Life of James Buchanan, Fifteenth President of the United States. v. 2 (of 2)Curtis, George Ticknor
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Life of James Buchanan, Fifteenth President of the United States. v. 2 (of 2)
Curtis, George Ticknor
Buchanan, James, 1791-1868
To return to the point from which I have digressed, I am in
favor of Mr. Breckinridge, because he sanctions and sustains the
perfect equality of all the States within their common
Territories, and the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United
States, establishing this equality. The sovereign States of this
Union are one vast partnership. The Territories were acquired by
the common blood and common treasure of them all. Each State,
and each citizen of each State, has the same right in the
Territories as any other State and the citizens of any other
State possess. Now what is sought for at present is, that a
portion of these States should turn around to their sister
States and say, “We are holier than you are, and while we will
take our property to the Territories and have it protected
there, you shall not place your property in the same position.”
That is precisely what is contended for. What the Democratic
party maintain, and what is the true principle of Democracy is,
that all shall enjoy the same rights, and that all shall be
subject to the same duties. Property—this Government was framed
for the protection of life, liberty, and property. They are the
objects for the protection of which all enlightened governments
were established. But it is sought now to place the property of
the citizen, under what is called the principle of squatter
sovereignty, in the power of the Territorial legislature to
confiscate it at their will and pleasure. That is the principle
sought to be established at present; and there seems to be an
entire mistake and misunderstanding among a portion of the
public upon this subject. When was property ever submitted to
the will of the majority? [“Never.”] If you hold property as an
individual, you hold it independent of Congress or of the State
legislature, or of the Territorial legislature—it is yours, and
your Constitution was made to protect your private property
against the assaults of legislative power. [Cheers.] Well, now,
any set of principles which will deprive you of your property,
is against the very essence of republican government, and to
that extent makes you a slave; for the man who has power over
your property to confiscate it, has power over your means of
subsistence; and yet it is contended, that although the
Constitution of the United States confers no such power—although
no State legislature has any such power, yet a Territorial
legislature, in the remote extremities of the country, can
confiscate your property!
[A VOICE. “They can't do it; they ain't going to do it.”]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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