The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-04-20

. Friday Morning, April 20, 1865.
The Issue.

The Issue.
The Nashville Union and American
has done the country good service
in discussing the question ut issue
now between tho executive and legis-
lativeSe branches of the Federal Go
vernment 's'The fear is, that this
!, disagreement may lead to conflict
which viii shake again the pillars of
the Government - -
The whole question is ia a'nut-
she'll Tho vital question ut issue is
the relation, under the Constitution,
which the States hold to the Federal
Government. From the date of the
: adoption of the Constitution, there
: have been variant opinions upon this
subject, and parties have mustered
and prevailed OF failed, according to
circumstances, under the two theories.
A class of great political thinkers
have contended that the provisions of
the Constitution gave the General
Government great scope OF powers
over. all subjects which Governments
are erected for; another, equally great,
have contended that one of the chief
purposes Of a written chart of organic
law was the limitation of the powers
OF. the General Government to GER
tain specified objects, and that the
great mass of governmental power
was reserved to the several States.
Incidental causes and questions Of
local interest have, from time to time,
made the leaders and the followers Of
either set of opinions rush to extremes.
The protection of an institution pc
cuiiar to one section of the country,
led to an extravagant assertion of the
doctrine OF State sovereignty. 1t re-
celved its corrective in the result of a
terrible civil war, and we think it
safe to predict that long period will
elapse before it will ever be re-assert-
ed to the same extent. But, in
overcoming the centrifugal force of
this doctrine, a dangerous centripe-
tai tendency has been set up, which,
If not checked, will lead to results as
lnlmlcal to peace and the safety of
the Government under the Constitu-
ton as did the doctrine of absolute
State sovereignty. The question
now is, shall the States have and
enjoy their true and constitutional
powers, or shall the General Govern
ment absorb and assume sovereignty
over all subjects. The Freedmen's
Bureau bill, the civil rights bill, and
the drift and object of the many
amendments to the Constitution
which have been presented to Con
gress, are parts Of this great centri-
petal and consolidating movement.
A majority of both Houses of Con-
gress seem to look in this direction.
The President having opposed, in
1861, the one extreme, to-day equally
opposes the other. Neither are right.
The Constitution SO declares, and the
President proposes to make good its
declarations.
We subjoin extracts from jefferson:
In q. letter to Major John Cart
wright, an Englishman, juno 5, 1924.
Mr.. Jefferson said: "With respect to
our State and Federal Governments,
| do not think their relations correct
ly understood by foreigners. They
generally suppose the former subor-
dinate to the latter But this is not
the case. They are coordinate de-
partments of one single and integral
whole. To the State Governments
are reserved all legislation and adj
ministration in affairs that concern
their own citizens only; and to the
Federal Government is given what
ever concerns foreigners or citizens
OF other States; these functions alone
being made federal. The one is the
domestic, the other the foreign branch
OF the same Government, neither
having the control of the other, but
with its own department. There are
one or two exceptions only to this
partition of power.
10 Judge johnson, June 10, 1923.