Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-04-28
WHOLE NUMBER 36S.

over the money and currency of the
country. During the war the coUn-
Try was virtually one vast military
camp, and the writ of HdJCrs coJ71,is
being suspended, our DeODIe eyev-
where were substantially under mar
tial law and national autb0ritv--
1t is not surprising that the national
machine acquired such momentum. I'M
der these circumstances, that it was
hard to stop it when the war ceased.
Aside from the great increase of the
power and patronage of the General
Government, and the MULTIPLICATION of
offices unayOidably incident to the war.
and resulting from the legacy of debt
and sTuctured difficulty and embarrass-
ment which it had left the country. If is
quite apparent that there is at present
existing in the public mind growing
disposition to look to the General Gov
ernment rs the great source Of power
and fountain OfpriVilege and dispenser
OF 0enehts, and to urge upon the national
authorities the extension of the sphere of
Its legislative action much beyond its
former limits. Congress is Drnssod wifi,
applications to induce the Government
to embark in new schemes and pufpr-
prlses OF internal improvement, to grant
special privileges or subsidies, and TO
create new occasions for the eXDpnditrrp
OF public money or other appropriations
OF the public property to private Uses
These applications seek Congressional
legislation upon many subjects hereto
fore regarded as peculiarly within the
domain of State legislation,
The evident tendency of these aDpli-
cations to Congress, and the necessary
consequence Of granting them, would
be to divert power from the States and
greatly increase the number Of national
officers and the power and patronage Of
the General Government Before the
war, for instance, it was scarcely sup
posed by any among the statesman or
public men of this country, that Con-
gress had power to grant charters of in
corporation, except to citizens Of the
District Of Columbia, or where the OD-
eTaGlOnS OF the cOpOratiOns were to be
carried on within that district. Except
the charter of the Bank of the United
States, granted in 1861, and the charter
for the second Bank of the United States
granted in 1916. Congress had not be-
fore the war, granted charters for any
private corporation, aside from those
granted as above stated, for the District
Of Columbia.
The right of eminent domain was uni
versally regarded as vested in the States,
and except in the Territories where the
General Government owns the soil, the
title to land could not, according to the
received opinion of the country, be ac-
quired by the National Government for
forts, naval stations, or other national
purposes, except by purchase, with the
consent Of the State Legislatures. The
received doctrine Of the country was,
that the National Government was one
Of special and enumerated powers, and
that all powers not delegated in express
terms, or by necessary implication, were
reserved to the States or people. It is
doubtless true, that in the interest of
! State right, the Constitution was form
! erly construed too strictly, i'll some par
| ticulaTs, and the logic of the war has,
unquestiOnably and most properly, mod
| flied the views of most of our citizens in
| respect to the powers of the General
| Government, in favor of the national
! interests.