The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-12-01
Generalization.


Generalization.
Tha r;a,rs ond the traditions of the two great
nar,ias lao5 them to take directly opposite po-
s,+;ons IN respect to the proper sphere Vi Tue
.o, government 1t is part OF the he
s',,h,;oon nolicv to have a strong national gov
sa,t which without absorbing the power
80 ,ooa1 LEGISLATION in merely local matters,
sholI he adequate to all the exigencies of our
national existence. One feature of this policy
is to give so liberal construction to the grants
of power to the general government as shall
make these grants effective by allowing rea-
sonable scope in the choice of means. Anoth-
er feature is to provide checks upon the States
in case they shall exhibit tendency to trans
cend the bounds of justice. The object OF TINS
policy is to make us in fact as well as IN name
nation whose power shall be USED 10 project
the humblest of its citizens, not merely against
the foreign invader, but against the domestic
oppressor. Every State is TO be allowed to de-
yelep freely in all lawful ways. 1t is not the
freedom but the RIGHTEOUSNESS of State legis-
lation that is to be repressed. 1t has ever
been,on the other hand, the policy of the DEM
ocratic party to contract as far as possible
tuC spAClO VI thC SChCtdi SONCihhhOh' "h~ w
defy state rights. Before the formation of our
present constitution as well as ever since, pub
lie opinion was similarly divided Then the
question was not what should be the charac-
ter of the national government, but whether
there should be any national government at
all. 1t was then the policy of those whose
views the present Democratic party in great
measure inherit, to oppose the formation of a
national government. How bitterly some of
them opposed the adoption of the constitution
IL we'll known to those who have studied the
history of those times. Defeated in this it be-
came their policy to realize as far as possible
under the constitution the impotence of the
general government under the Confederation.
The Democratic party has ever been true to its
traditions and one of the subjects of party
strife has always been the place which the
general government should occupy in our po-
litical system.
So permanent an effect demands cause
equally permanent. The cause producing diff
ferences of opinion so lasting must be some
permanent difference in mems temperaments,
and modes Of thought. If we mistake not, this
is in a disguised form the old struggle be-
tween radcalism and conservatism. The rad
ical party, by which we mean the party that
was in general favorable to innovations, sought
to make the general government the organ
for carrying out its measures and was thus
predisposed to such view of the powers in.
trusted to that government as should make it
an efficient organ. The conservative element
finding its proper sphere in resistance, favor
ed the dispersion of power in the State gov
60 A.
tion The concentration of power so much de-
sired by the party of inovations, was what the
conservatives with their views Justly had the
greatest reason to dread.
The practical question is which policy is
the safest and most conducive to the general
welfare. Is liberty endangered by having
strong general government? Is not this a
government "of the people, by the people and
for the people?" Would the disunited frag-
ments of our nation be likely to possess more
wisdom and patriotism than the united whole?
Fortunately the trainers of the constitution
gave negative answer to this interrogatory.
Besides arming the general government with
powers commensurate with its responsibilities,
they placed restraints upou the States like
the following: "No State shall enter into any
of marque land reprisal; coin money; emit
bills of credit; make anything but gold and
silver coin tender in payment of debts; pass
any bill of attainder, er post tacto law, or law
impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant
anv title of nobility"
Our fathers saw danger in a very different
quarter. Reason and history taught them
that the danger which most threatened the
federal government was not tyranny in the
head buf anarchy among the members. No
less than four numbers of the Federalist are
devoted to celebrating this idea and to en-
forcing it by reference to numerous historic
examples. Lack of space will not permit us
to make any extract that would do justice to
their reasoning. 1t is only by perusal at
length that the merit of these mastery writ
ers can be appreciated. Untaught by these ad-
monitions, unconvnced by the later exposi-
tions of such statesmen as Marshall and Web
ster the Democratic party persisted in its
efforts to contract the sphere of the national
government until their decentralizing policy
eliminated perhaps unintentionally on the
part of some in an attempt at denationaliza
ton. Events teaching more impressively
than arguments, have vindicated the sagacity
of our fathers in foreseeing this;source of dan
ger to the Union, and their wisdom in making
the government strong enough to protect it.
self They could not then insert a provision
in the constitution to prevent State from
making unjust discrimination in respect to
the rights which its citizens should enjoy.
Public opinion was not then ripe for a guar
antee of equal rights to ALL 1t was thought
tyranny to prevent a State from tyrannizing
over portion of its people, Bitter has been
the fruit of this neglect. Dire the conse.
quepces of tolerating Estate sovereignty"
when used to support injustice. Let the chill
dren finish the work which the fathers had to
leave unfinished. Let the right to disfran-
chise citizen cease to be State right. Con-
servatism will call it GENERALIZATION" But
there is no danger from that source. 1t is
anarchy, not Capitalization that is most to be
feared. Our system is too nicely balanced
ever to consolidate. The guarantee of equal
rights is needed to complete our nationaliza-
ton. II would be entirely in keeping with
the other restraints placed by the constitution
upon the States. In the solar system the mu-
ual attraction of the planets upon one an
other would draw them from their orbits and
produce general confusion, did not the supe-
rior gravitating power of the central sun
counterfeit these perturbations, and keep the
orbs in their places So in our political sys-
tenn confusion will exist unless the general
government-our central sun-have power
not only to maintain its own place, but also to
awe into harmony the discordant, disorganiz-
ing legislation of the States
Meeting of Presidential Electors.
To-day our seven electors of President and
Vice-Presdent assemble in the Senate cham D..
Der at Augusta, fill any vacancy that there