Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-06-12
state Sovereignty.

WHAT GIN. SHERMAN THINKS ON THE SUBJECT
POWERS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
From the New Orleans Picayune. June ,.
! Following are some extracts from letter
written by Gen. w. T. Sherman to Judse
Braughn, Of this city CAS- maffer
course, each State may be the besi Ju'
the interest and well-beine Of It's ''"',','
and TO that extent may be
/ area NAV. like that OF i'""'
mouth of river common to more than ~
a,,,ar sovereign States, have interests away
,a,J lis own borders, and far outside the
knowledge and interests of local population
and authorities. The people of Pennsylva-
mia, Ohio. Illinois. Iowa, Montana Ferritory.
and the whole central part of this continent
have a word to say in whatever concerns the
mouths of the Mississippi. Louisiana, there
fore, cannot be sovereign as to that, but Is a
coequal unit in the great whole, typif1ed by
our Union, and now composing the nation.
| believe the war settled this great question
finally and forever, just as much As ii did the
question of slavery, and | confess to SENSE
of surprise to observe that our politicians
want now to 20 back to 1861 for political is
sues, as though there had been no civil war.
1.-The power of the National Government
must be coextensive with its dominlOns, and
must have power, actual physical power, to
enforce its own laws and DEGREES. 1t may
abuse such power and be tyrannical as all
power may be abused, but this don't alter the
ease Unless the Government of the | nited
States possesses the right and power to enforce
her own laws, everywhere and at all times,
il ceases to be Government, and will be-
come contemplate, resulting in anarchy and
downfall. 1t does possess the power ana
the right-which was demonstrated by our
civil war. But the power of the United
States is subdiyided into three great parts
legislative. judicial, and executive All
these are as well defined in the constitu-
ton as can be done by word, (and our Ian
uage is very expressive just where the
judicial ceases and the executive begins and
ends are borders of authority aboutwhich men
have disputed, quarrelled and fought in the
past, are now disputing. and will to the end
of time dispute; but on the whole our system
of government is admirably adapted to the
growing and evcr-changing interest of our
diversified lard; and though we often lose
patience at particular events. every American
who goes abroad especially those of the
South who in disgust at the end of the war
went to Brazil or Mexico, returns more than
satisfied with their own country. | rcmcm-
Der in 1861 discussing with Boyd and Bragg,
and Dick Taylor all these questions in Louis
lana and confess that | am surprised that this
old doctrine of a sovereignty belonging to
State like Louisiana, Mississippi. or South
Carolina, greater than that of the nation.
should be revived in our national debates, at
ter it had been settled by the great tribunal
of war Rivalry among the States and pride
at the intellectual and physical development
of each by its own inhabitants is right ~and
proper, but if State claims to be above the
whole, and usurps such power, the nation
must suppress it, first by judicial process,
and if that be not sufficient. then by force
and violence. II this conclusion he univer-
sally recognized as the law and the fact it new
err will occur.