Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1860-08-11
Squatter Sovereignty aud Slave Code
Tail.
What q nominee
Is Herschel Y.
Of George ~

the SqNatter candidate Tor Wee Pfesl-
dent, in public speech said:
W g believe capital shoall own labor !:
Is there any douot that there must be q
Iaborlng class everywhere II al!
countries and under every form OF So
cI2i organization, there must be q la
boring cIass-a class Of man VINO get
their living by the sweat Of their brow:
and then there must be another class
that controls and directs the capital Of
the country.
mo PERSON CAN EXCLUDE SLAVES"
Extracts from his speech in the Z. S.
Senate, July eth, 1913. See Congress-
iona! Globe, Vol. 10, page So, VIZ:
THAT question is, whether it is the
duty Of Congress to guarantee to the
Shareholder, who shall remove with his
slaves into the territory Of the United
States, the nndisputed enjoyment of his
property in them, so long as it contin-
ues territory Or, in other words.
whether the inhabitants Of a territory,
durlng their territorial condition, have
the right to prohibit slavery therein
For the purpose of this question, it mat
ters not where the power of legislation
for the territory reSidps--whether exclu-
sively in Congress or Jointly in Con
gress and the inhabitants Of the terri
tory; the power is precisely the same
no greater in the hands of the one
than the other. In no event can the
Shareholder of the South be excluded
from settling in such territory with his
property Of every description"
lie DENIES TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY.
But suppose that Congress had the
right to establish Territorial Govern
ment only and that then, all further
control ceases; can the territorial Leg
iSlature pass an oct prohjbjtjtg sIure-
ry? Surely not. For the moment
You admit the right to organize Ter
utorla. Government to exist in Con-
gress, You admit necessarily the subor-
dlnation Of the people Of the Territory
their dependence on this government
for an organic law, to give them poIiti-
ca existence. Hence, all their legisia-
ton must be iii conformity with the or
ganic law, they can pass no act in VIC
!atlon Of it-nOne bat such as it per
mlts. Since, therefore, Congress had
no power, rs [ have shown, to prohibit
Slavery, they cannot GeIegUte such Il
po2ce7' 10 tie iaha5ita5etS Of tie Terri
tories ; they cannot authorize the Ter
.rItorlal Legislature to do that which
they have no power to do. The stream
cannot rise higher than it's source.
TII3 DENIES THE RIGHT OF TIE PEOPLE
TO GOVERN THEMSELVES.
But suppose the right Of legislation
for the Territory be il the inhabitants.
can they prohibit Slavery? Surety not;
and for reasons similar to those which
show that Congress cannot. Sovcr-
eighty follows the ownership Of the do
main and therefore the Sovereignty
over the Territories is in the States in
their confederated capacity. Now, if
the sovereignty over the Territories is
III the States, and the right Of lcgi>la-
ton not in Congress but IN the inhabi-
tants Of The Territories, it is evident
that they can have no higher right Of
legislation than Congress could have
they must be bound Jy the Limitations
just mentioned, and If prohibition Of
slavery in the Territories by Congress
be Inconsistent with these llmitations.
It's prohibition by the Territorial Ler-
islatare would be 50 likewise.
HE DEMANDS A SLAVE CODE.
It is urged that slavery does not ex-
list in New Mexico, and California, that
they are free territories and although
We deny to Congress any Jurisdiction
over the subject, yet we ask Congress
by this amendment to establish slavery
therein. Upon the execution Of the
treaty, all political regulations of the
United States were extended over the
Territories and the institution Of Slave
~ being political in its character it now
exists, by legal intentment, as absolute
~ in New Mexico and California as it
does in Virginia aud Georgia.
POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY IS RIDICULOUS
AND ABSURD.
IF You assert the broad proposition
that the inhabitants Of the territory, by
virtue Of the right Of selfgoyernnent,
have the right to exclude slavery there
in, the question arises, how many in
habitants shall there be to enable them
to do this: Shall few thousand peo-
pie IN Oregon-a vast territory, out Of
which five or six States NAV be carved
determine the question for all future
generations, and fix their destiny for
all time to come? Shall few thous-
and half civilized Mexicans, inhabitinc
the Territories Of California and New
Mexico, decide what institutions shall
exist there. The idea is ridiculous and
absurd.
We submit the foregoing gems from
johnson to the advocates Of sQuatter
sovereignty, and hone thew will relish