Year: 1860

nave not, therefore, the right to form po-


Utica! party for Its suppression.


Furthermore though strongly opposed to
the extension of slavery beyond the limits
of the present slave holding States, we hold
that we have no right to form or support
a political party for the presentation,
through the action Of Congress, Ct its
extension to new territory. Territories
of the United States is the common
property of all the States, and Congress has
no right TO pass any act or ordinance that
prevents the citizens of one State as we'll "a
those of another from entering and settling
them with their property. Congress has no
right to discriminate between different spe-
cics of property, but is bou ld to regard as
property whatever is property by the laws of
the States or any one of the States. liele
we agree entirely with the Southern states
men, and hence we deny to Congress the
Constitutional right. either to authorize or
prohibit in the Territories no less than in
the States themselves. The only doubt we
could entertain upon this point arises rom
the fact that till quite recently Congress has
uniformly in organizing new Territorial
government claimed and exercised the pow
er 20 permit or to exclude slavery Should
not this act be taken as evidence tha, Con
gress has the power, at least by prescription!
But the doubt must vanish the moment we
reflect that the Federal Government is one OF
express powers under written Constitution,
and that no prescription can authorize the
exercise of power not expressly conceded it
by the States creating it. Here we differ,
not only from the Republican party. but
also from what is understood at the North
to be the doctrine of the Northern Demo-
Gratis headed by Mr.. Douglas. The Repub-
lcans generally hold that Congress in or
ganzing the Territories may either permit
or forbid slavery till the territory becomes a
State. Mr. Douglas is understood to deny
this power to Congress, and to assert it for
the people Of a Territory, under the head of
what is called "Popuar Sovereignty" We
know nothing more discl ediabIe to a man
who has had the honor to be even a Judge
in an inferior Court. |. is decidedly op-
posed TO that clear, logical understanding,
boosted not in vain by the people Of the
Green Mountain State, and especially by old
Windsor county, from which both we and
he hail The people Of Territory have no
powers except such As are conferred bv
Congress in the organic act and Congress
can confer no power which it does not itself
possesses; memo tat quad non hajet Squat,
ter Sovereignty is fiction, and a fiction of
that ultra Democratic school which justifcs
John Browns raid into Virginia. Congress
cannot authorize another to do what it las
no right to do itself, and Mr. Douglas doe
lrlne, If conceded suppose Congress has pow
er to permit or prohibit slavery in the Ter
rtories-in principle the doctrine Of the
Republican party, or else the people are
sovereign without reference to legal organi
zation, what we call John Brownism. If we
believed that Congress had the power, we
should of course demand its exercise TO pre-
vent the further extension of slavery, for we
clqim to be heart and soul an anti slavery
man. Bnt not believing it has the power,
we deny the right of any class of American
citizens to form political party for the ex
press purpose of exercising it through Con
gress. So far we go with the Democratic
party South, and dissent from both the Re
pnblicans aud the Douglas Democrats. The
Republicans on this point we believe are
wrong but Ineligible, logical, and are sus.
tained by the almost uniform practice of
Congress ever since we had Congress. II
they err it is in respectable company; their
error as far as an error can be- is a respecia-
bic one. The Douglas Democrats are Meth
er one thing nor another, "nether fish nor
t1e h, nor yet herring" 1t involves the er-
ror Of tilibusterism, and if analyzed and
reduced to some degree of consistency, it
will be found to be John Brownisn.