Show FAVORING FREE government I 1 YESTERDAY we published extracts extra acts from speeches made in congress in relation to a bill requiring the president in his selection of governors of the territories orle orie s to confine the appointments to persons having a two years residential qualification some of the remarks were particularly clear in relation to the right ot the people of the territories to free government the principles of which we have always strenuously advocated mr brent delegate from washing ashing ton territory was particulars i happy hap py and believing his bis speech will be read with interest we present it in full there is today today to day oay mr speaker one state in the tile union that has less I 1 lation than any one of the eight terri tornes tories which have been named with one single exception and that state has the rj right r ht not only to have one of its own crivens citizens act as its governor but also the right to elect that governor by the tile people of that state yet these thesa territories and some of f them with three times yes with five times the population ot that state their people all biti citizens zens of the uni united tea states as loyal to the union as any citizen of the united states as intelligent gent as any other citizens of ef the united states are denied the right to have one ol 01 of their own citizens chosen as governor unless the ap appointing power bowee may so choose in the se selection action of that governor we all ali know from experience that pressure is brought to bear upon him to appoint some man atom some of the older states who has become obnoxious to his friends who are influential and who to get rid of him go to the president and persuade and besiege him to appoint this friend of theirs to be the governor of some far onn off off territory in order to expatriate him now mr speaker is it right that I 1 the people of the territory should be I 1 so far ignored that they thay are to be denied the ri right ht to have as their governor one of their own citizens a man acquainted quain teu ted with their wants and iles oes who would know how to administer the government there better than any man mhd might be chosen from abroad who has no interest in their welfare who has no concern in remaining in the territory except so lons iong as nis his commission may rny last but the gentleman from connecticut mr eaton baton and other gentlemen have suggested that we can not put this limitation upon the appoint appointing ln power of the president as to require the selection of the governor of a territory Cerri tory to be made from citizens of that territory mr speaker was congress dobli obliged oed ged to pass the law giving to the president tiie tile power pow er to appoint these these governors ls Is congress obliged to continue that law in force hadnot has not congress the power today to day to repeal that law and allow the people of the territories as they ought to be allowed to elect their governors for themselves if congress will not go this far then I 1 say it is just and right to these territories that a citizen of dl the territory one who has an inte interest in the prosperity of the territory should be selected it is said sali that there should be some one to represent the government of the united uni ted states in the making of the territorial laws why should not the people of the territories be allowed to m make eike etke their own laws but yon you do not go that far under this bill congress still retains the power to annul every statute passed by every territory you still reserve the power to wipe out all territorial legislation as well as the legislature that made it at any moment you please yet gentlemen are afraid that power will be absorbed by the people ot of the territories to the detriment of the government of the united states why sir this government is based upon the right of 0 men to self seif govern overn ment this right is enunciated in the declaration of independence and throughout the constitution it is intended to be secured to the people of the united states when the northwest territory was organized it was for forthe the avowed purpose of givin giving the people of that territory the ri rt of scalf government so far as it be compatible with their situation the reason full power of seif self government was not given to them was simply that i they were not considered able to support a government of their own not because they were incapable mentally or otherwise those people were regarded gar e as equa equals s in eve every r respect with the people of the states except that the they had not the adequate po population an and aad means to support the burdens ur ens of government consequently the full power 0 er of self government was withheld ee w by Con congress gress gregs until and only until they might be able to support a government for themselves most of the states that have been admitted into the union from a territorial condition have been admitted with far less population than now exists in any of the territories of the united states |