Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1872-09-03
shall never be taken but on application of the


sion which Mr.. Justice Story valnly supposed
takes away every pretext for intermeddling
with the domestic concerns OF any State under
color of protecting it from domestic violence"
A vast body of criminal and civil jurisdiction is
vested exclusively in the Federal courts under
this law. By its authority Federal marshals,
supported by the Federal soldiery, ride the
country armed with blank warrants, and arrest
whom they will; terror drives the people from
their homes, and even from their States; num-
bers are hurried to distant jails, their families
unprovided for, and their crops exposed: par
tisan Judges and plant juries convict without
scruple, sometimes on the false plea of guilty
wrung from helpless fear; and numbers now
groan in northern penltentiaries under these
false and oppressive sentences, beyond the aid
or sympathy Of friends.
We desire that our canvassers will take these
laws along with them, and read and explain
them to the people. They carry their own COM
mentary with them. No better documents are
needed or can be had. To those we especially
appeal who revere the time-honored doctrines
OF the rights of the States There may come
time-God send it-when we will cease to speak
with bated breath of the ''powers Of local self
government, and in the language of treemen
assert the sovereign rights of the States. There
is natural reaction Of popular opinion from
violent extremes. Only few months elapsed
between the time when the people of England
were receiving in slavish submission from Parli-
ament, from the bench, from the pulpit, the
doctrine Of passive obedience and non-resist-
ance'' to the power Of Der Kings and the time
| when her constitution was placed by the revo-
| luton on the firm basis Of temperate and reg
| ulated freedom, where it has rested ever since.
Compare the depression Of spirit with which
| our own people permitted negro convention
| to frame for them scheme of political enslave-
ment and the grand reaction Of 1862 by which
they threw it off. This State rights doctrine
is true; and whatever else may perish, truth is
| indestructible. Though sown now In dishonor,
let us live in the faith of its joyful resurrection
| Some good people disquiet their souls because
of certain Incorporate expressions said to have
been used by Mr.. Greeley about the South in
the heat Of sectional controversy, and repel with
distrust the alliance of himself and his friends
who have abandoned the victorious and trium-
| plant Radical party and cast in their lot with
our party-the opposition. But ought the bit
ter words of Mr.. Greeley to weigh in the scale
OF judgment against the positive acts of his
rival-his established acts of venality, corrup-
ton, and oppression? The declaration avowed
by the Liberals at Cincinnati, and affirmed by
| the Democracy at Baltimore, contains all that
heart can desire for the country. May we not
trust men who stake their political fortunes up
on redeeming their pledges? Have they aban-
doned one party and joined another merely to
continue the same course Of policy, or, with a
thorough change Of men and the junction Of a
party superior in numbers and power, must
they not come necessarily into a change of sys-
tenn? We hail with satisfaction single converts
to our side; why not welcome them when they
come to us by troops and battalions? Shall
there be no turning and bringing forth works
meet for repentance save in the domain of reli-
gion, or are charity and mutual forgiveness of
injuries to be tolerated no where else? But say
| that these men are as selfish, designing, and
false as suspicion can paint them. Can we do
without their aid? 1t is more than a dozen
years since the Democracy controlled the ballot
in presidential election. In all these weary
years they have sought to overcome the Radi-
cal party by direct assault, yet each year has
seen them more firmly entrenched in power
If we can conquer by dividing, does not the
lowest prudence teach that we should avail our
selves of their dissensons? The greatest good
is not often attainable at once; gradually the
way may be cleared for building up anew
the edlhce OF peace, prosperity, order, and law.
But we feel that such distrust is afronting to
them and unworthy of ourselves. The convic-
ton is common to both that the States must be
restored to equality in the Union, and that it is
a corrupt and wicked Government which still
excludes those of the South, and still labors to
fan the expiring flames of war seven years after
war has ceased; that the prosecutions and mill
tary draggoaades of Grant in the South dis
grace civilized age; that the civil service
should be purified and reformed and that a
President running the Government as per-
sonai job, quartering his connexions to the re-
hottest degree on the public treasury, and get
ting rich In office by traffic in its patronage, is
spectacle no longer to be endured that the
President of the United States should hold Of
fee for the single term of four years, prescrib-
ed In the Constitution, whereby his aspirations
will be directed to the public good rather than
his own continuance in office that the suprem-
acy of the civil over the military authority and
the freedom Of persons under the writ of habeds
corpus should be reasserted and firmly establish
ed that the States should be restored to the
exclusive enjoyment Of the revenues derived
from internal taxation, SO necessary to support
the credit of the largely-indebted States and the
Federal Government be RENTED for support to
its revenues derived from duties on imports, Ia
harmony with the usage of both Governments
from the beginning and that war taxes in time
Of peace should cease--levied to pay the prin-
cipal of debt not yet due, and which this gen.
Grafton never undertook to pay upon the absurd
idea of saving the interest.
Canvassers. the eyes Of our whole party are
upon you. Make this canvass historical like
that of 1869. Make it active throughout Sep
tember for its effect On the great central States
in October, whose votes then may be decisive
Of the great result
r. T. DANIEL, Chairman.