The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-06-13
THE LIMITATIONS OF STATE AND
FEDERAL sOvEREIGNTY.

THE LIMITATIONS OF STATE AND
FEDERAL SOVEREIGNTY.
Involved and intricate are the many Que.-
tions which the attempted secession of por-
Hon ofthe States has put in issue in reconstrue-
ton. Many of these questions will be def.
nitely settled by the result of the rebellion
even though they find no place in parchment ;
though they become expressed guarantees in
no Constitution or bill of rights, State or
Federal. In 1912 the United States went to
war with England because the latter claimed
the right Of impressment. and after three
years OF war the United States made peaee
with England end In the treaty said nothing
about the subject of impressment Yet was
it settled by the result of the strife, and be-
tween the two Governments the cuest;on Will
srise no more. Britain has no written Con.
sttution, but her people will understand the
Constitutional rights of Englishmen and are
quick to discover and resent any infraction
of the Constitution by the royal Govern
ment
The relative rights and powers Of the States
and the Federal Government should be clear
~ defined, if not in written Constitutions. at
least In the Just apprehension of all the peo-
pie as one of the results of the war; The
rebel chiefs may or may not have been hon
est IN their professed belief that State has
the right to withdraw from the Union. AT
any rate they made a large section Of the
country believe it. The South was ready te
lake up arms In defence OF the right and
Democracy found no power in the Govern
ment to repel the doctrine. no power to CO.
cree a State Even Radical thinkers like
Mr.. GRseiy could not see, but that if ma
jori,y of the people of State deliberately
resolved to forego the advantages of Union
and withdraw themselves from it they had q
right to do 1t. Here then is a radical defect,
If not in the Government at least in the def
milton of the Governments power. There is
nc safety for tic RspuLiic while in popular
conviction there is divided allegiance due
es between the State and Federal Govern
ment.
Never In all history was there revolution.
ary movement of a people SO fraught with
evil to the State as was the confederate re-
belion. The safety of Government is in
the affections of its people. Vain are writ
ten Constitutions, vain the clearest and full
est enuncation of the functions of Gov
ernment ana OF the rights OF a people un-
less the life of the Government is interviewer
with the affections and life of the people.
When the VIZ of 81 ID
said the bubble Of Democracy had bursted,
the great American Republic was no more.
Our press and platform speakers re,orted
that England history was marked all along
the years by civil war, by revolutions. It is
true tlt they were not civil wars, no; revolt
tons, such as ours. Under the Norman line
from that headed by Edric, the Forester, on
wards were repeated insurrections. But from
the insurrectioa of the barons under John
which extorted Magma Charta unto the reyo-
luton of 'ss, during all those centuries
through the long wars Of the Roses. through
civil connections and domestic disturbances
there was no such ihsurrectionary movement
as that of the Southern shareholders. Eng.
been to change the administration. it was
left to slsyeholding democracy to become
so lost to patriotic instincts as to iuaugurate
civil war aimed at the very life of the State
Patriotism is at once the greatest and least
virtue Of a people. Rome had ambitious
and selfish politicians, but they could not
make the Roman people their allies in move
ments against the integrity or the glory Of the
worlds mistress. Instructive as the love of
life among all people and every nation is
patriotism. There was cause why the major
portion of eight millions of Americans should
so sink below barbarians in the virtue Of.
patriotism that they should seek not to over
throw an administration, but to disrupt their
country; not to redress political wrongs, but
to destroy their Government.
The American people are In the common
traits Of humanity not different from their
fellows. If by the late rebellion the South
ern people showed the world an anomaly; il
they Offset the individual parrioide Of other
nations BY furnishing whole confederacy Of
parricdes it was because they had been
taught false theory of our Government,
because they had tried to learn divided al
! legiance The doctrine Of State rights made
traitors and parricides. It is the crime Of
Democracy that it has fostered and still fos-
ters the doctrine. There is no safety to the Re
public until the people learn to know and to
love the supremacy Of the Federal Govern.
ment. They cannot serve two masters. The
relations Of State and General Government
must be clearly defined in popular concep-
ton, and all sections must learn that devo-
ton to the latter 10 the test Of patriotism.
The war has dsns much 70 establiah this tsuth