The Nevada journal., 1861-08-23
ss~ The Democrat cndeavors 10 take Mr.

on Saturday night The Democrat says NJ
Weeks held up the fact, that the Repu bl
cans in Congress voted to organize thrt
new Territories without inserting in ii
organic act.a clause prohibiting slavery, O
an evidence of their liberality, and as a
; Implication that they had abandoned III
anti-slavery plank in their platform. Nj
Weeks did claim ior the Republicans i
Congress liberality for the course they pur
sued, but he left no such implication as tina
asserted. The Republicans have not aban
doned the Chicago platform, or any portion
of it.
The Republicans claim that the power f
prohibit slavery in Territories belongs t,
Congress, and they point to the decision
of the Supreme Court in its better davs anC
to the opinions and acts of all the President
down to James X. Polk, to prove that sucl
was the understanding Of the Constitution
by its trainers. But while the Republican
assert that the power is vested in Congress
they claim only that the power shall be ex.
ercised wheu necessary. Their platform
does not require that the right and power
shall be used on all occasions. This matter
has been elueidated thousand times and il
seems strange that any should be found SO
stupid as not to understand it. We repeat
the explanation: Where stream of emi-
grafton is pouring into Territory from the
States, stream composed of men who are
attached to d republican government and
who are capable of governing themselves
according to the spirit of American institu-
tions, the Republicans do not object to their
shaping their own institutions. Kansas,
Dakotah and Nevada were settled by such
men, and the Republicans see no objection
to allowing the people of these Territories
to choose their institutions for themselves
Congress therefore allowed this privilege to
the people. But, supposing horde of for
eigners, unacquainted with or inimical 70
American Institutions had poured into the
Territory of Nevada. Under the doctrine
that the people are sovereign in Territories
they could have established institutions at
variance with our own. 1t is in such cases
as these that the Republicans claim the
right of Congress TO interfere for the benefit
of American institutions on American soil.
But we return to the argument of the
Democrat:
The Republicans had not the power to pass
the Territorial bills with a clause prohibiting
slavery. Had the bills contained such clause
Buchanan would have vetoed them. and they had
not the requisite two-thirds majority to pass
them over the veto.
That the Territorial bills of the last session
were passed in accordance with the non inter
vention doctrine of Douglas, is owing to the
peculiar position of parties at that timo, and
neither the Breckenridge nor Republican parties
can claim any credit therefor. With the ones
tiorl of slavery left open TO be decided by the
citize,.s cf the Territories, the bills could have
been paaseo over the Executive veto.
1t is true, the Republicans had not the
requisite majority to pass the Territorial
bills over the Presidents veto. But that
the Republicans can claim no credit for the
passage of these bills, is strange assertion.
Let US see Those bills could not have
passed without the Republican vote, rs the
Breckinridgers would not, and did not vote
for them. The Douglas men were altogether
too week to carry them through. The Re-
publicans had to vote for some sort of a
bill or the Territories would have gone un-
organized If the Douglas men would not
have voted for bill organizing Territory
according to the full measure of Republican
doctrines, and the Republicans would vote
for bill based on the doctrines Of Popular
Sovereignty, to whom are the Territories
indebted for their organization? and who
is entitled to the credit Of hberality? Ac-
cordiug to the Democrats ownshowing, the
Republicans can CLAIM all the merit of lib
erality there is for the organization o. the
Territories, notwithstanding its assertion t.
the contray.
The Democrat says, "with the question
of slavery left open; to be decided by the
citizens of the Territories, the bill could
have been passed over the Executive veto"
How2 BY the accomm odating spirit the
Republicans have always shown to the
Popular Sovereignty Democrats, and for
which they have received only misrepresen-
tation in return, and not otherwise. The
bills could have become laws by the aid of
Republican votes, and the Democrat pre-
sumes upon Republican liberality, which it
would ignore, when it says those bills could
have become laws over the Executive veto.
4 L..