New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-04-16
A PLEA FOE STATES RIGHTS.


politicians has been most cruelty aban-
doned by its late supporters. Its friends
have turned their backs, one by one, upon
their cherished idol, and now it is left to
be taken care of by its opponents. None
of those who once SO fondly proclaimed
their devotion to the reserved sovereignty
of the States, and offered to spend their
lives and fortunes in resenting the inter-
ference of the general agency with the
right Of local government, are now so poor
as to do reverence to their ancient faith,
but on the contrary have not only deserted
its banner, but actually taken service in
the camp of its enemies. The Committee
of Fifty-one, whose members once wore
the proud title of defenders of the fallen
dogma, gave it fatal stab last winter by
formally demanding of the nation that it
should suppress under the heel of mill
tary authority the government Of Louisi-
ana. These gentlemen, pretending to rep
resent all that was left of the States Rights
party, and certainly representing them
selves as members of that party, solemnly
and authoritatively solicited the federal
authorities at Washington to take the
State and people of Louisiana into GUS
tody and give them into the hands of an
irresponsible military rule. Shades Of
Calhoun and Jefferson, behold how thy
followers misunderstood and abuse the
party which you established Shade of
Madison, of Hamilton, of Adams, of
Franklin, and of Washington, is this the
capacity for self-government that you as
serted mankind to be gifted with?
1t might be esteemed after this terrible
detection that the doctrine of local govern
ment was without friends, and that here
after it would be cast down and fall into
utter oblivion. Not SO. The men who
have thus deserted the principle were the
mere parasites of power, holding to it
while it was strong, and flying from it in
adversely as they do from everything else.
They are of that class who asserted the
equality Of all mankind and yet insisted
that an entire race was born to be made
slaves Of; they demand reform, not by at
lacking the evils of legislation or impair
ing their own morality, but by overthrow
ing an individual who has protected them
while they were too blind to protect them
selves. These are the sort of men who
follow the shadow and forget the sub
stance, not being able to wrestle with
realities
The right OF the people to establish
their own local government and to main
tain the same, is one that the most ultra
federalist never denied. The distinction
between the radical dogma announced by
the n1llfying Democrats and the conser-
vative followers of the Incompatible
Hamilton was this, that the former claimed
for each State the right to decide when the
confederation of States should be dis
solved, or to put it on the South Carolina
platform of Messrs Calhoun and Haynes
the nullifers protested that each State was
the sole judge as to when federal law was
and binding upon its citizens.
Out Of this declaration grew the political
that has been known for
years as the States Rights party. After
General Jackson administered the severe
lesson to South Carolina upon this SUBJ
ject, the party that was represented by Mr..
Calhoun continued to agitate for its cher
ished idea, and ultimately succeeded in
bringing about the rebellion of 1861 in
favor Of the right of the State to dissolve
the Union. The great civil war defeated
the fatal heresy, but it did not destroy its
influence. When the rebellion was sup
pressed the Democrats again entered the
field, and, while admitting that the doc
,rine of secession had been destroyed,
hey insisted that the State was still sover-
eign in regard to all her domestic affairs
They denied that the federal authority
could regulate the rights of citizenship or
hat she could exercise any control in the
natter of securing to particular class of
people the same powers and privileges that
belonged to the favorite classes. Upon |
this ground they were again defeated, the
nation triumphing over prejudice as it had
over treason.
The error in all these controversies
upon the side of the States rights party
vas that it omitted justice and right from
is platform of principles. In fact the
ollowers of that faith never understood
heir own doctrines This was proved by
heir support of slavery in free govern
nent, and by their assertion of the right
# one partner to disrupt an copartnership
without consulting his associates. And as
hey did not comprehend, so they feel no
lelicacy abont abusing these principles.
Jpon no other foundation can they rest a
License Of their recent effort to have the
state of Louisiana put under military rule
t the instance of mere executive officer.