Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-10-30
THE RIGHTS OF THE STATES.

4 @%NA&~S -
ihe able and instructive speech Of Sem
ator Whyte. lately delivered in Balti-
more. on The Rights Of the States and
the powers ofthe National Government
under The Constitution.
Our irst duty Is 10 secure fof our
selves and for The education Of the fis-
ing generation Of voters = Just UNDER
standing Of the relation of The Federal
al Government 70 the States: 10 appre-
ciaie the Union as The crealsoa q the
/ States; 10 undefstand thar the Govern
ment Of The United States was erected
by the States, with certain enumerated
powers granted to IT in trust for all the
States, and beyond these powers all the
residuum Of sovereignty. was retained
by the people Of the several States. IL
/ is our duty 70 warn the people against
the tendency Of wealthy corporations, of
large landed proprietors, accumulated
riches in all its phases, 10 ometamorphose
our admirable scheme OF government,
with its checks and balances, into a
centralized power, ending either in mon
srchy or empire. Against such dam
gers 10. our system of republican gov
ernment, J have not forgotten the
words OF warning and wisdom in the
farewell address Of that great apostle of
Democracy, Andrew Jackson: IL is
well known said he, that there have
always been those among Us who wish
TO enlarge the powers OF the General
Government and experience would
seem 10 indicate that there is tenden-
cy on the part Of this Government TO
overstep the boundaries marked out for
il by the Constitution. Its legitimate au-
thority Is abundantly sufficient for all
purposes for which il was created;
and its powers being expressly emu
merated there can be no justification
for claiming anything beyond them
Every attempt to exercise power be-
yond these limits should be promptly
and firmly opposed. For one eri er-
ample will lead 10 other measures still
more mischievous; and il the principles
Of constructive powers or supposed ad-
vantages, or temporary circumstances,
shall ever be permitted TO justify the
assumption of power not given by the
| Constitution, the General Government
will, before long, absorb all the powers
of legislation, aud you will have, in ef-
feet, but one consolidated government.
Every friend OF our free institutions
should be always prepared 10 maintain,
unimpaired and IN full vigor, she TigAts
dsiasocefFsgnfy 0F TIE Mates and to con-
fine the action of the General Govern
ment strictly to the sphere of its appro-
pirate duties
Therefore il was, that anticipating
this issue, as long as eight years ago,
when | was your candidate for govern
or, ] warned you from this stand, that
in the near future our form of govern
ment was to be tried, as It had been tes-
ted in 1900; that the same conflict was
to be waged between the antagonistic
forces of local selt-government and GEN.
tralization, of States's rights and nation
al usurpation, which our fathers had
fought under Jefferson against the Feder-
alisis, led by the elder Adams. urged
you then to stand fast by the doctrine, that
the States were sovereign in all things
not specially committed TO the United
States by the Constitution or not proh.bi-
ted by il to the States or the people there
of. impressed upon you that in your
organic law, adopted BY the people oi
Maryland as late as 1867. you declared
that Tie powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitution there
OF nor prohibited by il to the States, are
reserved to the States respectively or
to the people thereof
This was but a reaffirmation after The
war of the same declaration contained
in the 10th article OF the Constitution
oi the United States. And again, We
declared in our state constitution ol 1867
That The people OF this State have the
sole and exclusive right Of regulating
the internal government and police
thereof as free, sOrereign and indepen-
dent Slate AS your representative in
one of the branches of Congress have
in season aud sometimes out of it. in
spite Of clsmor about the heresy of
States rights. denounced the attempts
ofthe Republican party toward central
ization and the absorption in the Ma
tional Government ofthose rights so re-
served TO the States by the Federal Con-
stituiIon.
in speech in the Senate / maintained
that the people OF the several States,
acting in their highest sovereign capaci-
~ a. free and independent States, rat
ified the Federal Constitution and adop-
ted a form OF government in the nature
ola confederaied republic | added:
Sovereignty Is lodged with the States
where Il had its home long before the
Constitution was created and that II
was only 'curtailed of ITS fair propor-
tions' IN so far as IL was transferred by
the States TO the United States
These views OF our form of govern
ment which our fathers taught US brought
down upon our heads the wrath of the
Republican leaders. Denunciation took
the place of argument and IN their
straits to answer US they sought to deny
the truth of our position BIZ The peryer-
sion ot history. Mr.. Garfield. quoting
from my speech and from the uiteran-
ccs Of other Democrats, assailed vio-
icntly these propositions and asserted
that no one may charge that | pervert
history TO sustain my own theories. u
call attention TO The fact that not one Of
fhe colonies declared ifself free and an
dePeadeaf. Neither Virginia nor Mas
sachuseits threw OF lis allegiance 10 the
British crown, as colony: The great