The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-08-21

taken from the treasury to bribe and corrupt
To the exercise of no power by the General
Government was there more objection offered
In the formation Of the constitution than the
right to make or alter regulations respecting
the election of Representatives. More than
half of the State Conventions objected to this
provision, and urged that it should be taken
away. This is the language Of the New York
Convention: That the constitution will not
make or alter any regulation in this State re-.
specting the times, places and manner for
holding elections for Senators or Representa-
tlves."
The constitution imposes upon the lie ,isla-
ture of each State the duty Of prescribing the
times, places and manner of holding elections,
with, however. q provision, aConfiding, to use
the language of Hamilton in the Fedefatist,
the ultimate right Of regulating its own cleo
ton to the Union itself.
Though Congress may make or alter by law
such regulations, the. lis no warrant anywhere
for Congress to provide for the appointment of
United States officers to execute the laws or su-
pervise the carrying out of regulations made
by State Legislatures, and to interfere thereby,
as they necessarily do under the law as it standl
with the election of State officers That is a
manifest conflict of authority that can not safe
ly be permitted to exist
A majority in Congress, say, sought the re-
peal of these laws. The President at the de-
fnand Of his party interposed his veto. Con-
gress, then, having appropriated money for all
other legitimate objects, made an appropria-
ton for regular Marsbals and their general
Deputies providing, however, that no part of
the money appropriated should be used to pay
Deputy Marshals to lend elections. But, for
the fifth time, the Executive veto was inter-
posed to thwait the will of the majority of
Congress- The President, in effect, by his veto
said: If cannot have the money without con-
ditious-have it to pay Deputy Marshals to
Al. H.
Thus, for the first time in our Government, the
President assumes to exercise dictatorial control
over Congress In the matter Of appropriations.
Why, my friends, control over revenuos, taxa
ton and appropriations constitutes the mostim-
portant safeguard against despotic power known
to free Governments Indeed, that there are
free Governments at all is due more to the con-
troll over the purse strings retained by the peo-
pie than to any other cause. In no consitu-
honal Government hss King, or Emperor, or
fresident held c'ntrol over taxes or appropria-
tions since the middle ages Charles L under-
took to levy taxes, to raise and appropriate
money without Parliament; but it called forth
the resistance of Hampden and Pym, and the
head OF Charles went off on the block.
When Congress surrenders to any Executive
Its absolute control over the revenue and ap-
preparations, yields to his dicta ion, it lets go
the most important restraining power In a free
Government 1t is for Congress, and not the
be appropriated and how it shall be applied.
Congress, too, may In its discretion withhold
appropriations from any objects, and for its
acts in so doing Congress alone is responsible
and must answer to the people. The President
has no responsibility, and no power in this re-
gard
POWERS AND SAFEGUARDS MUST STAND To-
GETHER.
The more study the nature and attributes
OF our system of Government and compare it
with the Governments of other countries and
with Governments that have existed in other
times, the more convinced am that it If, In
form, the best Government oa the earth. be-
heve that none was ever more wisely calculated
or better adapted to promote the general wei
fare end secure the blessings of liberty" to
fathers, and that it is, therefore, the sacred
duty of this generation to preserve and trans
init it with its powara and its safeguards equal
ly unimpaired.
1t is only when we consider the greater i'm
portance to the citizen of peace at home, and
local security to person and property, that the
infinite value of our local system of Govern
ment becomes apparent. The most striking
feature in our system to foreigner is the large
share of power locally exercised.
Sir James Mcintosh, in discoursing on the
safest form of Government, one affording the
rurest protection against wrong, both to their
rulers and their fellows" says: s'The best
| security which human wisdom can devise seems
to be the distribution of political authority
among individuals and bodies, the separate in
terests and separate characters corresponding
to the variety of classes of which civil society
is composed, each interested to guard their own
order from opposition by the rest; each also
interested to prevent any of the others from
seizing an exclusive, and, therefore, despotic
power, and all having common interest to
cooperate in carrying on the ordinary and nee
essary administration of government"
'Such governments he adds, ''are with
justice peculiarly and emphatically called free,
and In ascribiDg that liberty to the skllful COM
hination- of mntual dependence Iautual
check feelmy own conviction greatly strength
ened by calling to mind that in this opinion I
agree with all the wise men who have ever
deeply considered the principles of politics,
with Aristotle, Polyhius, with Cicero and Taci-
tus, and Bacon and Machiavel, with Montes-
quieu and Hume"
And 1t will be an unhappy day for this country
when the General Government is permitted TO
absorb the functions designed to be exercised
by local authorities. There seem to be those.
however, who think it has come to be the le.
gitimate province Of the General Government
to ente- into and make laws at discretion
for the States, and with its own officers to exc
cute all laws. 1t was the doctrine OF Jefferson
that the nearer Government was kept to the
PEOPLE the more secure Government was, and
the more secure, also, were the liberties of the
people Ii by the whole each is protected, then
all are protec ed That is Government of the
people, by the people and for the people But
if we accustom ourselves to look for protection.
not from our neighbors, but from an extrane-
GUS power, then it will be too late to complain
| if our liberties are determined by the ssme
| power. Lstus be candid, then, and, as citizens
| Of this State, in our sovereign capacity as
v0fnra wh6thar W will invita ba
sumption of the functions of the State by the
General Government Will you give up entirely
the autonomy of the Srate? I apprehend nc
! sooner than you would give up the Union.
Eighteen years ago, to save the Union from the
rock Of secession, million of men took up
arms; shall We permit it now to be swa1-
lowed up in the whirlpool of general power by
our consent or our apathy?
The question Of the right of secession has
| been forever settled by the tribunal of las
resort-war. That decree has been ineffacea-
bly, stamped on hundred battle-felds, an6
there can be no reversal By the same ordeal
slavery, that excrescence left our free institu
tions. went out forever.
Among the first to take arms, and among the
| foremost to bear them in that conflict for the
Union, were the gallant men who have beer
chosen leaders in the political contest now be-
fore us. When the appeal to arms was made
they went forth ready to sacrifice all to preserve
| intact their Government and their country
Better leaders in thatconfiict truer, braver mer
| and officers there were none. Greater suffer.
ing was not borne, greater sacrifice was no
made, nor does the roll of honor bear worthiel
name than that Of Gen. Rice, second on YOU
ticket, whose own blood stained more than ont
battle field, and whose supreme devotion to his
country was at last sealed by both blood ant
| limb on the field of Kenesaw. Happily, tina
war was not waged in vain; the Union was re
stored and fast welded. Not star was los
| from the constellation of States, and now with
| in one of three times thirteen stars shine il
that galaxy. But we did not wage war for tht
| Union to break down the States or to overthrow
any of the safeguards of our liberties. We dir
not fight battles that the President might hav,
power to,send the bayonet to the polls or cal
mp suddenly armies of irresponsible officers t
interfere with or control elections Libert.
and Union must go together.
But there are those who insist that war o
sections shall still go on, and some people who
took a very long range view of the war, and ,
very distant interest in it while it lasted, boldl
come to the front now, and insist that Their
has not been fighting enough. For one, con
fess do not share that feeling. Gen. Hooke
has well said that the soldier has enemies onl,
in war; but the hates OF the politicians are per
petual That Is what is the trouble now. ]
is not the men who had the battles to fight tina
wish TO keep alive the hates and animosiiies o
the war. 1t is the politicians, who hope by ap
peals to prejudice and passions and the use o
partisan election nlachiuel to perpetuate thei