Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-10
.ANArIoN WITH A BIG N"

attitude of the Republican party upon
the question of division OF powers be-
tween the States and the National gov
eminent. There was no passage of the
speech embodying more truth.
The relations of the States to the gen
eral government is subject upon which
men and parties have always divided In
opinion. But no party in the history oil
the country has ever occupied the posi-
ton the Republican party now main
tains upon this question.
With the Republican party OF to-day,
the inquiry is not what are the re-
served rights of the State under the
Constitution? That is question they
do not trihe with. The policy OF that
party is now what it always has been
under similar conditions, TO announce
an ''irrepressible conflict" between that
thing which they want, and that other
thing which stands in the way OF its
possession. The Constitution is but
small obstacle in the way Of a plank in
the Republican platform.
They have announced that they IN
tend to have "a strong government -
"a Nation with big "" Senator
VOORHEES, said in the passage OF his
speech to which We referred in tins
connection:
..Thers was a struggle at the forma-
ton of our country over this very ques-
ton. There was party which had no
faith in the people, and declared Its in
fidelity to popular institutions. That
is Just the Republican party OF to-day.
We hear Alexander Hamilton quoted
as an authority more than ever before.
lie was a FederaIist, AMI his plan pro-
vided for life term for the Chief Magis-
trate Of the Nation. So with these radl-
Gals. They are in power and would stay
there. have heretofore foretold some
things in the political world which have
come to pass. Ipredict now that the
coming issue in the near future is
10 be between the broad doc
trines of Jefferson on the
one hand, and the monarchical doc
trincs of HAMILTON ON the other; the
latter supported by all the monopolies,
banks and boarded interest-gatherlng
wealth in the land. JEFFERSON an
nounced that he who feared to trust the
people was Tory by nature. That
was his mode of describing an enemy to
free government, AMI we are rapidly
finding out now who are Tories, or enc
mics of free government, by the same
rule"
senator VOORHEES, refers 10 ALENAN-
DER HANLroN as a model Fcdcralist, or
Tory. but he was fur behind the Repub-
lican party Of to-day in hisconception OF
the powers ofthe States under the Fed
eral Constitution. According to the
Dian of the Convention says HAuL-
Ton in the FJdsraii>i, referring to the
convention which framed the Constltu-
ton. "the State Government would
clearly retain ell he rights Of sovereignty
which they before hal and which were
not by that act exclusively dele
gated 20 the United States This
was his Interpretation Of the COnstitu
ton i'm the light of the sentiment that
prevailed in the Convention which
framed it. JAMES MADISON, in the same
volume we have referred To, says: "The
powers delegated by the proposed Con-
stitutiou to the Federal government are
fer m.d dsfp,d Those which are to re-
main i'm the State government are nuhaer-
ous aud Indefinite The former will be
exercised principally on external OBJ
jects, as war, peace, and foreign COM
merre. The powers reserved to the
several States will extend 10 ell tie OBJ
pets rLich IN ne ordinary course Of AFFAIRS
concern the Erss, lL,riisS agd properties
Of N, people. In the State Conven-
ticn Of Massachusetts,, sitting in
January, l7SS, and celebrating upon
the propriety OF adopting the Federal
Constitution, the celebrated FISHER
AuEs delivered his sentiments on this
subject as follows. "Too much provi-
sion cannot be made against consolida-
ton. The State Governments represent
the wishes and feelings and local inter
tcrcst ot the people. They are the safe
guard and ornament of the Constitution.
They will protract the period OF our lib
critics, they will afford 4 shelter against
the abuse Of power, and will be the
natural avengers OF our violated rights
Tu,Sc are the principles upon which
the Democratic party has planted itself
and with which the Republican party
has taken issue. On the one side is the
question of the integrity OF the Consti-
tuition and on the other that Of party
supremacy.
We hold that ueithc, estate Rights
nor ~ strong Government rs those
terms are used in the politics OF the
time. fills the measure OF our govern
ment under the Constitution, but that
both the States and the general Govern
mrut are established by and depend
for their existence upon one
and the same instrument, and
that the two must and can exist to-
grthcr without encroaching on each
other. and if either disregards the rights
and powers OF the other it violates the
law of its own existence.
There is no conflict in the Constitution
between the General Government and
the States. "In all National mattersthe
National government is supreme, and
the Nationalconstitution is the supreme
law bv which all State constitutions are
measured" "But in domestic matters
the State government. i'm harmony with