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Show 282 THE MISSOUHI QUESTION. "What, then, is your power? Simply whether yon will admit or refuse. This is tho limit of your power. And oven this power is subject to control, wh cnc vcr a Territo'ry is sufficiently large, a1ul 'Us popu la!Jon su:Uicicntly nurne'rous, you'r disc7~etion ceasc>s, and the obl igntion becomes imper~ious that you forth with admit; for· J hold that, according to the spirit of the Constitution, the people thus cin:umstanred are entitled to the p1~i vi lege of selfgovernment."- National Intelligence?~, Jvlarch 18, 1820. CIIAPTBR VIII. OPINIONS OF MADI 'ON, JEFFEitSON AND IIARRTSON. Mr. Madison to Prfsidcnt 111onr oe.-Ej:t?·atts fr·om a letter dated llfontpelicr, l t'eb. 23d, 1 20. "I RECEIVED yours of the 19Lh, on Mondn.y. * * * * 'J.,he pinch of the difficulty in the case staLed, seems to be in words "forever," coupled with the in terdict rclntin·g to the territory north of latitude 36° 30'. If the necessary import of these words be, that they ore to operate ns n. condi tion on fnLnro SLates aumi Ltecl into the Union, an <.I as a restriction on them after admission, they seem to encounter, indirectly, the n.rgumenLs which prevailed in the Senate for un unconditional admission of Mi 'som-i. I must conclude, therefore, from the assent of the Senate to the words, after the strong vote, on constitutional grounds, against the restriction on lVIissonri, that there is some other mode of explaining them in their actual application. As to tho right of Congt·ess, to apply such a restriction during tho territorial period, it depends on the clause cspecia11y providing for the management of those subordinate establishmcnb•. On one side it naturally occurs, that the right being given from the nece.c; ·ity of the ca ·e, and in suspension of tlte gr~eat prirzciple of self-government, ought not to be extended further, nor con tinucd longer, than the occasion might fairly require. On the other side, it cn.nnot be denied that Lhc constitutional phrase "to all rules," &c., us expouudeu by uniform (283) |