The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-04-14
rs THIS A MAJORITY OR A MINOR
ITY GOVERNMENT
What Changes are Needed FOX Fair
Representations

To the Editors of THE ARGUS:
As the press is discussing the question
of so amending the federal constitution as
to give the election Of the president and
vice president to the people, propose to
examine the question: Have we pro-
crossed or refrigerated, in the science OF
government since the PRONUNCIATION of the
declaration of independence"
After asserting: That all men are crea-
ted equal" THAT means equally free if it
means any thing and that they are, by the
laws of nature, entitled to life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" the declaration
continues: That to secure these rights
governments are instituted among men,
deriving their Just powers from the consent
of the governed; and that, whenever any
government becomes destructive of these
ends. It is the right of the people to alter
or abolish it. and to institute a new GOV
ernment laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its powers in
such form as to them shall seem best to
secure their safety and happiness" This
doctrine of consent repudiates the Euro
pean doctrine of force" ard while it is
practically adhered to it will secure and
perpetuate free governments. The declar-
alton closes thus: That these United Col
onies are, and of right ought to be, free
and Independent States" Articles of con-
federation say: Art |. The style of this
confederacy shall be the United States OF
America"
Art. 2. Each state retains its SOW
erelgnty, freedom and independence. i"
Prior to the adoption of the federal con
stitution each state was by all parties
claimed to be a separate sovereignty. The
vital questions are: Did the states by
adopting the federal constitution, form a
cOnfederacy and retain their separate SOW
ereigntyP Or did they merge their sep
arate sovereignty and form zone sovereign
state?' On the decision of these vital ques-
tiOns rests the fact whether the federal
government should be, as it is, a minority
or a majority, government.
The state governments are based on the
American doctrine that sovereignty re-
sides inherently In the people, and that
the majority, by common consent, have
the right to govern. On the contrary, the
states. on adopting the constitution, be-
lieved that they retained their sovereignty,
hence to secure that sovereignty the ted
eral government was intended to be, anu
is in the strictest sense OF the term, a
minority government in its three depart
ments The federal constitution proves
this fact For instance, the senatorial
district Estate is misnomer if shorn of its
sovereignty of Delaware, with only l25, 900
inhabitants, has as much power, in the
senate, in enactng or repeating, or in de-
feating the enactment or the repeal of any
law, as the senatorial district of New York
with 1000 900 Of inhabitants. | use
even numbers in all cases. Again, nine
teen of the senatorial districts with a
population of but one third of the other
eighteen districts, have, in the senate, by
their 80 members, VS. SO, the power to de
feat the passage of any law enacted by the
lower house. Again, these IS senators
can defeat the will of their SO co-sonatOrs
on any bill originating in the house to pro
cure the ways and mean" necessary to car
ryon the federal government Again, these
80 senators can refuse their consent to the
presidents appointments to the Judicial
department and thus render that depart
ment a minority concern. Next comes
the executive department. Tie senatorial
district of Delaware with but 1875, 900 in.
habitants has 3 votes for president. That
is one vote for every 5000 inhabitants,
while the New York senatorial district
should have on the same ratio 90 votes for
lot DTeSlutUl, luNlthu til % NOIeS. w lJI
the fact OF this unequal and unjust division
of political power standing out in bold relief
why do politicians who deny the sovereign.
ty Of the states, talk about this or that
candidate for president having a ma
iority of the popular vote? Instead of this
they should demand q constitutional
amendment that will give the election Of
president and vice president to a majority
or plurality of the voters as constituting
zone people" Next they should demand
the division of the sovereign states (nC
odds how created) into "a senatorial dis
tricts, equal as possible in population, fol
the election of senators by majority or I
plurality of the voters in each district.
The Republican party. land the Demo
cratic party sails in its wake) denies thu
sovereignty of the states and holds tina
they, by adopting the constitution, merged
their separate sovereignty and formed ont
sovereign state; or that they lost their SOW
ereignty by the wages of battle" in the
late war. Even the solid south" accept:
"the results of the war, and abandons the
old Republican doctrine OF state sovereignty
If this, now almost universally conceded
theory be true (no odds how the revolution
was effected) the wisdom, justice and ne
cessity of so amending the constitution as
to make the government one Of the MAORI
~ cannot be successfully cOntroverted
Facts are stubborn things. And it is fact
that in less than a century from the pro
mitigation Of the American doctrine thai
AL the just powers of government are
based on the consent Of the governed, We
have refrigerated and practically adopted
the despotic European doctrine Of tht
necessity and righteousness of governments
of force. The national troops in the soutf
to carry elections prove this fact.
The late bitter contest for president and
vice president proves that some change il
necessary il free government is to continue
The above facts and suggestions are Civ
en- to excite enquiry, and Prove that f.,
100000 of people in New York are taxed
without representation in two departments
of the national government. CLIO.
Senator Douglass First Appearance in
Tl1fnofc