The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-15

convention q year ago when he prophesied
ruin by constant centralized power? What
said the Republican journals of this city
in warning to their party? l refer to the
Times and Post. How earnestly the Times
begged the observance of local liberties
and argued against their abridgment and
destruction. How Indignantly the Post
denounced the passive acquiescence or
open assistance in depriving the citizens
OF any state of the right Of selfgovern-
ment." And when at Concord the nation
put its ear to the earth to hear the elo-
quent words Of George William Curtis,
speaking out of the past, those notes
which drop as from a supernal sphere,
they heard it again; when he warned
against disobeyIng the revolutionary in
functions against irresponsible and distant
power. Our enemies" said he, do not
come proudly stepping to the drum beat,
with bayonets flashing in the morning
sum-" Mr.. Curtis found them in that
party spirit which strains the ancient
guarantees of freedom. He babe us fire
until it was defeated and ruined. These
sentiments express the lmminency of our
danger from the excess and aggrandize-
ment of central rule. They are founded
in facts, recent and glazing, of congression-
al and executive usurpation.
JUDICIAL DECISIONS.
They are logically drawn from the ques-
tons before our highest courts. They are
pertinent to election frauds, legislative in
termeddling, the enforcement bills and civil
rights legislation. They received judicial
warning when, in Texas VS.. White e
Wallace, 1851, Chief Justice Chase held
that there was mo loss to the states of sep
arate and independent autonomy through
their union under the constitution" The
constitutions" said he, in all its provis-
ions looks to an indestructible union, COM
posed Of indestructible states. The
slaughter house cases are precedents of
equal purports, dignity and value. The
recent amendments do not derogate from
state authority. Until that authority vio-
lates them congress cannot intervene, The
amendments give no:added grants of Fed
eral power. They are only prohibitions
upon local power. Under no pretext of
prohibition can congress destroy state or
local attributes. All affirmative legislation
by congress, even under color of the Four
teenth Amendment, is void if it under
takes to destroy local freedom. We trust
that the courts in a pending case United
States vs.. Cruikshank), will thoroughly
vindicate the wisdom of the Jeffersonian
maxim that the state governments are
the most competent administrations for
domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks
against anti Republican tendencies" Ii
the courts do their duty we may safely
leave to the future congresses the denial
of all pretensions of the United States to
universal rule. No annoyance is here
after possible which would dwarf state Or
dinances in oxder to aggrandize Federal
supremacy. What a commentary on just
government is the Federal rule of the
past ten years! Itwould be no difficult task
to show the material losses of such rule
What taxes haye been collected and how
squandered south and north: what debts
created and dishonored; what enterprise
checked or robbed Of charters, properties
and stocks! Let it not be said, therefore
that this fresh vindication of Home Rule
as principle of Federal union, state au
tonomy and municipal independence, is q
spectre raised to-day for theatrical effect
by rhetorical clap trap, to make more hid
l
less visors of power. But, gentlemen, i
! cannot be in the order of nature that {;
rule so alien to home, so flagrantly merce
nary and graspiug, 80 uncivil and swagger
ing, and so like the rules of force and thu
craft of fraud-shoud obtain further leas'
of power in country Of freemen about tt
enter upon its new cycle? In our system
if rightly administered, the security of RICH
and authority is by subdivision. 1t keep
in so far as possible each fraction of powe
at home. 1t makes individual freedom
compatible with general safety. 1t gives
by the Constitution, Federal power to bin(
the whole, and it fences i'll the states a
the state fences in the municipalities t
prevent weakness and dissolution.
HOPE IN THE FUTURE,
Can we live much longer under anti
home rules, which destroy all these safe
guards? One little round of freedom, on
wakeful day of liberty, holy hour at tn
, old altar is worth a''cycle of Cathay." A
you approach the old altar, as you, tn
sons of liberty" men of the Columbia
order, observe the throes and birth Of tn
new generation, it cannot be possible fC
your minds to prognOsticate or beliey
, that dynasty of hate, profigacy, pillag
e and despotism should under any 'clrcun
S stances be able to reinstate itself for al
/ other or other terms. 1t is impossible fC
t this nation thus to make sport of its hol
: est traditions and hopes. Our loving teal
s that kindle hope-an undistiDguishab
f throng of political memories and aspir;
f tions-all point to a not distant time and
: nearer rule, when the people will copy tn
y spirit of their sires, and by arousing tn
S old spirit become wiser In policy and MOI
0 patriotic in action. Gentlemen, the part
of spoilation, usurpation. hate have had
e long rule 1t has not been Home Rul,
Our homes have repudiated it. But tn
e race is not all run. We had severe rae
D last year; 1t seems easier now, but tn
stress of the race is often in the fnisl