Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1871-06-22
on, Thursday, June 22d,, Is7l
Drift to Empire.

ublican party, something more
than fifteen years since, for the
purpose OF acting upon a matter
which p~ertained entirely to State
jurisdiction. was the first result
of various innovations towards
naturalization. The New York
Express says: That party is the
F'edral party in "a new dress, and
acting tor more special and defin-
ate objects than its former self.
This new party could not help
being alike sectional, centralizing
ard despotic. Since the day Of
its birth, it has constantly adven-
ced in the definate direc len of
the ultimate establishment of an
empire yelled in guise of repub
lie. A cursory retrospect OF the
history of this party since it's &C
cession to power will confirm
this affirmation.
The spirit Of policy towards
The revolt occasioned by it's cas-
ual success in the political strug
gle of 1860, was from first to last
idential with the spirit of cenltfl-
ism. In the progress, also, ofthe
war kindled by this revolt, the
first opportunity was seized upon
with avidity to interfere with do
mestic jurisdiction ofthe States
Coucurrently with these meas
ures, nnder the plea of NECESSITY
the administration ofthe Natiou-
al Government vas of the most
arbitrary and rigorous character.
S;ince the expiration of the war,
the scheme of ction"
has been a stupendous outrage
upon State independence. The
State Government have partial
Iy been created, and the State
jurisdictions conferred by the
central government. They have
been set up and Knocked down
at pleasure; and, generally, the
people of the States thus handled
have been kept under absolute
military rule during the process.
Through the influence and under
the coercion ofthe General Gov
-ernment, i'll the hands of the Re
publican party, three distinct a.
mendments of the Federal Con-
stitution have been adopted,
which (without saying any
thing to their specific objects)
must be branded as powerfully
.centralizinc III their spirit and
bearing. Taking the advantage
OF the power given to enforce
these amendments by legislation,
Congress has enacted statutes
which iguore the fedral character
OF the Government, and go upon
the assumption that the central
authority may, upon any pretext,
eXelc else pow ers not delegated by
the Constitution, and invade the
jurisdiction of the State Gov
ernments. The most notable, az
we'll as the most recent, instance
of this kind are the Fedral Elect
ion aud Conspiracy (Ku-Klux)
ats. Those are most striking
and startling proofs of the tenden-
cy in question. The pretended
object of the first is to enforce
the Fifteenth Amendment, and
of the other to the Fourteenth
Amendments, Congress being EN-
nowered 10 enforce both of these
amendments by appropriate leg
islation." The Fifteenth guaran-
tees equal civil rights. Do these
acts constitute the appropriate
legislation" intended by these a
mendments? If they do, they
are unobjectionable on legal
grounds.
Legislation to enforce these a.
mendments, in order to be sappro-
priate," must be suitable or pro-
per; and in order to be suitable
or. proper, it must not only be
suited to enforce these parts of
the Constitution, but it must be
in harmony with the fundamen-
tai principles and leading oPjects
of that instrument-it must not
contradict and defeat those prin-
ciples and objects. But 1t Is a
conclusive subsection to those
acts OF Congress, that they do
thus contradict and defeat those
fundamental principles aud lead
.ug objects. The Co stitutioa
establishes a Fedral Government,
which has no other powers than
hose delegated by that instru-
inent. and it does not delegate
to that Government either the
r,ower to regulate suffrage in the
States, or the power to punish
,rimes commtten in Stats, except
N certain enumerated cases.
One OF these acts undertakes to
regulate suffrage in the States,
lnI the other undertakes to pun
Ish crl,ues committed in the
not enumerated III the
J)nstitution. They p oceed up
d. the assumption THAT the Gen
cral Covenant is IL centralized
one, possessing powers not cons
f,,rrrd by the Charter OF Union.