The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1872-02-21
The Federal Government and
the States.

|
the result Of it, one thing is clear; the
interference Of the federal government,
in the affairs of the States produces no
good, and leads to unmeasurcd evils. In
Sonth Carolina, in Georgia, in Texas,
and now in Louisiana, the touch of its
hands has evoked only confusion and an
archy on the other side, where that IN
terposi,ion has been withheld, or re-
strained, as in Virginia, Missouri, and
Mississippi, the recovery Of the States
from the disorders Of the rebellion, and
their launch into the ways Of peaceful
progress and development has been most
rapid.
1t can not be too often repeated, nor
emphasized with too much force, that
the stability and usefulness Of our politi-
cal constitution depends entirely upon
the fidelity with which we observe its
peculiar characteristics. That cons'itu-
ton rests upon two Fundamental princi
plies, the sovereignty Of the centra! gov
ernment, in its sphere, and the indepcn-
dence Of the States, in their spheres;
and so long as those spheres are kept
intact, 50 long as the federal and the To-
cal jurisdictions are not confoundcd,
there will be a complete and beautiful
harmony in the working Of the system.
But let the States assume more than is
du. them, as they did in the planters
rebellion, or let the Union ASSUME more
than is due it, as now seems to be the
tendency at Washington, aud that har-
mony must be inevitably broken. The
seven years Of turbulence, outrage, and
disaster, which have accompanied the
several schemes Of reconstruction, as it
is called, are sad but impressive proof
of this text.
Our American idea Of government, if
it have any originality, any validity, any
value, consists in the balance it seeks to
preserve between local independence and
freedom and national unity. Had our
founders established more centralized
government, or had they adopted mere
state-league, they would have repeated
simply experiments many thousand
years old they would have added no.
thing to the experience of mankind, but
would have gone staggering on in the
| outworn methods Of Europe. They
had, however, q better inspiration than
any former example in their ardent love
OF liberty conjoincd to order, and BY the
unique structure which they devised, Of
a republic of republic, they went further
than any of the human race had yet gone
towards the realization of that liberty in
order which is the one hish problem Of
politics.
Tie result of the war against rebellion
has guaranteed the principle Of national
sovereignty for great many years to
come; it will not be questioned in our
generation, ut least. But the very war
which secured this principle has put the
other and counter principle in danger.
The great and formidable evil which now
menaccs US is the absorption Of the rights
and duties ard privileges of the States
by the central mael>trom. BY the rebel
lion the national life was threatened by
the perrersion Of State rights. The ma
tionaI sovereignty then became the cen
tire of popular loyalty. This sentiment
still survives with unwontcd vigor, and
causes the centralizing policy of the gov
ernmcnt to be regarded with indulgence
and even partiality. Advocates Of local
sovereignty and State independence, on
the contrary, arc urging course which
is not likely to arouse the popular en-
thu>iasrn. But it is just at this time Of
general indifference to the value Of local
government, and the prevalence OF the
national spirit, that the former idea is in
danger Of receiving irrenarabie injury.
Short sighted politicians, ignorant Of
the history of political ideas, think of a
principle of government only as a clause
more or less IN constitution. Such
men are capable Of tampcring with the
ideas on which the republic is founded
for the sake Of electing q candidate or
passing a bill But it dcrolvcs upon
| those who are statesmen and not politl-
clans, who arc patriots and not par'isans,
whose range Of vision transccndS the
limits Of an election district, and who
See beyond the term Of an Office, to ar.
rest L tendency so much the marc dan
gerouS as it is less patent t. superficial
observation.
The present frame Of our government
depends upon the prc-aIcncc of certain
political ideas among the people; it viii
be charged if ever, not by revolution but
by the decay of these ideas, and their
substitution by others. The danger,
therefore, of national interference i'll
State affairs, consists in (ami;iarizing the
people with a disregard and contempt for
local government, and not in the success
of the particular measures which the ad-
ninistIation uay be pursuing. We are
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