The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-04-12
For the Crurier

would simply say, Baa! and in this comply
with the scriptural mandate, "answer foo
according to his folly"
But, for reasons given, we have bid thi
one strangers atfieu, and, under no circum
stances, can we be induced to renew his ac
quaintance. Friday" seems to think tina
our farewell was not expressed in earnest
for he comes OH again in his usual blood ant
thunder style. We again assure him tina
we are done with him and all Of his kind be
lieving with the old Kentucky hunter tha
''shootin small game don't pay"
We propose in this article to consider
briefly "Squatter Sovereignty; to notice it,
tendencies and results. The anomalou,
monstrosity known as squatter sovereignty
was besotten, as near as we can learn, by
southern slave-ocracy, in the year of GU,
Lord one thousand eight hundred aid fifty
In the year of our Lord one thousand cirh
hundred and fifty four, it was brought forth
in painful labor, little Dnbby Douglas per
forming the obstetric duties for The occasion
and other dirty work generally. BEFORE
wrapped in its swaddlings, it commenced
to cry, in stent,ria voice, ssP-o-p-u-l-a-l
) o-v-c-r-e-i-g-n-i t-y" "p-o-p-u-l-a-r Soy
er-e-i-g-n-i-t-y", and this cry it has con
tinued to repeat, with gradually diminishing
force, to the present day.
Disguised with its in,5ec;litv. tn, sire oi
the offspring denounced it as a bastarl-iS.
inherited it from its patrimonial estate, AMI
abandoned it to the mercy of him who super
/ intended at its won lerful birth
This is "Squattar Sovereignty" The
body of the dirty bird, Democracy. is scarce
! ly more pro-slavcry in its tendencies, than
this peculiar wing Of the party. By a ma.
iority ofnorth-rn Dem ,cratS, this is strenu-
ously denied brt reader, see if we do not
prove the assertion,
Previous to 1854, the slavery question in
various forms haf been forced on the country,
and the strife AMI contention it excited, had
only been allavod by humiliating concessions
on the part Of the north. These concessions
are termed Compromises"
The "ConpromiSc" of 1850 left tn, coun
try in this condition-The people of the
newly acquired territory, New Mexico, were
allowed to have slavery irthey wished, while,
in the territory north of 36 deg. 80 min,
there was to be no slavery. The country
was rejoicei to sec that the vcxei question
of slavery hal received its quictus.
Can You wonder at the indignation of the
north, when in 1851 this i'll ,ntic,l question
was again for,el on the country
In 1854, while the New Hampshire Cen
eral occupied the chair Of State, (anl it is
due him to say, that here he displayed more
bravery than in his saddle on the plains of
Mexico) a Bill was introduced in the House
of Representatives, for organizing the terrific
RES of Kansas and Nebraska.
In this Bill was an article proyiling that
the people Of these respective territories,
should he allowed to regulate their domestic
institutions in their own way, slavery not
excepted since Kansas AMI Nebraska Law
north Of $3.50, it was at once seen that thi,
provision would operate rs a repeal OF the
Missouri Compromise-that it would break
down that barrier to human boliaye which
hal been erected on the pledges of the whole
country, but, m1re especially, on those Of
the South-thnt it woull throv into immeli
ate contact with free whit labor TINT of the
ignorant and degraded slave These obiec-
tons were stated by the north, surprising Of
course that when they were brought to tn,
notice Of the House, the obnoxious provision
would be stricken out The result proved
far different, t)r no sooner were these Obec-
tons stated than the beast of all uglness
and deprayity, arose, and said-the very
object Of this provision is to repeal the Mis-
souri, Compromise, and in order to dvest the
matter of all doubt a provision should be
introduced, declaring the repeal of this COM
pact. A provision of this kind was intro
ducel and TIE Bin in this form passed.
Thus, reader vas the last barrier to slavery
broken down, and the door of human servi-
tnae thrustyileOpen on every foot of our free
territory remarkable instance of what
money and the prospect of Office car accom-
plish.
Reader, was not this pro-slavery meas
IRE Laying aside all prejudice AMI party
feeling, let rs consider this question like
reasonable men, and see if it is not, in its
tendencies, proslavery. By whom was this
measure supported ? mainly by that section
Of the country, which, for the last forty five
years, when war has ragged between freedom
and slavery, has fought as a unit, in behalf
| of slavery. You may call this concurrent
testimony ifyou will--you cannot call it less.
| Again this Bill claimed for its object the
establishment Of this principle, that ''thc
people of territory ought to be allowed to
regulate their domestic institutions in their
own way - and this is what, in the eyes OF
many, imparts to it talismanc charm. II
this principle is rendered imperative by the
Bill, considered as whole, the charm is
gone.
After relating the above, the Bill goes on to
say-the power of appointing the Governors
and the judiciary is retained in the Presi-
dent, who is to act by and with the advice
aud consent of the Senate-the veto power
is surrendered to the Governors, and no Bill
encountcring this power, can become law