Arkansas true Democrat., 1860-07-28
hid MT. Calhoun favor the Doctrine of
 Snuatter SoYereigntY?

NIT. 1uSt, III HIS auuftsS to luc pcopic VI Arkansas, (which Mr. Peek calls 'the great paper of the campaign,' attempts to justi- fy his defence of squatter sovereignty, by an appeal to the record of the great South 1 Carolina statesman; the following extract from letter written to Col. Benton upon the subject of the character and object of the government will show how correctly MT. Rust reports his model statesman:
 "Its power and authority having for their object the more pertect protection of 1 the rights and safety of each and all, it is bound to protect, by their united power, the safety, the rights, the property, and the interest of the citizens of all, mherecer us authority extends. That was the object for | conferring whatever power and authority 1t has; and if it fails to fulfill that, a tails 70 perform Me duty for aohieh a acas created. It | is enough for it to know that it Is the right, interest, or property, of citizen of one of the States, to make 1t its duty to protect it, whether in Me territories or on the high seas, or anywhere else. Its power and authority were copferred on it, not to establish or abolish property or rights of any descrip- tion, bat to protect Mem.'
 Again, he said:
 According to Col. Benton's doctrine that Congress may legislate as it pleases upon the subject of slavery in the territo- ries, 1t would have the power, but doubt whether there is another individual who would agree with him. But, if it has not the power to establish slavery in the terri tories, how can it have the power to abol- ish it? The one is the counterpart of the other, and where is the provision of the constitution to be found which authorizes the one and forbids the other? x
 There is another error akin to this, that the Mexican law abolishing slavery, is still in force in New Mexico and California, when not a particle of its authority or sov ereignty remains in either. Their con quests by us, and the treaty that followed, extinguishing the whole and with it an- nulled all her laws applicable to them, ex- cept those relating to such rights of pro- | perty and relations between individuals as may be necessary to prevent anarchy; and even these are continued only by sgyferonce and on the implied aathority of ue conquer l ing country and 0n Me authorlty of Me con- quered, and only from necessity of the case.
 Her laws abolishing slavery are not em- braced in the exception; and if it were, 1t would be taken out of it, as the assent of Congress could not be implied to con tnue a law, which 1t had no right to eStab fish,
 But still higher ground may be taken.- The moment the territory becomes ours, the const ution passes and covers thewhole with sll its provisions, which, from their nature, are applicable to territories, carrying with 1t the joint sovereignty of each and all the States of the Union and sweeping away every Mexican law incompatible with the rights, property and relations belonging to the citizens of the United States, without regard to what State they belong, or wheth- CT 1t be situated in the northern or southern section of the Union. TAe citizens of aN have equal rights of protection in Melr pro- perty relations and persons in tie common territories of each and aH Me Stotes.- The power that swept away all the laws of Mexico, which made the Catholic religion the exclusive religion of the country, and which swept away all the laws prohibiting the Introduction ofproperty ofalmost every description, some absolutely and others un- der t same condition of paying duties, and Hitting them in duty free until other wise provided for, swept that which abol- ished slavery aRd let in property in slaves. | No distinction Can be made between 1t and any other distinction of property or thing, consistently with the constitution and the equal rights of the several States | of the Union and their citizens.