Show TAP IT OH ON THE HEAD ai IN the senate of the united states state on june as tie appears in the congressional Congress lonal record accord of june an animated discussion took place over a bill creating the oregon short limme line railway Comp company anys a corporation in the territories tot utah idaho and wyoming the bill after several objections which displayed the P ignorance of senators Be natora on the tho object of the measure and of many things thine relating to the territories was passed by a vote of 39 yeas 3 naye we W s have nothing special to say against the bill but wish with to call attention to some bome Bome some thinka slated stated ux in the debate after tho controversy which arose over tho the edmands bill h would be naturally supposed bup aup poked posed that members of tho united states senate had become somewhat familiar with affers in thu territories at any rate in the territory of utah but from questions asked and replies given it appears that little knowledge on the subject obtains in ja the upper house of congress in answer to a question from senator jones joness of Fl florida asking 9 auw often do tho territorial legislatures isla tures 5 in those territories ait alt senator hawley replied once oace in a year or two he also stated jasted that utah has linb no general railroad law and that its legislature will sit next winter the gentleman who under dercook look to give the information ue de sired knew no more about it than the gent gont gentleman ieman Jaman who was asking for it the legislatures ohe of uhe the territories are held biennially toe too utah assembly does not weel till ibs lbs and there ia is a general railroad law in this territory giving all the powers requisite for foe the oregon or any otia obber errath ad company to incorporate and senator bl was doubtless correct in his argument that the territories glare aro are fully competent to grant all be the sought and are the authorities to confer those powers the territorial legislatures are arc endowed with power over all rightful subjects of legislation within certain limits defined in their gorganio acts they should be jet jef lett left t to the exercise of these powers over all things which affect them locally and congress ought not to interfere unless these delegated powers are used improperly or neg lecter when it is necessary thas thai they should be exercised but there ia Is a growing disposition in the national government to dominate and to wield arbitrary power such as kasnot was not bot contemplated by bj the founders of our and does not comport with tho the genius of republicanism Ilean lican iam ism thia this could not rac receive Eive elve a stronger illustration than is conveyed in lne the language of benator senator hawley during the debate bald baid he this is the kimple truth and doctrine of the tho matter all the power that the territories have over this question is obtained from the congress of the united states we ve can overrule any general law they may make ake on the subject we can e any special charter they to to may eive give any railway company they are children of the go govern verri in every respect we can charter railroads through and across up and down any territory in the united states without asking the permission of anybody in that ter and if all ali the people in the territory shall agree to charter a railway that we do not like likes we have simply to tap it on the head and it is dead it is often of ten ton stated that utah has not nob a republican form of government this is urged as an au argument against mormon influence which la is famely tamely accused of being opposed to republican institutions But while the argument is ls is 13 incorrect the previous statement ia is true How can a republican form of government prevail in a territory under such arbi arary and irresponsible as those claimed for congress by senator hawley if all tho the people in a territory agree on any subject of legislation under poa pox powers era conferred by congressi Con grebs gres a nf matter how necessary the law may be how just hom hoa consi consistent tent with the constitution a body of men in whose election to 0 office the people of that territory have no voice or vote can I 1 just murder the law by tapping 11 1 on the head and the people chiefly interested in thel measure mei met sure have no redress we would ask what better ment than this could be offered in favor of the admission of utah into the union for congress hat has extended the constitution and laws of the united states over them thern and the territory which the they y inhabit but they are denied a republican form of government and prevented from having it aa as long as they are kept from statehood by that body which the constitution from which it derives IN iti powers declares shall guarantee to every state a publican republican rf form of government in giving to the territories power i over all rightful subjects of legislation eions congress ae acted ted la in the spirit of that constitutional mandate for it Is presumable that the guaran guaranty tV wa wai intended to apply to incipient states as well as to fully organized and perfected commonwealths the federal compact but in its interference witti tho e dele gated powers and in the arbitrary exercise of such buch monarchial authority as claimed calmed for Cou con congress gress by mr hawley there Is no resemblance to a republican form of government it is ia rather in jn the and likeness a republican form of government it is ia rather in jn the and likeness image of the most moat absolute despotism that ever cursed a people in abject ab eject bondage d e af if f ih the powers so plainly defined by senator hawley may be wielded at will over large and important bodies of citizens in this great country is it not time that the rostem which authorizes their exorcise exercise was itself 41 tapped on the head or stamped out of existence as utterly at varl vari ance anca with institutions built upon t the e recognition tion of the inalienable r rights of man we think so and t the e simplest and easiest way out of it the h inconsistencies and incongruities of the antl anti republican territorial system systems ie P to give to tue the territories as quickly as possible that forin foria of government contemplated jn ja the constitution ana and matee makko them free states j sovereign states status republican states in which the voce of the people shall rule rak and not tiie tile the edicts of a few men to the citizens ruled d over and having power to destroy any measure designed all an desired by those citizen by gimpl 66 tapping it on the head |