The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1860-07-27

! turmoil, just as we have Witnessed in Kan
sas. Therefore, there is nothipg-no powe,
spossble-that could be so injurious to thc
peace and prosperity as this doctrine whirh
has been denomnated ''squatter soyvrc..;:
ty."
Now let me place it before you in ano,he,
point of view. am mucl, gratfied ti,.
you have listened to plain speech from .n
old man with SO much attention. II.
Southern States can never give up .b,a
principle of equality in the Union, becau-.
if they did, they would be self degradei ..
the eyes of the world. They woulI stai,4
before their countrymcn as inferior to ,hc.
sister States. They never can surrendc.
it. But how is it with the Northern pec
pie? 1t is with them comparatively mrrc
abstraction. With the South il !, al s..
finite importance that they should l,rrs.,.
their equal sovereignty in the Cr..
What has the South to do2 Merclv g",..
that as good and honest citizens thry =,
Yield obedience to the Supreme Court, ;o
thus admit the right of Southern nla, T.,
take his property into the Territories i,>'
as Il Northern man may do. Aud il i, :,
me a most extraordinary thing ,hat ,.i,
country should now, be distracted .and
divided because Certain persons Of tic
North will not agree that their brethrec j..
the South shall have the same right. +: g.
the Territories which they of the No..
enjoy. What could as Penusviys.
say or do, if some one were to contend IT,.
the Territorial Legislature of any Tcrri;,.
should exclude my cattle from tl,at T.,,,
tory? The principle is exactly the sane.
ana the Supreme Court of the Uni;cu
States decided-what WAS kueEn to Us to
be the existing state of affairs @lity y"".>
that slaves are property:dmit r.n.
fact, and You admit everything ...,-
that property in the Territories mus H.
protected in precisely the same manner a:
any other property would he. Ii it b.. ~.
protected in the same manner, the owuy,.
are degraded cfore the world,
But we have "non intervention" s..
intervention, it is the true policy. IT,.
the "lc' aIone' policy-let things 90 ,a...
own way. What is this non .intvrvcn;....
Perfectly right. We all adni, ,la; Il,
Congress Of the United States has 10 :.i.
thorlty whatever to establish, to impair. q,
to abolish the right of master to slaves II.
the Territories, or the right of ali owucr @.
any other property. All very we'll lio.
that is one sided non-interventiou. Carr,
the Intervention out as the Cons..:n.ir.
does, to the Territorial Legislature, nrI nj
init that they have no right, no power. ne
authority, to abolish, or establish, 0, ;rnp"i,
slavery within their limits: But that wou',
not do. ~
That is all at present that apyb"'!y .:cc.
wa"t-"hands off, by Congfess, "!,a,.d.
off, by the Territorial Legislature Stuff.
the Constitution and the laws to be exe-
cuted by tie federal Judiciary in the Ter
ritory, without interference from Con.:..
and without interference from The se,r,,..-
rial Legislature. That is all that IS necc,
sary at present. No one has asked for
more.
But If non intervention did not extend to
the Territorial Legislature, what would be
the consequence 1t is just as the plaster
Of the Wilmot proviso to the Buffalo plat
form Of Congress to the Territorial Leg
isIature. Congress cannot exact Buffalo
platform under the Wilmot ,proviso, having
no CONSTITUTIONAL power to do it; but it
cannot be done effectually. more readily. in
the Territories, by Congress. Now in what
position has this placed the South If|
either interference by Congress or the Ter
ritoriai Legislature were constitutional.
(Which, of course, 1 do not admit 10 be the
case9 the" the plan adeptedEis far worse
for the South than the Congtessional plan;
because ifthere were an attempt to interfere
with these rights in Congress they would
be resisted by able men, The House Of
Representatives, the Senate, percl'ance tile
President, may resist; but all this affair in
the Territories is done by tie first Legisla-
ture, consisting of twenty, forty or fifty
men, and they can conveniently, in half an
a.heur, destroy all the property that South
sfnemen may have in the Territories, If
E"sqaa.tsr sovereignty" is to be the law of
thA4hdd. The first settlers who come to
every Territory wi!lnotb slay eholders.
They will rush from the North, they will
gespossess'onof the first Legislatuus,apd
then THIS sacred right Of property. which
all Governments were established to pro-
tec., falls aEpnee to the ground under the
will Off s.y Of the first men who omst.
be eled Territorial Legislature. .sa'T
eFShai lends and fellow.ciiizens, for