| Show A MANIFEST ABSURDITY tue THE record made by mr allen alien a liberal member of the house up to monday last entitled him to be regarded as an intelligent gentleman and an earnest worker in the business of legislation but bat in the course of his speech in support of his bis amendment to the reform school bill by which the power to appoint the directors of the proposed institution was sought to be conferred upon the governor e r n or he be presented a proposition of a character so remarkable and so far beyond the limits of ordinary candor and the usual views of intelligent men relative to the subject that any effort to attempt a serious refutation of it will be difficult to make the gentleman deliberately asserted that the people of the territories are the property of the united states when mr hurman interrupted him and asked it if he intended that assertion to be literally construed he replied in the affirmative adding b by way of emphasis and illustration tra tion that be as an individual was willing to wear the brand of the government overn ment the context of mr aliens fens remarks conveyed the impression that in his view the inhabitants of the territories were absolutely at the disposal gal of congress that it was merely by y the grace ol of that bod that they enjoyed joyed any degree agree of political freedom and t that at the guaranties guarantees guaran ties of the constitution had bad no application to them mr allens aliens doctrine would were it true render patriotism impossible among amona the inhabitants of the territories it makes them chattels without a country to ta love being themselves owned by the country under unde whose fla flag they live it annuls the Pro proclamation clama T ion of emancipation makes a falsehood of the declaration of independence and holds a principle which an african despot might blush to own as a part of his bis belief the people are the property of the government 11 is an assertion which signalizes the assembly of utah as being the on y representative legislative body known to history in which such a declaration was ever made the logic 0 c of titles teaches that evereth everything n 0 owned ned by a chattel is the property of f him I 1 who owns the chattel gence hence it f mr allens aliens doctrine doctrines eis ais true all ot ol the wealth existing in tile the territories is the property of the government the patents issued to settlers on the public lands in a territory are delusions and snares the farms homes home i mines and property of all leids k kinds in th the e territories are only part of the national treasury surplus we repeat that to te point out absurdities resulting from mr allens aliens doctrine gives to the discussion of the subject such an air of absurdity as makes it almost impossible to preserve to it an appearance of seriousness the territorial system is based less upon that clause in the constitution which div gives es congress authority to make all 11 n needful e adful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belo belonging Eging to the united states than upon a so called doctrine of temporary necessity such is the holding of some of the most eminent american jurists who maintain thattie that the trainers framers of tae constitution failed to foresee and hence to provide for the spread ot of population upon the the great western domain of the country and that a duty was thus placed upon congress to make temporary temporal y provision for the government and protection of the settlers but the people who leave the states and settle in the territories do not by such an act become the property of the government go vern ment 11 they do not of right lose any attribute or privilege of citizenship the quality of sovereignty attaching to them as citizens in the states remains with them when they emigrate to the territories and the dosu that can be said with any show of reason against the exercise of that 50 sovereignty by the people of the territories is that they have placed themselves in a position where it is temporarily pora rily impracticable for them to do so but this objection loses all its force as soon as society in them has become so far organized as to admit of local self government govern mr allens aliens address addres ff in support of his amendment was for the most part as logical as it could well have been in view of the premises upon which it was based jt it is perhaps no more than fairness fair fairness neis to him to say lay that his assertion that the people of the territories are the property of the government was made in the he beat a t of debate and without reflecting upon the absurdities ties to which such a doctrine would lead |
