The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-08-05
.NUAlI3Ell25.

.depsties, toinspeet and ltrect@ the ac-
ti0nsof Stale officers in The performance
or iheir duties under Slate eIectian laws.
From the very pature OF eur govern
Ihenf-4 from the separate character and
powers otthe general and the State gov
ernment--it is Just as Unconstitutional
to o.suhject~ State officers while perform.
ing duties under valid SLate.laws, to the
or EcontreI sef Fedetaf off,
GERS. That sort of interference is or
ganized anarchy. II submittedto in re-
spect Of this subject by the States there
are no. duties which State officers are
|called onto perform which the Federal
tGovernment may not supefviseand con.
Itrol. Mr.. Foster says that "the great
question is whether the State or the Ma.
tion is supreme" say the gfeat ques-
ton is, whether the Republic, and the
State are coordinate agencies OF Gov
ernment, each supreme in its sphere as
defined BY the Federal Constitution; or
whether the State can exercise no pow
err. OF Government not subject to Fed
eral supervision and control.
This, assumption Of sole supreme pow.
er for the Federal Government Illustrates
the fact that the pendulum il swinging
from the extreme of secession on the
one side to an equally dangerous ex-
treme of consolidation on the other
iSeeession held that the Union might be
Edivided ,wheuever,any State believed that
lhe Constitution had been volated,r On
that theory, the Republic was but rope
of sand. Consolidation demands that
the Federal Government shall exercise
all powers which the. dominant party
Emay think expedient. Oh that theory
iall fbeoboundares of Federal power so
carefully marked by1our sforefathers will
be obliterateds and we shall have one
great imperial government to witch the
States, will have the same relations othat
the counties and townships now have to
| the States, Secession would, have bro
ken 'np the Union into petty, but free,
republics; consolidation would swallow
.up the States, and sink liberty in an En-
lpire. @'''a''is .'t'l 'h'A'HH gal "a
Fellow eitizens,I was not brought up
bin the schdolsofastrictest construction
Eof the Constitution, and far less In, the
school known as States Rights" My
venerated father, under and about whose
roof you are assembled tonight. who
gave large part Of bis lie to the study
OF our complex form Of Government,
taught his sonsto learn from the Con-
sliiution asTexpounded by the fathers
and the courts, that the general Govern.
ment is supreme only within the scope
lof its limited and defined powers, and
the States and the people thereon also
supreme in the exercise of all powers
lot granted to the Federal Government
He taught them that it was EQUALITY the
duty of the patriot to maintain 10 full
yigor all the powers granted 10 the gen.
eral Government, and all the powers re-
1seryed to the States respectively or to-
the people; so that our dual form of
Government might not be lost through
either the centripetal or the centrifugal
forces Of the system. He willingly saw
his sons 60 forth to, battle for the, con-
stitutional powers Of The Federal Gov
ernment; and now. we're he yet among
US, he would, l believe, approve their ei-
fort to resist by peaceful methods. wthe
attempt to impair the distinctive. feature
of out system Of Government on which
depends the perpetuation OF popular
liberty .as..s.t..t,
MY friends, all the policies of the Re-
publican party I have discussed this
evening, slough apparently differing
widely in character, are in fact closely
related in purpose and effect Il believs
them all to be. part Of general tend
ency OF the classes which controi that
party, to practically .subyert popular
government The steps are first to de-
stroy the independence OF the masses by
immensely increasing g the burdens Of
debts and taxes and by cutting offabe
opportunities and rewards Of labor, and
by the same act swell the wealth and
power OF the favored classes: and then,
by allying the money power to, the illi-
mitable forces OF Government patrop-
1 age and plumber, to control elections by
bribery and force and practically sub
Iyert thefree rule .of the ballotd Look
at the powers which may be brought to
bear to effect this result! See the vast
growth of corporations, some Of which
already rule with an iron hand the great.
est States of the Republic; look at the
two thousand National banks, holding
almost every business man and business
interest in their grasp; see the veteran
corps OF one hundred thousand active
lpartisans paid from the public treasury;
and tell me whether, il the policy which
has impoverished the mass of the peo-
pie, and piled up the vast fortunes which
have risen as rapidly as clond mountains
in the sky, shall be permitted to 20 on,
these powers, backed by the army and
the navy, may not soon be strong enough
to make the rule by ballot as complstely
farce as it was in the republic ofitAe
bogus Napoleon. .f,.si g4sgs bsipa
Neither the great wealth holding, poy@
ers Of this Republic, nor the party which
represents them, can be trusted with the
preservation Of the sacred fro Of Iibers
Ity. They have not sufficient interest In
preserving IT. They are at least as safe
under corrupt and aristocratic ruls.-
They want privilege, exemption, aristoc-
racy not equal. rights, equal taxation,
and the ballot. 1t may be long before
they strike at the mere form of our Gov,
ernment, but they have struck and are
striking at it's spirit speak not OF ia.
dividuals but of classes; for among the
wealthiest men are many Of both pars
ties who love and are faithful 10 our
democratic system Of government. But
liz is the mass OF the people-th farmers,
the owners Of small industries, and
those whose dependence and hops for
themselves and their children is in we'll
paid labor-who have the proioundess
interest in the preservation Of every part
of this most perfect form OF Govern
ment, in which is set the jewel Of popu-
lar liberty. They have 1t in their keers
ing-in the free ballot, held by independ-
ent men--and If they would hand n
down to their children,they must protect
themselves from impoverishment by ins
sidious finance legislation and prevent
| the ballot box from being wrested frorYf