Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-01-19

deny that the advantage thereby gained will he
an ample recompense for the increase Of cx-
| penhe it may occasion.
| But. whatever dlncrences of opinion may
exist respecting the perticGar plan TO he adopted
| for accomplishing the required increase of rep
resentatlon. there shouId be none regarding tie
| urgent need of the increase itself.
And, therefore, believing that The time Las
now como when just public sentiment. as well
as the continued harmony aud real welfare ot
the entire people OF our State, demand. it, /
shall cordially favor any practicable plan to at
tain the desired object Which may be devised by
| tho General Assembly mud submitted for my
| appreciation.
FEDERAL RELATIoNe
1t is deeply to be regretted that the attitude o.
| the national Standardization OF late years, to-
wards the people and institutions OF the several
| States of the Union, has been Of u character to
excite great apprehenaions in tho public mind.
Recent alarming occurrences lave aggravated
these apprehenslons aud aroused the suspicion
that premeditated design has existed on the
part OF those entrusted with Federal authority
to invade tie States and uAurp control Of thUso
powers expressly reserved 20 them by the Fed raj
Constitution.
Under such circumstances it ID Of vital impor-
tance that every citizen should pause, III the en-
crossing pursuit of private interests, to con
slider tho nature Of our Federal system and re
buke any and every encroachment upon the do
main OF State government.
unhapplly there are tacta, which cannot be
denied, but which the American people wuGd
fan dsbelieve, which must convince every eau
did mind that the plainest principles governing
tho relations between the State and Federal
governments have been openly disrogarded.
Within Il brief period those in control OF the
national authority have inaugurated and urged
Il series OF measures at variance with tile design
and subvereive OF the structure OF that Cohst-
tutlonal system of government 80 carefully de-
vIsed by its trainers.
For, where it was designed for the protection
of the liberties Of the people, the writ Of Habeas
Corpus, at the will and pleasure of one man. Las
been suspended and American citizens subjected
to martial law i'll time of peace
Where it was intended that the States should
have control of their local affairs, the dominant
majority in Congress has attempted to pass
measure, known as the "Cvl Rights Bill,
which was designed to interfere with social ie-
lations, and with tho jury aud school systems,
and other mattels of interior regulation belong
ing to the States alone.
Under the recent amendments TO the Consti-
tuition and the unwaIrauted enactments passed
under color OF their authOrlly, the General Gov
ernment has inteImcddled in State elections and
authorized Federal oihoials to interfere with
them i'll manner which has already produced
an embarrassing corilIct Of State and Federal
authority in our own State, as well as elsewhere;
while. III our sister State "f Louisiana, the Off
GERS elected by her citizaus to conduct their own
government have been stripped Of their rghttul
authority by shameful fraud and ruthless FORCE
uuu tue ihtlOuhl army ana navy nave Deeu en-
ployed to uphold these scts Of undeniable usurp-
alton and maiIltain the yrtual disiranchisomeut
Of her downtrodden people.
II these acts of aggression against the liber-
ties of the people and the rights of the States
are suffered to go unrcbukod then they become
precedents for further encroachments which
may yet prove fatal to local self government
or late disposition seems to he growing
among some State officials to Call upon tho Ma
tional authority to suppress local violence and
disorder that cOull nttH rlQult be ted l,y
vigorous action on tho part of the State itself.
II the Feieral government shall, III such
cases, evlnce and indulge an inclination
to take advantage Of every opportunity to
will be imminent danger OF it's final absorption
of the Reserved powers Vi tic States. For such
course must inevitably lead to the oblteraton
of the States and the failure OF Our Federal sys-
tenn of government.
II is OF supreme Importance, then, that these
deplolable tendencies sboud be arrested, and that
there should be return 10 constitutional princi-
pies as transmitted to US by our ancestors and
expounded by our highest Judicial authority.
Every citizen should lend his Influence to
bring the government lack to II strict observ-
ance Of constitutional rights and obligations.
Experience has demonstrated that more dan
ger to our Federal system is to be appre-
heuded from the National than from the aIGte
governments. 1t is, therefore, Indispensable
that the tue dividing line between them should
be restored and that their equilibrium Should lie
maintained.
The true friends of the States are not un.
friendly to the Federal government and do not
entertain those doctrines which would reduce 1t
to impotency or produce the disintegraJion of
the Union.
"They seek no denial Of the supremacy Of the
national government within its legitimate sphere.
They seol. only to define that sphere by system
and habit of constitutional Interpretation that
will both develope Its extent and save it from en-
croaching upon the preroeativea Of tho People
and the States"
The highest considerations of duty and patrio-
tism require that the sound princip! of Con-
stltutonal Interpretation by which the poweis
of the Federal government ought to be meas
ured shall not Ie oyoltliruwn for the purpose Of
enacting laws which enforce socal equality, OF
enable Federal officers to control State elections
OF intrude impertinenty into tho regulation of
the local institutions and internal affairs of the
States.
Happily The desire and demand of the people, as
emphasized IN the recent elections, seem TO be
i'll accord with these Vows and to justify the be-
lief that with the advent Of tie second century
of our Independence, there will dawn new ela
of liberty and prosperity during which the rights
of the people shall be protected, the reserved
powers OF The States preserved, and our match
less system of government perpetuated III all
its perfection of proportion and harmony OF
movement.
--@-@.-s44-z~-us-a-ss--~--