New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-05-26

OCc-
potism by the bayonet and resistance to
the tax gatherer."
Whether sovereignty, paramount or
limited, be predieated of the Federal or
State governments, or of both, in an agreed
degree, every sovereign possesses the right
of eminent domain, under which it may
command the property and the personal
service of the citizen, subject, of course,
to those constitutional reservations which
the citizen has imposed upon the govern
ment. We need not resort to the extreme
illustration that when the sovereign au-
thority has declared war il may plant a
redoubt on the premises Of any citizen
and summon citizens who have no prop
erty to die in its defense. This may be
for war unpopular and, in the opinion
of the citizen conscript unjust. 1t flows
from constitutional sovereignty that the
government must exercise the discretion,
and the citizen must obey. he may have
for remedy the habess corpus, or having
discharged himself of all obligations to
his own government, he may denationsl-
ize himself and swear allegiance to some
government whose character is more in
accordance with his ideas of justice.
Such malcontents may either join or Or
ganize government in which power is
accorded to property, and government
intrusted to the most learned.
The government of q republic has
right to determine its policy of develop
ment and defense. The same argument
against the power to tax one interest for
the benefit of another has been made
against the protection of American indus
try. The reply has been that it was
necessary for the common defense and
people, through theARf 8Agfissgg AsI@GeF 5&s
courts have decided that this power ex-
lists, and though the Carolina consumer
undoubtedly paid tax on his cotton
cloth out of the capital employed in the
production of the raw material, still that
tax upon property for the benefit of labor
has become the settled legislation of the
country.
The national sovereignty ID not based
on property but on the equal power of
every legal voter to express an opinion as
to the power and policy of all questions of
war or peace. Whatever, therefore, the
popular majority of the nation shall say
through the concurrent department is the
law, must bring the citizen to the habeas
corpus or to exile. Neither the higher
law of Mr.. Seward, the notification Of
law by MI. Calhoun Cannon the resist
ance of those who. do not approve the law
can vary the alternative. This sovereign
discretion as to the mode and motive Of
taxation is so clear to our mind that Il the
State government should declare road q
public highway it might either expropri.
ate the stone or timber Of the citizen to
build it on public account, or it might i'm
pose tax on man who made nothing
to haul to furnish way for the produce
of the property holder, and it might, az
the laws of some States now do, conscript
the personal labor of the citizen by as
signing him to labor on the roads, under
the direction Of a surveyor.
The power to apply the property or
personal service Of the citizen to the
construction Of 8 railroad is thus
established on reasoning as 1t has been
by the practice Of the nation and Of al
most every State IL tho Union. II has
been our purpose TO point out the pres
ence Of doctrine extremely dangerous
TO the prosperity and progress Of the
Southern States-a doctrine which has
held that section in dependence upon
others more progressive than itself. Il
might be delicate mission for Repub-
lisan journal to show how the very school
Of Democratic aEistooFAts by arrssting all
development in manufactures OF inter
course left the South dependent for arms,
munitions. clothing and, TO some extent,
food, upon supplies 10 be furnished from
abroad. This arissocratic school still has
its representative, but the common-sense
and oppressed interests Of az unemployed
pt b and an inaccessible country has
brought forward the true wishes Of the
Southern people. They demand from The
Federal government just such works On
national account s. are now refused them
on State o. municipal account BY their
Democratic leaders. The Republican ad-
minisl1asion and she party assert the pow
a. Of she government to grant these ap-
propriaiiona The Democratic leaders
dony che power 70 grant tax on prop
erty for such purpose. 1T a suppose
thsi when he representative from Lou
ls'ana intodaea bin 10 Congress fer
he conslHaetiza e ~ Rnoifo r.Il1ra
"a ntooas % - properly hald.ls "a
Dnion, ns