The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-01-11
4nlrulond 4ispatfh.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IL, 1889.
TOO Late.

Commenting upon Senator sHERxAs's
speech In che Senate in favor Of chartering
several new companies to construct rail-
roads lesding from Washington city to We
rious pefnts In the country, the New York
World speaks as follows:
!" bat canals are Channels OF commerce az
well as railroads and IL the Federal Govern
monopolies in the latter, they may also in the
former Now, what would the citizens OF New
York say TO the proposal OF a bill in Congress
: for the construction OF a new canal, undsf
Federal auspices, To run side by side with the
Erie canal I HAS Congress the right TO DE.
stroy In this manner the value Of our pubic
works and deprive the State Of the means 9.
reimbursirg their COST II undoubtenIy BE .ha
this right IL has the right 70 .ss
The World goes on to argue that Congress
has not the right Of eminent domain within
the limits Of the several States. 1t declares
thar this Is not among the powers granted
by the States to the Federal Government,
and therefore still resides in the States and
not only 30, but that it is utterly inconsist-
emit With that clause Of the Federal Consti-
tuition which provides that Congress shall
shave power - to exercise like
" authority over all places purchased By the
" consent Of the Legislature OF The State
tn ,chich the same shall be for the erection
"of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards,
and other needful buildings"
We referred the New York Tribune to
this fact when. q week or two ago, 1t as
serted that Mr.. REvRDY JOHNSON had dis
graced himself in giving it as his opinion
that any State could grant agood charter
to an Atlantic cable company authorizing
them to land their cable upon its shores.
The Worlds new theory is sound one.'
1t squares exactly with what southern
statesmen always held to be the true doc
trins on tho subject. But isn't 1t little
too late now to preach such doctrines
Hasn't the Federal Government monopo-
lied all the powers Of the States? Has
any State any right If Virginia may be
placed under military government, and all
her officers be appointed by commanding
General, and ell her taxes be paid into the
hands Of oarpet-baggers and scalawags, and
oil her own people be disfranchised and
disqualified, in arrogant contempt Of the
Constitution, why should the land Of New
York OF. Pennsylvania be held sacred Is
the right Of eminent domain 30 much more
sacred than the right to civil liberty, the
right to govern ourselves in our own way,
the right to life, or any other of the rights
Of person, that that will be respected by
the central despotism whilst these are
trampled under foots We think not.
There is but one power left in this coun-
try. The States are numbered among
the things that were. They are help
less, lifeless, dead as JULIUS CESAR.
They WELD but barren sceptre. They
are mere skeletons. The flesh has been
stripped from their bones. The Federal
Government is all in all. 1t can make and
unmake States. It, which soas the crea-
ture of the States, is noaD the creator Of
States. It made the bastard State of West
Virginia in fsgrant violation Of the Con-
stitution! It unmade the State of Virginia
with the same contemptuous disregard of
that instrument. To ask whether govern
ment which thus makes and unmakes the
States themselves has the right Of eminent
domain within the limits Of these its con-
temptible creatures, is to ask foolish ques-
ton. The war settled all such points. The
South was conquered by the North, but the
North also deprived herself of all her rights
and privileges under the Constitution when
she completed this fratrioidal and suicidal
drama. If !" Freedom shrieked when Kos
CIUzsKo fell, p, as the poet tells US she did,
we can imagine no good reason why the
North did not shrek when LEE surren-
dered; for KosclUzsKo and Freedom were
certainly not more closely allied than were
the rights Of the North and those Of the
South. $50 the struck, eagle stretched
upon the plain" &c., SO. We leave the
rest of the quotation to the World, which
now "views the fatal dart" in utter igno-
rance that the "boys in blue sent it on
its mortal errand. 2t@ +, 81, s,.,
1t does not surprise US to see now and
then northern mind waking up to the ac-
tual condition Of things in this country.
It must indeed be sad reflection to those
Of the northern people who have con.
sciences that they should have sacrificed
the lives of half million or more of their
best men, and hundreds Of thousands Of
ours, only to convert their own States into
mere counties and themselves into slaves.
Yet, deny it who will, that is the most pa
tent result Of the war. Population, bribery,
dishonesty of all sorts, lying, cheating,
stealing, and suoh like signs Of demorali-
cation, are also products Of that horrible
subjugation. But, We repeat, the one re-
suit which dwarfs all others by contrast is
the extinguishing Of the last vestige Of the
light Of civil liberty in this unfortunate
so-called g land Of the free" We ask the
World, "Where is the Promethean fire
that can that light relume -?
s-=@--=f ssrtc 4
Good Signs. -
IL a IL - =