The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-01-13
QUESTION FOR THE People.

The chief efforts of the Radicals in
Congress are directed against the old
Democratic doctrine of State Rights.
The Amendment to the Constitution lately
declared ratified by the required number
of States is interpreted to mean that Con-
gress shall absolutely fix the civil and
political status of the citizens of all the
States, the will or desire of any State to
the contrary Notwithstanding. This
leaves barely a ~prerogative which the
State or the people can claim for their
own domestic government. But, in order
that no stone of the whole State Rights
temple shall be left untouched and intact,
a still further amendment is proposed, by
which the whole structure Of our Gov
eminent shall be overturned, and in its
place shall be reared a strong, complete,
centralized, consolidated power. The
projected amendment, like everything
else destructive of the rights of the States
and the people, is a thing of Puritan in
vention and New England mould. 1t
proposes to entirely do away with the
present mode Of e%lecting the President
aud Wee President, and to substitute
therefor a form of popular election" in
which the voter casts his vote directly for
the candidates and not for Electors as at
present. The amendment. if ratified, will
simply be a machine for putting almos.
supreme power in the hands of the few
great States which have a very large
population and immense wealth; and for
reducing the smaller States to the condi-
ton of subject or tributary dependencies.
The farce of a Presidential election might
be formally gone through with every four
years, but the result would beas certainly
fixed beforehand as if the great States
possessed the absolute right of appointing
the two functionaries. The Amendment
already elasmed to be ratified, as inter
preted by the party in power, invests
Congress with the power to determine
who shall and who shall not be voters in
the various States. Congress IS not oh.
liged to pass a uniform law for all the
States, but it can make a different law fol
each State. Thus, in the States having
q large number of German or Irish adopt
ed citizens, likely to vote the Democratic
ticket, and also a considerable number Of
negroes, quite certain to vote the Adolf
ton ticket, Congress would divestthe nat
uralized citizens of the elective franchise
and invest the negroes with it. With
this power vested in Congress by the
Amendment declared to be ratified, the
election of a President and Vice Presi-
dent under the system provided in the
proposed Amendment-by direct popular
votes-would be simply a thing of ar.
rangcment on the part Of the men in
power. The admitted voters would be
allowed the barren privilege of casting
their votes, but only IN order that, there.
by, the form of an election should be
preserved, while the essence-the priv,
lege of the voters TO elect or to defeat
would be withheld from them. TIE
voice of Oregon in such an election would
be of less weight than the wish of Fred
Douglass.
1t behooves the people to reflect upon
this disposition of the party in power to
trample down State Rights and to repose
supreme, paramount power in the hand:
of Congress, If Congress is to be SUI.
preme in the matters already referred to
what powers or privileges are to be re-
served or allowed to the States? 1t is a
question which seriously affects every
voter and every resident. If Congress
may dictate to a State in the grave matter
of the elective franchise, it can dictate tc
the people as to whom they mast elect tc
public office. If Congress can decide
upon and fix the civil aud political status
of the people of a State, it can determine
and control the local domestic govern.
ment of the State. In short, if Congress:
shall have the paramount authority the
Radicals now contend for under the late
Amendment, there is actually no such
thing as a free State or a State Govern
ment in existence. To be free, a State
must have the right and power to manage
its own domestic affairs State Govern.
ment must be the means by which this
right and power is exercised. If Con
gress can control the State in any way il
pleases, of course the State is no longer
free, but subject-its people are not citi.
zens, but subjects. The thinking, honest
few among the Abolitionists, must see, on
reflection, that this overthrow of State
Rights by Congress is but another name
for the overthrow Of true republican gov
eminent, and the initial step to the cree.
ton of a monarchy or despotism, to be
welded by the men in power.