Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-10-11
PERII.s OF THE STATE RIGHTs DOCTRINE.

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pretcxt! State rights. The argument was
that the nation had no business or right to
protect national elections. 1t was insisted
that when the people choose their representa-
tiyes in Congress, no matter what mobs may
do no matter what piracies on the ballot-box
may take place, no matter if a single man,
as was proved in the case of a recent South
ern election, puts 200 votes into the box, the
national authority must not even stand by rs
a witness, much less to uphold law, but must
keep away utterly. Southern lawyers argued
that there was no peace of the United States
on election day; that the only peace was the
peace of the State; that the State had the
right to protest or to trample down the rights
of citizens of the nation to vote for members
of the Congress of the nation. AS things
stand to-day, this is to say that in North and
South Carolina, in Alabama, Louisiana,
Mississippi and other States, there shall be
no clcction--nothng worthy of the name
it is to say that in State after State the ma
jority who fought and tOiled and prayed for
the Uaion shall be ground under the heel of
the minority, who, having failed to destroy
the government in war, now, by means little
better than war, seek to capture and control
it. Can anything be more monstrous or
runous than this? Its success would he
runOus to the North. and in the end ruinous
To the South also. In 1860, the democrats
had lost the House of Representatives. After
struggle and disorganilation of weeks, Mr..
| Pennington, of New Jersey, republican,
was made Speaker. But the Senate was still
democratic, and then and ,.a,ra the Southern
/ leaders made their capital blundcr-a blum
der they have learned and will never repeat.
They event out, as they called it--they de-
serted a1d vacated their seats. The Sena-
tors hom they left we're sufficient in num-
Der to make a quorum and rcorganizc. This
they did. and the Senate thus purged could
pass and did pass the laws under which
II mics and navies were raised and main-
tanned, and the rebellion crushed. Had the
Southern men kept their seats and voted the
doctrines now preached and voted in Con-
grcss, the nation might have been bound
/ hand and foot. They say now they do not
mean to go out again-that this time they
have come to stay. | believe this fully.
/ The former mistake will hereafter be avoid
ed. But the denial of rightful national au-
thority is sure to bring harm and disaster.
Two generations since .Jackson's time have
seen the land strewn with wrecks by the de-
strOying dogmas OF State sovereignty. State
| rights brought on the war with Mexico, to
get more territory TO plant with slavery.
/ State rights flung down the Missouri COM
promise to spread slavery and wrung from
the court the bred Scott decision. State
I rights sent the army into Kansas, and by war,
murder and outrage attempted to force slav
cry upon her and upon other coming States.
State rights hunted slaves in peaceful com
munities with artillery and dragons. State
rights dispersed Legislatures with the army
of the nation. State rights plundcred the
Treasury and Frustrated the credit of the
country. State rights scattered our ships in
distant seas, stripped Northern arscnals of
arms and sent them to the South, and put
our armies under traitors who surrendered
them; and all this was to so arrange that
the government might be easily murdered in
its bed. State rights waged the rebellion,
with its mighty, murderous sacrifice of life
and treasure. State rights murdered Lincoln
and tried to murder his chief officers of State.
State rights now MAIN and murder national
officers in the discharge of their duty. State
rights since the war have perpetrated name
less, numberless horrors, making free gov
eminent by majoritics impossible in several
States, and subjecting to worse than slavery
a race which the nation and all its citizens
are bound before God and man to protect.
State rights of late have grasped at still
higher usurpations. When, before the war
or since, till recently, dared any party say
that the government should be strangled and
starved unless as the price of its existence,
the President would give up his duty and his
oath? Who before ever dared to say that the
revenues paid by the people should still be col
lected but arrested and Enlarged while
the government and laws should perish!
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ELECTION.
The vote of this State this year must utter
the Judgment of the State on all these things.
The State senators to be elected now are the
senators who will vote for senator of the
United States. The election of that senator
may, and probably will, determine whether
after next year, the senate of the United
States shall be republican or democratic.
Democratic effort is focused on th;spoint. An
attempt is afoot to turn out the republican
senator from Louisiana. Yet Mr.. Kellogg is
the only man in the senate whose claims to
his seat have been finally passed upon. Every
form of sitting his right and challenging his
title known to the constitution was resorted
to and exhausted, and his right was conclu-
sively established. Notwithstanding all this,
a committee has been set to work to devise
some way to get rid of him. The importance
and object of this unlawful movement is not
for the present, but for the future. For the
present, the democrats have seats enough in
the senate, but after next year the probabili
ties indicate that one vote will turn the scale.
The democratic majority now is 10. There
are AZ democratic senators, SO republicans
and | independent. Pennsylvania, New
York, Ohio, Connecticut and New Jersey will
be likely next year to choose republicans.
This will exactly neutralize the democratic
majority. Then Kellogg's seat would be the
pivot on which all might turn. To be sure
Mississippi VIII send Jefferson Davis DEM
ocrat in place of Bruce, the present SENATOR
but, on the other haad, Indiana may send a
republican in place of the outgoing democrat
In any event. one vote is likely to decide the
complexion of the senate in 1881. This is
the real reason and motive of the attempt to
grasp the seat from Louisiana. Indeed, we
cannot peer into the future in any direction
without seeing some of the many-sided con-
sequences to the country Of the coming cleo
ton. Before 1860, the northern people were
skeptcal and needless of danger. The poll
ticians of one kind secuted the idea as they
do now Those who gave danger signals
were jeercd as they are now. But secession
and rebellion came, and came unawares. I'm
ready and il-prepared, the northern people
faced that dire period Of wrong and woe. The
republican party saved the government then,
and it can and will save it again. Once more,
serious and subtle peril turks in the future.
Shall we take heed in time! 1t is not wise
for any section that the presidency and both