The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-04-11

grant it, and even Senator DouGLAs and
his adherents endorse it when they con
slider the affairs of Utah. No longer age
than last week a bill abolishing polyga.
my in the Territories passed the House
of Representatives by an overwhelming
majority, which bill certainly contravenes
the doctrine Of Popular Sovereignty
Mr.. DoUGLAs, in his speech last winter
in the Senate, said distinctly that there i:
no sovereignty in the people Of terri
tory, except what they derive from Con
gress through the organic act ard in hi.
Harper's Magazine article he says tina
the principle of self government for The
territories can only be exercised wher,
there are inhabitants sufficient to consti
tute government, and capable of per
forming its various functions and duties
"a fact to be osceytained and determined
By Congress. Whether the number shall
be fixed at ten, fifteen, or twenty thous-
and he might add, or one hundred
thousand inhabitants, does not affect the
principle Here Mr.. DOUGLAS admits
the principle for which Republicans con-
tend, that it belongs to Congress to ascer-
tain and determine when the people of a
territory shall be clothed with the sover-
eighty and rights of self-government.
And in his Springfield speech, in 1857,
in stating the effect Of repeating the or
ganic act of Utah-a measure he was in
favor of, he declared substantially that
" the country would revert to its prmi-
tive condition prior to the act Of 1850,
UNDER THE SOLE AID EXCLUSIVE JURIs-
D1cTIoN OF THE UNITED STATES" Is
not this the broadcast possible admission
of this dangerous principle ?" Ger
tainly it is, and it seems to us our neigh
Dor scarcely understands the subject
when he warns against the establishment
of principle that is now, and has been
from the foundation Of the government
universally recognized.
Our neighbor becomes excessively in
dignant over the fact that Republicans
propose to restrict territorial legislation
And yet the editor enthusiastically en-.
dorses man who refused TO grant to the
people of the territory the right to choose
their executive and judicial officers
Wherein does the deprivation of the lat
ter privilege less degrade the territorial
settler than refusing him the former
Our neighbor also, we presume, would
hardly oppose the proposition to root out
that foul blot, that abominaton, that
mass of RIGHTEOUSNESS, which now dis
graces the territory of Utah and the
country. And yet we can conceive of no
reason for doing this that would not APP
ply equally as strongly in favor of the
eradication of slavery. WESLEY called
the latter system the sum of all villain
les, and all the RIGHTEOUSNESS Of polyg-
amy is contained within it. The power
in the one case necessarily involves the
power in the other and if it is the right
and duty Of Congress to interfere with
polygamy, it is equally its right and duty
to interfere with slavery, for they are
3" twin relics of barbarism."
But the territorial policy of the Repub-
licans, the editor contends, proposes a
disfranchisemont unjust and degrading,
and reduces the settlers to the position OF
slaves. And this in the very face of the
fact that it is the same policy that was APP
piled to the settlers of Ohio, Indiana, H.
llnois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Min
nesota. and Oregon. Who ever dreamed
that the people of those territories were
degraded to the position Of slaves No
one, certainly, until it was discovered by
the followers of the Illinois demagogue
And why should another policy be sub
stituted ? Certainly not because the frs,
was Intellectual for good, for the history
Of the above States plainly shows how
potent it was for their prosperity
Who, in looking at the great States Of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, does not fee
thankful that RANDOLPH and his ooadiu.
tors had the foresight and the frmnes:
TO refuse their earl settlers the right tc
establish Slavery within their borders
The policy has been potent for good here
tofore, why should it not be equally Sc
hereafter? 1t was considered constitu
tional, just and beneficial by the father.
of the Republic, why should it be pro
nounced unlawful, unjust and degrading
by modern politicians ?
TT A large fire occurred in Ceda