Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-21
GOV. PAI,MER ON STATE RIGHTS

lie teuefal SONeTnuntHI 10 OHe
of enumerated powers. 1t is essen
tial to the usefulness Of the State
governments that their just authority
should be respected by that of the
nation. Already the authority of
the States is in measure paralyzed
by a growing conviction that all
their powers are in some sense deri-
vative and subordinate, and not
original and independent. The
State governments are q part of the
American system of government.
They fill a well-defined place, and
their just authority must be respec-
tOSl by sl-~. EA.l~.->i-eyArarnm if it
is expected that their laws will no
obeyed. A frequent recurrence to
the fundamental principles of gov
eminent is essential to civil liberty,
and in this view / have thought it
proper to invite your attention to
these subjects"
We say remarkable passage"
not because the truths contained
therein are either new or strange,
but because the party ofwhich Cow
Palmer is an honored and honorable
member has for eight years repudi-
ated and trampled them under foot.
Previous to 1860 the enunciation
of such sentiments would have
created no more surprise, and oeca-
stoned no more remark, than an
announcement that the world was
round, or that the waters of the Mis-
sissippi flowed into the Gulf of
Mexico. But since that time these
sentiments have become very I'M
fashionable, and the expression of
them in public frequently very dan
gerous. More than one citizen
of the great State over which
Gov. Palmer has been called to
preside tasted the sweets of drum
head court and a military prison, for
indulging in just such declarations
as his excellency has now proclaim
ed in the presence of assembled
thousands. Then the merest allusion
to the existence of State Rights was
branded as treason" and placed
the speaker under a political and
social ban sufficiently stringent to
convince him that free speech in a
free country was little better than a
stupendous farce. In those dark
days, when it required no ordinary
courage TO advocate this doctrine
when it was literally crushed beneath
the armed heel of arbitrary and ir-
responsible power, and its friends
whispered with bated breath: in
those days We never heard that Gov.
Palmer ever lifted up his voice, or
entered single protest against the
encroachments which he now pro
fesses TO view with so much dread.
1t would have cost something to
have stood forward in defence of the
right then-it is cheap and easy to
do SO now. But we are not dis
posed TO be hypercritical in the mat
ter, and therefore simply remind the
distinguished gentleman whose ut
terances we have quoted, that the
Democracy Of his State and the De
mocracy Of the nation indorsed these
views before he was born, and will
indorse them after he is dead. They
are the soul and essence of our form
of government, and, when finally
and forever abandoned by the Ameri-
can people, the republic virtually
ceases to exist. And it is one Of the
surest evidences of the vitality OF
these fundamental principles, that a
Radical Governor, addressing the
Radical Legislature of a Radical
State, is forced by his honest con-
victions of duty to give them his
official sanction. Gov. Palmer
sees with alarm the advancing strides
of consolidating despotism which
threaten to obliterate the boundaries
and the rights of sovereign com.
monwealths, and merge all in the
grasp of central empire. He points
out the danger, he strives to avert
it. We hope tits not too late, but i
the day of salvation has gone by, i
the wheels Of revolution are destined
to roll on and destroy the last yes
tige of our liberties, he must remem
Der that the stain OF this preciOu.
blood clings to the skirts of tina
party whose chosen champion he is
NORTHERN SYMPATHY WITH
"RkBELS-"
The New York Times Republican
makes this point
1t is little curious to observe will
what intense delight we hear of a rebel
lion against any government, no matte
what it is, OF where it is, SO it b
not our own. We don't stop to inquir
into the objects Of the revolt, its motive
/. or chances Of success, OF whether it j
likely to benefit or ruin those who en-
gage in it. If it is only rebellion agains
a government, that is all we ask. II ha
all our sympathies-sll our good wishe
all the help we can give it without get
ting into trouble ourselves. The Fe
mans in Ireland-the handful of Cretan
starving in hopes of overthrowing tn
Turkish Government-the Spanish Lib
erals overthrowing the monarchy, an
now the Cubans rebelling against tn
Spanish Eberals-they all have the syn
pathy and encouragement of our peOpl
The prevalent idea with us on this subie.
seems to be that all government is ba
and ought to be OveTthrOwn, and that "
are bound by our principles our tr;
81 o,,r a. 4. a.