The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-10-12
FEDERALISM AND DEMOCRACY.

I but when any one asks his fellow citisens to
| elect him to an important public trust, his
published views become a legitimate subject
| of discussion. No apology, then, is neoessa-
~ for calling attention to letter over the
| signature of John M. Wilson, dated in 1862,
published in the ARGUS, at that time, and re-
Gently republished in the Union.
| In this letter Mr. Wilson repeatedly avows
himself democrat, and his sincerity Is not
questioned. But was he then oognizant of
the fact that the platform" upon which
| "our democratic leader, s. A. Douglas" was
nominated, asserted the following, vix:
"That the constitution of the United States,
having delegated to congress power to punish
treason, counterfeitlng the securities and current
coin of the United States, piracies and ielones
committed the high seas, and offences against
the laws of nations, and other crimes Uhaterer,
and 1t being true, as general principle, and one
OF the amendments to the constitution having also
declared that 'the powers not delegated TO the
United States by the constitution, nor prohibited
by 1t to the states, reserved 10 the states
spectIvely, or to the people;' and that no power
over the freedom OF religion, freedom OF speech,
| or freedom of the press being delegated to the
United States by the constitution, nor prohibited
by to the states all lawful powers respecting the
same did OF right remain and were reserved to the
| states or the people; that thus was manifested
| their determination to retain to themselves the
right OF judging how far the licentuousness of
speech and OF the press may be abridged without
|
| abuses which cannot be separated from their use
should be tolerated rather than the be destroy
ed; and thus, also they guarded against all abrdge
ment, by the United States, of the freedom of re-
| lgous principles and exercises, and retained to
themselves the right of protecting the same: And,
that, IN addition to this general principle and
press declaration, another and more special pro-
vision has been made by one of the amendments to
| the constitution, which expressly declares that
congress shall make no laws respecting an estab-
li-hment OF religion, prohibiting the free exer-
else thereof, or abrldgIng the freedom OF speech,
or OF the press thereby guarding, in the same SEN
| tence, and under the same words, the freedom of
religion, OF speech, and of the press, nsomuch,
| that whatever violates either throws down the
| sanctuary which covers the others and that Ii
bells, talsehood and defamation, equally with her
esy and false religion, withheld from the cogni-
zance OF federal tribunals; that, therefore, the act
of congress, passed on the .4th OF July, 1898,
titled AN act IN addition to the act entitled An
act the sedItion law for the punishment of certain
| crimes against the United States which does
abrdge the freedom OF the press, is NOT LAW, but
Is altogether VOID AND Oh NO FORCE
The above quotation is longer than ! would
| like to introduce here, but it is to the point.
1t is 1.-THE great doctrine fthe tdtherS"-ths
| democratic fathers" and from the pen of
| MIR. Jefferson. But Mr.. Wilson, though he
says IL am a democrat" will mot be driven
from principle and patriotism" princi-
| plies and patriotism of reviviied federalism
! winch lnnuTes uleu IN dungeons IN VlOlutlOn
of 1.-The great doctrine of the fathers" which
he ignores, either from It's uncOngeniality, or
from his want of having the fact of it's being
''the doctrine OF the fathers" placed before
| him, And here the solution OF the question
as to Mr.. Wilson's apostasy is easily settled.
| If MIR. Wilson knew that the above quoted
| great doctrine Of the fathers was passed by
the Kentucky legislature in 179S, against the
| Alien and Sedition Laws" as we'll as nu-
meroUs other and much stronger resolutions
! by both Kentucky and Virginia, were what
| the democratic convention at Cincinnati, in
1856, re-adopted "as constituting one of the
main foundations OF It's political creed" then
he has apostatised from tina democratic faith
and your charge of this, fact, Is estab-
| lished. On the other hand if Mr., Wilson
was lot aware as | truly believel of this
great doctrine of the fathers" which was
| thus referred to and re-adopted at Cincinnati
then clearly the charge of his being an apos-
tate from the democratic faith is untounded
and inapplicable. And if Mr.. Wilson was
not posted on the question of what the Ken.
| lucky and Virginia resolutions really did
claim to be the true nature of our federal
| system, it was his misfortune and not his
! fault. Thousands of democrats never saw
much less read, these resolutions though
| they have been the acknowledged text book
| of the party for over half century.
The principles advanced In Mr.. Wilson's
letter satisfy me that he never did believe In
1.-The great doctrine of the Democratic faith
ers," but that his natural prOclivity i'm per-
ceptibly impelled him in the opposite direc-
ton. He says: The president is our APP
pointed Judge, and when his mandate has
gone forth every man IL bound to obey
This is unqualified claim for unbridled
despotlsm In those we used to view the
servants of the people. The "mandGte"must
be obeyed, right or wrong, for Mr.. Wilson
asks: Should stop and enquire about
the strict letter of the consultation ?" One of
the fathers" whom all democrats venerate
said: Free government is founded in jeal-
ousy and not IN confidence /; il is jealously
and not confidence which prescribes limited
constitutions to bind down those whom we
are obliged to trust with power" Even
President Lincoln once admitted that 1.-THE
people were his masters" but Mr. Wilson,
ANXIOUS to exhibit his fawning subserveucy
to abolitionism, aud not content that the pres
ident should be merely 'cOmmau6er-in-chief.'
iatters President Lincoln by the bold and
startling announcement that he is our "sU-
PRExE GENERAL" ''the appointed Judge"
Judge of what p whose mandate every man
is bound to obey" That this mandate" of
the president 1.-THE invention of Mr.. Wilson
prolific genius In behalf of abolitiOnism) is,
in fact only q less startling and honey
tongued name for the Russian UKAsE-an
imperial order having the force of law, is
proved in his next sentence. viz: 81 care not
what the measure is, if it the measure be-
comes necessary TO crush the rebellion"
This doctrine of presidential mandates" to-
tally eclIpses the presidential ''order" author
lied by the 'alien law" OF 179S,-a usurpa.