Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-04-11

| cared by the c0minlttee 10 DC COuuetHIleu oS '"N
| pubc sentiment of the civilized world and con-
| demned by the legislation of the civilized world
One mode is by total repeal of the territorial gov
ernmcnt of Utah. In case We adopt that course TWO
courses would still be open to us in carrying out
| that policy We could either attach Utah to the
adjacent Territories, or we could put the people o
| Utah under the general laws that have been passed
| for the government of our citizens occupying the
| unorganized territory of the Union
object to the latter mode; because, if they are
nut under those general laws, they brought be-
fore Congress for all their local and municipal regu
| latons Instead Of relieving ourselves of trouble,
we only bring additional trouble upon ourselves and
! additional consumption Of the public time, with
greatly increased opportunities to disturb the peace
| of the Union.
The other mode which Suggest-to attach them
to the adjacent Tcrrores-is open to equally grave
and serious difficulties. There is no Territory lying
adjacent to them that they can be attached to- that
| they would not be able by their superior numbers
| to control, and would, according to their own
| views
| Mr.. Clark of Missouri Will the gentleman al
| low ME to interrupt him for a moment?
Mr.. Branch. | will, sir.
Mr. Clark, of Missouri. With reference to the
last remark of the gentleman from NOrth-Carolina
concerning the Territories adjacent to Utah, desire
| to say that the Committee on Territories now have
that subject under consideration, and announce to
this House that different opinions prevail on the
| subject I think that there Territories around
Utah of sufficient strength to control the political as
we'll as the moral action of that Territory IN the law
| making power; and it is now in contemplation
| what will be the result know not but the Com
mttee on Territories investigating the pro-
prIety of parceling out that Territory and destroy
| ing its Government, with view to put stop to
these enormtes which they have the credit of com.
hitting, and their Gepredations upon the citizens OF
| this country.
| Mr. Branch I am still of the opinion although
have great respect for the opinion of the gentleman
! from Missouri upon this question: am still of the
opinion that it is not possible in the nature of things
that any Of our unsettled territories adjacent to the
Territory of Utah can have sufficient population to
control the Mormon population. We cannot let 1t
be remembered, attach them to California, because
California is a State, and would refuse she has
right under the Constitution to refuse, to receive
them. The only course that we could pursue would
be to attach them to Territory either at pres
ent organized, or to carve out and organize Terri
| tory adjacent with view to absorb and control
them. | am, therefore. obliged to discard all con-
siderations of the project of repeating the territorial
government of Utah, with view to control them,
either by direct legislation of Congress as persons
occupying the unorganzed territory of the Union,
or to attach them to the adjacent Territories.
Mr.. Scott. | ask the gentleman from North Car
DINA to yield to me for moment
Mr.. Bng CHAM. ] object, and rise TO a question
of order. The gentleman from North-Carolina is
speaking in the time extended to him at the instance
of the Committee on the Judiciary. If this thing is
to go on shall be deprived of the right of making
any further report at all.
Mr.. Branch. recognize the fact that am speak
ing by the courtesy extended to me; and if obec-
ton be made, cannot yield the floor to any one.
Mr.. Bingham. | mnSt object
Mr.. NOEL desire to say to the House
Mr.. Branch. must decline to yield the floor. |
obtained the floor with the understanding that was
to occupy it but a short time.
Mr.. Taylor. l wish the courtesy of the House
for moment to enable me to say, that when this
till was before the Judiciary Committee | was ILL.,
confined to my house, and not able to be present in
the committee room. | now wish to state that am
opposed to one feature of the bill believe have
power to pass criminal law which is to operate
within the Territory of Utah. or within any other
organized Territory of the United States | am
however in favor of any measure which will lead to
the determination Of this evil and therefore shall
most cheeriully go for the amendment proposed by
my friend from North Carolina.
Mr.. Branch. Now, Mr.. Speaker, | must decline
to yield the floor further must be allowed to pro-
coed with my remarks without further interruption
Now, sir. have disposed as conceive of two plans
which have been proposed The third plan is the
one embraced in my amendment. 1t is not only to
deprive the acts already passed by the Territorial
Legislature of Utah, sanctionng or permitting the
practice Of polygamy, of their legal authority but
to control future legislation by taking into hands
the appointment OF the law-making power for that
Territory, so to prevent the passage of any
similar laws.
This Mr.. Speaker is no new policy in reference to
the Territories of the Union The earliest instance
of territorial government that we have in our his
tory is that erected by the ordinance of 1887 for the
/ Territories northwest of the Ohio. According To
that ordinance, two stages of territorial government
were provided for In the first stage the Legislative
! power vested in the Governor and Judges of
the Territory, who appointed by the President
But whenever a Territory had attained popula-
ton of five thousand inhabitants they were author
lied to elect branch of their Territorial Legsla
ture. So far as | am informed in no single instance
! in the carly history of the government was any
Territory in its incipient stage, allowed to elect
both branches of its Legislature. The first instance
believe of allowing an incpient Territory to elect
both branches Of its Legislature was in the case of
! the territorial government of Wisconsin in 1886
THAT, sir, iuaugurated total revolution in ter
! ritorial policy. Our fathers never held that the
people of Territory had the right to exercise SOW
ereign power over the portion of the public lands
which they occupied. Never until 1886 | repeat
was any incipient Territory allowed to elect mem
bers of both branches of their Territorial Legislature
have before me list of the Territories which
received their early training under that system :;
they are Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee,
| Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri Alabama, Arkan-
sas, and Florida These Territories all passed their
tutelage, or portion of it under the salutary re-
straints of systems of government conforming in all
essential particulars. to that prescribed in the ordi-
nance of 1887 These Territories wore well gov
erned and gave but little trouble to the balance of
the Union. In due time they were admitted into
the Union, and now form some of the most magnif-
cent States in the Confederacy
Under the system inaugurated in 1885, when
Wisconsin introduced, we have had Utah and
Kansas, which have given us more trouble than all
with tha fret FORTY
of the government put together. l am in favor,
then, of returning to the system which worked so
well in reference to the old Territories Whenever
the people occupying Territory show, by their
condnct, that they are unfit for sefgovernment |
have no hesitation in withdrawing from them the
| nrililena of Snlf.novern,nant MA he