The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-10-16


will not require many words to show
you how exceedingly ridiculous it is
Whatever your opinions of the Judges
craftsmanship may be, permit me to say
that whenever he attempts to act the
philosopher, he becomes-not to put too
fine point upon livery funny.
His argument is that there is a varie.
ty Of interests or domestic affairs in the
country; that variety of local insttu-
tions grows out of them that upon this
variety of institutions our federal system
Of government rests; that the federal
system of government is the great safe
guard of orr liberties that consequent
ly in order to preserve our liberties it is
necessary to preserve variety of domes-
tic affairs and local institutions. The
question arises. if that variety of domes-
tic affairs and local institutions did not
exist, would that render the federal sys-
tenn of government impossible? With
other words. would a people among whom
there is no such variety of domestic af-
fairs and local institutions be incapable
of freedom
The original States entered into a un-
ion as separate OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
distinct and separate on the ground Of a
variety Of interests, or for any other rea-
son, is needless to discuss /; for if their
institutions and interests had been ever
so uniform, it is evident that they could
and would not have consolidated. But a
conclusive refutation of the Judges the
ory lies nearer. The people Of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wis
consin, are nearly all depending upon
the same resources-these States are all
essentially agricultural, and, besides,
have some shipping interest upon the
great lakes. Their domestic affairs and
local institutions are essentially the same.
Their system of labor is the same-nei-
ther OF them holds slaves. The uniform
ity Of Free Labor was introduced there
by the Ordinance in 81. According TO
the Judges theory, they must consoli-
date if there is among them no variety
of domestic affairs and local institutions
which keep them asunder. 1t might be
said that they cannot consolidate now on
account of constitutional obstacles.
Granted, for arguments sake. But that
vast extent Of land was consolidated once
in one great, solid mass, called the North
Western Territory. Why did il not re.
main consolidated Why was it cut up
into different Territories and States, since
their domestic interests were the same,
their local institutions the same, their
system of labor the same There was
complete uniformity. and yet the very
opposite of consolidation. All these
things remain essentially the same. And
do they desire to consolidate ? And is
it necessary to make half of them Slave
States in order to keep them asunder ?
1t is preposterous. But this example
shows that not Mr.. Lincoln, but Judge
Douglas must have entirely misconcei-
we'd the source from which our political
institutions spring.
That source is nothing else but the in.
stinct of self government animating oul
people. Why do we cut up our States
into counties and townships-even in
States in which the interests and domes-
tic affairs of the people are everywhere
quite uniform? For the simple reason
that the instinct Of self government de.
mands that all the functions of sover.
eighty which the people can exercise BY
direct action should remain in the hand:
of the people and that all political pow
er which cannot be exercised by that di-
rect action should be SO organized as tc
remain as near the original source OF
sovereignty as possible. This renders
necessary such divisions and local or
ganizations as will place the direct ad
mlnlstratlon Of the nearest home affairs
Immediately into the hands Of the peo-
pie. The affairs a little more remote in
general are intrusted 10 the State Gov
ernments, subject 10 the immediate con
trol Of the people: while the affairs OF
interests still more remote in general are
put into the hands Of the Federal Gov
ernment. This ramfcation. division.
and subdivision of political powea is car
ried out no less where there is a unifor-
nifty of domestic affairs and local insti.
tutions. than where there exists variety
II will remain such just as long as the
people insist upon administering these
affairs by as direct an exercise of sover-
eighty as possible and no longer. To
pretend that this ramitication of political
power into complex graduation of func-
tions cannot exist without there being a
variety of interests and domestic institu.
tons. would be TO say that the people
among whom there is no such variety
cannot be free; and that is a nonsense
which the merest schoolboy would
be ashamed of
But suppose. for argument sake, a var
iety OF interests were really so great and
indispensable prop and pillar of our
institutions of governments Judge
Douglas unacquainted with the differ
ence between manufacturing Massachu-
setts and Connecticut and commercial
New York-between mining Pennsylva.
mir and agricultural Illinois ? But that
variety does not seem To be sufficient
for the udge-there is still too much
uniformity in it. He insists that where
the doctrine Of uniformity is proclaimed
all the States must be free or slave-tha
all labor must be white or black" Our