The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1860-06-20
SPEECH
OF
HON. JAMES II. HAMMOND,
OF SOUTH cARoLIsA,
ON THE
ID EI pI n NJ n L. 6 r . ~ T. c,
SPEECH
RELATION OF STATES.
pELIvEREp IN THE SENATE OF the UNITED
STATES, MAY 81, 1860.

The Senate having under consideration
the resolutions submitted by Mr.. Davis
on the first Of March, relative to the re
cations of the States, and the rights OF
persons and property in the Territories,
and the duty OF projecting slave properly
in the Territories, when necessity for so
doing shall exist--Mr. Hommond said !:
Mr.. PREsIDENr feel reluctant to
trespass on the time of the Senate, and
TO follow with dry constitutional argu
ment, the atIe, eloquent, and stirring
have few words to say, and may as
well GO Ola this afternoon.
Ii understand it Alright, the precise
Question before the Senate is simply lais /:
lave Tive territorial governments es,sb
lished by Congress The power 10 define
and declare What shall be and what shall
not lie properly within the territorial
boundaries Those Who advocate the
resolution offered by the Senator from
Mississippi deny ,hat The Territories have
such power. Those who oppose the rcs
.,lutions maintain ,hat they have. Both
parties HiIl agree, Of course, that the pow
er TO define aud ,eclare wha; Is properly,
IS supreme and uncont,ollable; in short,
what we call sovereign. Ger ainly no
other power can d" it; since, IN that case.
the really supreme power could nj once
reverse anv sucii declaration, and without
u proper definition Of property agreed up
on l., the controlling power of a govern
menl, rI.rc rond be no civil government
ut alt for c;vllza government, however
tar il nI:,y resci,. is oigahized on proper
~, and ncccr has existed, nud never cab
.xrst irng wiihoui irtininc hy law or es
tahli.lted usaee What i. ps,perty.
We have no history Of Il = origin of human
'ssucialioi. aud poiliicnl government that
gives us auy fuli er ciesr account. 1h"
B.Le aud uiher anc,eoi books give MS
hmis, Nh rh suggest lloaghts, that ena:
i'ceU>. Ia frrm conceptions Of these ma.
,ers, nlrh art, peihrrs, sufficient for all
,ur pfaciica! purpose. a rowing family,
GROW ju:" nib" frdirg pleasant wa
trss. ii,c soil, and sweet air, that have
30, teeu appropriated, arrests us waudtr
,n.s. tr,ra dosu lis stakes, claims dis
de- igh:flll r-rion fs is own, constitutes 1t
properly, and. 9nilins it out. organizes a
government, and, ty the rich. of eminent
duma'r, of usa.e, aud is physical power,
establishes Sovereignty That sover-
e'yuty is so,ri g ;oDs * It can be nein
tnined agains, sll assaults II it 20 trains
itself in time j, grows great II tecomes
over populous II sends out emissarles To
discover others Similarly endowed lands !;
IL ob:ains item 10y first discovery, b! prr
chase, or hy conquest; it c"lonlzes them
with It's surplus population, but holding
the en,iuent Domain, it holds its colonies
in strict sulordInation toi:s own will, and
maintains sovereignty over them. The
colonies also grow, In time they demand
sovereignty for themselves. 1t is wisely
conceded. or, by u successful rebellion, 1t
is conquered ty the co'ouies, aud each
ecomes, sovereign. Such, take it, has
been the almost unvar!ing history OF the
origin and progress Of human associa'ioa
and political organization.
Thus the thirteen colonies. which be
came the United States Of America IN
1897, were planted long previously 10y
Great Britain. In lf76 iaey proclaim
ed themselves to be sovereign and iude
pendent States. Great Britain refused
to eoncede TO their demands bat, after
long aud bloody war they achieved
their independence, and were acknowl
edged as sovereign States.
When the present constitutional Union
wss established, many States were en'i
Tied, by charscte,s aud grants from the
former mother country, 70 large areas OF
territory sull Wild and unpeopled. These
Government, for the purpose, manly, Of
creating fund to pay Oft the war debt
OF The Revolution. subsequently we have
sqnired, by purchase, Louisiana and
Florida; by apuexstion. Texas and by
conquest aud purchase, our Pacific coast.
To everyone Of these large acquisitions,
every inch Of which, Texas excepted, be
came che common property Of each and
all OF the Siates---Vf whom the General
Government was the irustee---large nun
bers or our citizens hocked, seeking to
better their fortunes, not only unrestraiD
ell, but very rightly encouraged, by this
Government BY the Constitution OF the
United States, Congress was empowered
"to dispcse Of and make Nil needful rules
and regulations respecting the territory
and other property Of the United States"
This was very vague and indefinite grant
Of power but il WAS. by uoanimous con
sent. construed TO mean that Congress
might establish n suitable provisional gov
eminent for each Territory so soon "a the
number OF inhabitants required that lev
aud order sbould be enforced, aud the
property Of ths United States, as well rs
peace ard justice, preserved there, by the
Intervention OF the Federal Government
II was considered 'needful regulation"
and nothing more.
Yet these adsepturers, few or more,
squal,ing on land they do not owo, bot
which belongs TO all the States, and OF
which they 90 no, squat on more than q
small portion within the limits assigned