The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-06-28
A "Perturbed Spirit.

"a make (l,c spirit OF dEFFERsoN hdSeH' "
shade of the departed statesman, II itSp
.,;,tca to revisit the walks that kne" MN
IN tho flesh, must be awfully grievcd al sne
,,t,.r Illustration Of his theories anu Ills
homes. Yet what can the poor sfiaoe oo
hut fill the forest wind with its sad plants
And what are they to the stripes ana
stars" and swords and bayonets ana lio"-
clads OF the new political dispensatlon
Tho nowspaper called the Spirit OF JcJ-
fe,son inycichs against the Dispatch for as
s,r,,,c that State-rights, as understood by
Jefferson and his disciples are dead, never
70 revive in this country. 1t makes 10
argument and offers no fact TO galnSay our
nosition. 1t is printed in town in part
of the Union violently wrestcd from the
State of Virginia, against the Constitution,
and in defiance Of the right of the State
and what remedy is there! The supreme
Court of the United States has sustained
the outrage. The Government always con-
trolls The courts in issues about governmental
authority. The judges are the creatures OF
the Government. No wonder the OLD states
rights men could never consent TO trust
the rights of the States to their decision
This fact is enough. Virginia Is cut IN
twain and can't help herself. II there Is
mower to divide her there is equal power 10
DESTROY her and annihllate her name rs well
as her authority.
The two great parties into which the
country was divided in the beginning OF
this century differed upon the question
which was at tue bottom Of the late war:
the power OF the Federal Government.
The State-rights party maintained that LII
all questions between a State and the red
eral Government the State was the Judge,
and might choose the remedy for any al
legged inlraction of its rights by the Federal
authority. The Federal party" assumed
that the Federal Government had the
powerto "protect ITSELF and to hold the
Union together. They pointed to the Fed
eral Supreme Court as the proper arbltcr :;
which was rejected by the States-rigbts
men, rs being part of the Federal Gov
eminent itself, and therefore, upon the
principles of justice, incompetent to de-
eide.
The question WAS between >ubordinatlne
the Federal Government to the States and
subordlnating the States TO the Federal
Government One side said the Federal
Government thus subordinated could not
protect itself and would be contemplate
for its ineficiency. The other said that the
independence Of the States was essential to
their protection from the tyranny of CEN
tralizcd de>potsm, and equally essential for
the preservation of personal liberty.
The issue WAS powerfully contested, and
in the great battle Of 1900 was decided in
favor of the Statc-liyhts or JetftrSonian
party. But even that party had within its
army distinguished men who were ready to
make concessions, which, according to JET
FERsoS and to CALHOUN, were fatal. Mr..
MADISON, who was the author of the reSo-
lutions of $3.50, WAS the leader of
this party. He was profoundly i'm
pressed with the idea that the
remedy was in the popular voice CT the
"people Of the States," and this was
nothing less than the "power of num-
bers" in "the United States" than which
nothing could be more fatal to the JEFFER-
rights. Both saw that the moment the
right Of a State TO take its own coarse and
determine for itself the extent of 4 wrong
and the measure OF redress demanded for
its protection was denied the whole qlleS-
ton Of the right Of that State as Il party to
the compact of Union was surrendered.
MIR. MADISON always fought shy upon the
in irit of inf
ism, it must be supposed, lodged an issue
which he hoped might pass away by eva
sion. Mr.. RIyEs Gina letter which he wrote |
upon the eve Of the late wary no doubt |
fairly construed Mr.. MADIsoS's idea of the |
resolutions Of $3.50. His appeal spoken |
Of i'll those resolutions was to the people Of |
the United States, and he did not dream OF |
secession by State.
PATRICK HENRY, the prophet of the re- |
public, foreslw all that has happchcd-thc |
complete subsection Of the States to the |
centralized power in Washington, with I'LL !
the machinery of taxation and general op-
preston operated in every neighborhood ]
OF the whole Union by Federal officers, un-
der every sort Of agsravation and mortiGca- |
ton which power is ever ready to inflict. |
He took the alarm at the words eve, the |
people of the United States" in the Con-
stitution. The phrase was comprehensive, |
and no doubt that phrase was a strong
thread in the web of Nh MAD1soN's theory |
Of our Government.
And now the whole web OF States rights,
As understood by JEFFERSON and his fol-
lowers, is brushed away by force, and MAD
IsoN's idea of the supremacy OF the voice
OF the people Of al the States is established,
as the second age Of this nation. The fact
Is beyond question. The Union rs solid
and must so remain until the arrival of that
period of revolution in the future which
must certainly come. But it is the great
est of decisions to believe or to hope that
when that revolution comes 1t will estab-
lish confederary of independent States in
which the golden age Of JEFFERsoNIAS
State rights will be revived. That revolu-
ton will only be from one Government to
another that is stronger.
1t is idle to waste time in discussion or
lamentation over what is past, never to re- |
turn. Neither the spirit of JEFFERSON nor !
JEFFERSON DAVIS can bring that back. 1t |
is worse than vain to agitate the dead is |
sues. 1t is but to veX the country and pro- |
long the rule of men who were elevated to |
power amidst the tempest of war.
The Spirit Of Jefferson may complain OIL
the Dispatch, and it may pursue the iq,.ts
,,p t,ta ri, -,