Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-01-05
ruE soUrHERS STATES As TERRI


The New York World discusses the
proposition for reducing the southern
states 70 territories, and says:
The elect Of territorial governments
s a purely hypothetical question. II
sueh governments are enacted % sH-
irene court will set them aside as re-
nbuvnsnt to the constitutions: and Things
revert to their present condition. me
threat NAV safely be treated with scQrn.
me choice does not lie between atnea
fion of tie amendment and territorial
governments, but between rSuncatlon
and the risk of a long exclusion from
congress.
Ifal of this amounts to anything, 1t Is
simply an argument in favor Of adopting
the constitutional amendment for we are
told that the choice does not lie between
ratification OF the amendment and terito-
rial governments, but between the rstih-
cation and the risk OF long exclusion
frnm congress. Now we take il that the
people Of the south have almost univeI-
sally concluded n the ratification -
would simply result in leaving the cues
tion OF admission 10 the union exactly
where II has been since the close Of the
wsr. The leaders Of the faction in power
have so declared, all Of their antecedents
so declare, and the dictates OF common
sense confirm it. AS 70 treating the
threat with contempt because the
supreme court VIII set the territorial
form aside on account o. its unconstitu-
tionslity, is only 10 say that this faction
will be bound in the future by the consti-
tuition which they have been laboriug TO
overthrow since their organization, that
they will belle all their past, and snnull
the work Of q quarter Of a century. such
a conclusion would do violence to all Of
our received ideas Of those f%aetionist, and
make them the patriots which they do
not themselve claim to be. The World
further says:
But even supposing the supreme court
could lie surmounted, territorial govern
ments would not he without incidental
conversations. The south would not be
as wei governed as when self-governed,
but il would not be governed at its Own
Another mitigating conse-
quence would be the transfer Of the state
debts to the federal government. The
dead are no longer responsible, o by q
principle OF public law, the con
QuerOr Of a state becomes liable Tor ali
its Just obligations. A state, having
ceased to exist, can no longer com
mand its resources for the payment ol
debts. Unless its creditors are TO be de-
frsuded, the respOn ibility must deyOlye
upon the federal government ana lne
become a charge upon the
treasury. Congress cannot tax q
territory 20 pay the debts Of the deiuucJ
for the conclusive reasO that
every tax laid by congress is required to
be uniform throughout the Z nitGd States,
[t NAV, 10 be sure, authorize a territorial
legislature to lay x but there can
be no territorial legislature unless II Is
elected by the people, and they viii not
men who, after the debt had been
by the federal government IN
aw, would consent TO pay II in fact. II
he fanatics Of New England insist on
their Quota,of the southern states
lebts, the south viii regard the transfer
With philosophical cOmPosure.
No one viii be deceived by the asser-
ION that the south under territorial rule
you'd not be governed at herOwnexpense,
Or all know that the fiat has already
sae forth that she must, under any cir
umstances, pay TO the utmost-not only
er own expenses, but those also of the
7hole country, and this as a punishment
her 3 treason.' We can see no miti-
ating circumstance in the fact that the
settled principles Of public Law" would
the debts of the dead states to the
onquering party, for we have no reason
} believe that they would be governed
ny more ia the future by the "PTinci-
les Of public law " than they have been
! the past. As to the assertion that the
,rritorial legislatures, being authorized
lay taxes, will not cause the territories
!, pay the debts assumed by the general
Dvernment, from the fact that these !
gislatures are representatives Of the
in the territories, and could not, S
icrefore, Iegislate against their interest; +
e consider that it amounts 10 the same r
saying that these revolutionists, hav- t
z reduced the states to territories for {
.e purpose Of accomplishing q certain +
,ject, vii! stultify themselves by de- {
interposing this legal obstacle
their designs.
We are authorized by Gen. BASIL W. q
IKE to announce that Mr.. r. n a
soTT, who has been soliciting subscrip- .
Jns in this city to " DUKES LIFE OF
oRGAN," is not an agent for the book, b
ID has no authority whatever from the {
neral. !