reserved to the people of the said colony.
New Jersey instructed her representa-
tives in the following language:
"Always observing that, whatever plar
of confederacy you enter into, the regula
ting the internal police of this province
is to be reserved to the colonial legisla-
ture.' ..
Maryland gave her consent to the Dec
laration of Independence upon the condi-
tion contained in this proviso:
''And 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 po-
lice of that col ony be reserved to the peo-
pile thereof"
New 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 our own
assembly,"
Connecticut, in authorizing her delegates
to vote for the Declaration of Independ-
ence, attached it to the following condi-
ton:
Saving that the administration of
government, and the power Of forming
governments for, and the regulation of
the internal concerns and police of each
colony, ought to be left and remain to the
respective colonial legislatures.
Virginia annexed the following condi-
tion to her instructions to vote for the
declaration of Independence:
provided that the power of forming
governments for, and the regulations of
the internal concerns of the colony, be
left to the respective colonial legisla-
tures."
So dear was this right, the right of the
people to form and regulate their domes-
tic institution in their own way. that our
revolutionary fathers would not surren-
der it, no, not even to free themselves
from the tyranny cfthe mother country.
The Tories Of the revolution took the
opposite side. They contended that
George the Third, and the parliament Of
Great Britain. should control and dictate
the legislation ofthe colonies. Our Black
friends are now espousing,
and moving heaven and earth to establish
precisely the same doctrine of the old To
ry party.