Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-06-25


ference herewith is utterly unwarrant
able.
They are supreme, too, in man,
matters relating to the Union itsell
They elect the members Of this body
Article !, section 3, clause |, is In thes
words;
} The Senate Of the United States shall be com
posed Of hso Senators from each State, chosen D
ne Legislature Thereof, for six years. and eac
Senator shall have one vote.
The power is exclusive and ire
sponsible. They should act, but it i
for them to judge whether they will o.
not. The executive of tho State issue
writs of election to fill vacancies in tn,
House Of Representatives. he is re
sponsiblc for his action to his State
alone. i read from article /, section
2, clause 4:
When vacancies happen in the representation
IRON any State, the executive authority thereo
shall issue wrts Of election to fll such vacancies
The States appoint the officers o
national militia and provide for theil
training. Article ], section s, clause l6
is in these words Congress shal
have power to-
Provide for organizing, srning and disciplin
ing the militia, and for governing such part o
them as may be employed in the service Of tn,
United States, reserving to the States respectively
the appointment Of the officers and the authority
oftraining the militia according to the discipline
prescribed by Congress.
1t is for the State to say whether
the Federal Government shall erect
forts or navy yards within their limits
Article l, section g. clause II, declares
that Congress shall have power
To exercise like authority over all places pur
chased BY tie consent Of the Legislature Of n.
State in which the same shall be. for the erection
Of forts, IN zines arsenals, dock yards and othe
needful buildings.
No new State can be erected out oI
parts of another without the consent
Of the original State. Article 4, sec.
ton 3, Is in these words:
New States may be admitted BY the Congress
into this Union; but no new State shall b,
formed or erected within the Jurisdiction Of any
other State nor any State be formed by tn
junction Of two or more States or parts Of States
without the consent Of the Legislature Of tn,
States concerned as well as Of Congress.
So, too, the people in their State
capacity are supreme as to choosing
electors for President of the United
States. Article 2, section l, provides
Each State shall appoint In such manner as
the Legislature thereof may direct, number oil
electors, equal to the whole number Of Senators
and Representatives to which the State may b
entitled In the Congress.
This argument may be pushed much
further. Let us see. 1t may seem
futile and unnecessary TO bring TO the
mind Of the people or the Senate the
doctrines that lie at the base of the
Constitution, but | shall venture some.
what upon that recently untrodden
field.
The existence Of the Federal Gov.
ernment depends upon the existence
OF the State governments. Without
their existence in their entirety ii alb.
solutely tumbles into chaos. 1t can.
not continue itself for an hour. There
are three great parts of the Federal
Government, the Legislative, the Ex
ecutive and the Judiciary. The Leg
islative has two branches, the House
and the Senate. There can be nc
House of Representatives Of the United
States after the State Governments
have ended. The Governments of the
States must exist or the popular branch
of Congress fails TO exist. This is as
certain as it is that there is a Consti
tuition of the United States. Besides
this there is no machinery TO compel
the State Legislatures to act in regard
to this subject matter. IL must be O
voluntary action, action by the State
independent action by the State Leg
islatures. Now, how do we prove
this ? By simply quoting from the
Constitution of the United States the
regulation as to suffrage. | read again
from article /, section 2, Of the Consti
tuition, which is in these words:
The House of Representatives shall be co IN
posed Of members chosen every second year BY
the people Of the several States, and the elecforl
in each State shall hare The qualifications rsqui'it
for electors Of the most numerous branch cf H.
State Legislature.
The electors OF the House OF Repre-
sentatives of tho United States are
those who are qualified electors OIL
voters for the Legislatures Of the States
Qualified how2 Qualified by whom
: Qualified blythe Federal Government
A qualification created in an act Con
gress enforced by the marshals at The
point of the bayonet? No, sir; but
qualified by the States. The electors
tor the members of the Legislatures o
tho States are the electors for mem
bers OF the House of Representatives
and they are TO be qualified by anC
under the Constitutions of the States
If you have no qualifications Of elec
tors for the members OF Legislatures
of the States, you have under the Con
stitution no criterion to determine wht
are to be the electors for members o
} Congress. Where are your qualified
electors then2 They have vanished
, and gone. There can be no electorl
, for members of the Lower House !
there be no electors for the State Leg
islatures. There is no measure or cri
terion OF qualification except as IL Il
found in the clause quoted, which pro
vides that the electors Tor members o
the United States House of Represen
tatives are the electors OF the Stat,
who are qualified by State Constitu
tions and State laws TO vote for mem
bcrs of the Legislature. II thcre b.
: none Of these, there can be none fol
, members of the Federal House, and !
logically follows that the existence o
tho State Legislatures is vital to th
existence of that branch Of the Fedora
Government, for in their absence yol
have no criterion, on qualification un
: der the Constitution itself. DO W,
presume to exercise that power here
Do we assert that we can grasp tha
power and regulate by Federal statute
) the qualifications Of voters2 If we dc
we make consolidated Govornmcn
from a Democratic Republic.
,, The members of the Senate Of th
United States are chosen by tho Leg
, islatures Of the States. Article ], sec
tion 3, provides:
The Senate Of the United States shall be con
posed Of two Senators from each State, eAesss
. fis Lsgisiatsrs h~sg.
If there is no Legislature there ar
no Senators. II there are no Stat
electors qualified by State Constitution
or State laws there are no State Leg
islatures. Thus, 1t all depends finall
+ on the State qualifications OF voter
Thus wo have both the Federal Hous
4 of Representatives and the Federi
Senate dependent upon the qualities
tions of electors by the States; qualif
q cations created by State Constitution
M a.