Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-06-04

Minority Government.


In late debate in the House Of
Representatives upon the admission OF
New Mexico. Mr.. Potter said that the
soyeru'n"nt had Il great degree ceased
70 be the government ofa majority
and beeome the government Ola mi
nority. Tire sixteen Senators from.
Massachusetts, New York, Pennsyl-
vania. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri
and Kentucky core from majority OF
the people, 1929 Hiss; the remaining
fifty eight Senators come from a minor
lty VI the people: The sixteen Senators
represent not onl y a majority OF the
people of our thirty seven States and
ten Territories, bnt also still larger
proportion of the wealth, industry, and
trade OF the country, which in these
eight States are increasing much more
rapidly than in the States represented
by fifty eight Senators. This minority
government becomes more unjust by
every increase in an already monstrous
disproportion, and that injustice the
more oppressive by every extension of
the functions of the federal government
beyond its specified constitutional area.
Mr.. Potter added, lest his argument
against the admission of new, small,
slowly growing States to the Union
should be misconstrned as an argument
against equality of State representation
in the federal Senate, 'tthe theory of
equality among States is II int. l am
myself an extreme State-rights man, y
and to illustrate more plainly, Mr.. Pot
ter said :.
81 am free to declare what + presume
few men in the House would venture
to admit, that if I acas aaoac to make a
constitution for the future government
Of these States l would put provision
in it whereby certain number or pro-
portion of the States might 90 out of
the Union whenever they pleased; for
| believe that good government can in
the long run only be maintained by its
being in accordance with the interests
Of those who are under it. | am CON
WINGED that whenever the real interests
of a great section prompt 1t to go out
of the Union it should be allowed to
go But notwithstanding these views
it seems to me idle to any longer talk
about the legislation of Congress being
the Legislation of SOY ereign States. =
Bait. San.
BRIDAL G1Frs.-The New York
World discourses on the crying social
evil of our times and country known as
wedding presents" Time--was-and
thirty or even less years ago will limit
it, it says-when young girl in all the
freshness of feeling was about to be
married, that her father and mother
quietly prepared the trosseau-not then
so termed literally or scantily, ac-
cording to their means, if he was rich,
gave, or at least furnished the house
where the young couple were to live,
and uncles and aunts and cousins sent
them little and transformations gifts,
usually of household articles, ,and this
was the end of it. This is all changed;
rich people are invited because they
give presents, and poor relations are
excluded because they cannot. And
what sort of a 'sjsresent' to a young
bride entering Oh rev existence? An
array of gorgeous presents stimulates
no noble impulse a meagre show, ac-
cording to a new system, works disao
pointment and bitterness where there
should be room for neither. TIE whole
system is radically wrong.