Weekly New Oregon plain dealer. (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1866-1867, 1867-03-15
NEW OREGON HOW ARD COUNTY, IOWA MARCH IS 1867

It. may DO that it has fall.
en- to the lot Of America to bt
travelling backward now, instead o.
going forward, and that. for SOME
good purpose Of his own, the AL
mighty has raised up this Jacobir
party as a punishment for our Of
fences as a nation-the punishmen,
to go on until we, TOO, are Helots,
and Slaves, and Serfs. 1t really
looks now as if to that conclusion it
would come at last. TN. Y. Ex.
Our Form Of Government.
When the Colonies dissolved their
connection with Great Britain, the
sovereign power devolved upon the
people of this country. The people
of each State formed or adopted con-
| stitutions with more or less power.
Some States invested their Govern
ments with entire sovereignty, others
with limited powers. During the
war of the Revolution the States
took part Of the powers of gen.
cral nature from their State consti-
tutions, and, with them, formed a
confederate Government for the
thirteen States. to enable Congress
to carry on the war and form treat
les with other nations; the States
retained the power over commerce
and taxation; Congress supplied the
public Treasury by quotas on the
States. This mode of supplying
the Treasury proved inefficient, and
led to the formation of the present
Constitution on the basis of the
confederation. The only essential
powers that were added were those
over commerce and taxation, the
government of territories, the dis
position"of the public land, and a
national judiciary-the Government
being made to have national oper-
alton. Why did the people of the
several States divide the powers Of
sovereignty between the stwo Gov
ernments? The history of the times
shows that it was done from con-
viction that a single national Gov
ernmcut was unsafe, md would prove
hostile to liberty; that a single Gov
nment for country of such extent
and diversity of interest must be
invested with SO much energy as
would lead to despotism. The peo-
pie of the several States divided
these powers, which they thought fit
to delegate, between the two Gov
ernmcnts in such manner as to adapt
them to the respective ends for which
they were designated. The State
GOVERNMENTS were intended to pro-
tect the rights Of their members
within tAeir respective limits from
injuries without force. The Gener-
al Government was intended to
protect the rights of the citizens Of
all the States from internal and
external force, and upon the ocean.
The people of each State, Ill relation
to the State Governme ent, arc to be
considered in separate, federal or
political capacity as citizens of that
particular State of which they are
members: and in relation to the
General Government they arc to be
considered in an aggregate or nation
al capacity as citizens Of the United
States. The rights and interests
of the people in one capacity are
not opposed to their rights and in
terests in their other capacity. but
are in perfect harmony. What is
necessary for the security of their
liberties in one capacity is necessary
in the other. The safety of the
people in both capacities depends Oh
the preservation of each Govern
ment within it's proper limits. The
only opposition IN this case is be-
tween those who wish to deprive the
States of their power and those who
wish to prevent it-between those
who wish to disturb the present al
justment of powers between the two
Governments and those who arc
opposed to it-betwcen those who
wish to transfer a part of the power
of the States to the General Gov
ernment and those who wish to
retain it.