The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1879-05-29
STATE RIGHTS.

OF power III the nat1onal government
when to maintain either one of the two
political doctrines suits its necessities.
The democratic party insists that the
individual states have certain rights on
which the fedora government cannot
infringe. The doctrine of federal su-
premacy as interpreted by republicans if
adopted in its entirety would practically
leave the existence of state governments
a matter of sufference with the national
government. Just at present, in order to
justify the president in his claim of au-
thority to use troops at the polls, and TO
furnish pretexts for the continuance of
the system of giving control of elections
to United States marshals and supervis
ors, the individual states are held to be
in strict subordination to the national
authority in the detailed management of
their own legitimate affairs. 1t is clearly
within the memory of every one, when
the republican party went to an extreme
in asserting state rights never dreamed
OF by the most fervent follower of Cal
houn. 1t is difficult to imagine how re-
publicans can consistently claim the right
of interference in an election at which
local state officers are chosen, and deny
the right of the government to go behind
the seal of the state to determine wheth
er fraud was committed by the state
authorities in canyassing votes for a
United States officer. Republicans
claim authority for the government to
take practical control of elections at
which representatives are chosen in COM
mon with state and county officers, thus
interfering with the states undoubted
right to manage the election Of its own
officers, and they claim this dangerous
power on the ground that at the same
election, representatives in congress are
chosen and the constitution gives con-
gress the power of declaring the ''time
and manner" of choosing such represen-
tatives. Mark the inconsistencies into
which special arguments to suit particu-
lar emergencies have led the republican
party. The election Of representatives
occurring at the same time and place as
the election of local officers, the exercise
of national authority puts the election of
these local officers under the control of
the federal government because as Gen.
Bragg stated so pointedly in his speech
in the house, the ballots for state and
county officers are also the ballots used
for representatives. 1t is only by impli-
cation that this power of interference
can be assumed by the United States,
and they assume this power in the cleo
ton of members who are declared by the
supreme court not to be United States
| officers.
The president of the United Sta ties is
United States officer, The constitu
ton prescribes the manner of his election
and altogether with the laws of congress
| declares in detail the mode of canvass
ing votes and almost everything pertain
ing to his election. Still the advocates
of the supremacy of the national govern
ment over everything when it chooses to
exercise It's power, held, when it suited
thei~ convenience to do, that the ,or
ereignty of the states would be destroyed
if the national government sought to de-
termine whether the canvass and election
were conducted in conformity with ma
tional law. Here the states were held
supreme in the election of a United
States officer, when national and state
matters did not come in conflict, the sub
iect matter being wholly national. No
only this, but inferentially, the power o.
a state to annul United States laws was
affirmed, and the competency of the
United States to compel state officer tc
perform duty, prescribed by nationa
authority, in conformity with laws which
are declared by the constitution to be
the supreme law of the land, was denied
In brief the following is the position
of the republican party. The United
States can assume control in the election
of members, who are not United State:
officers, but cannot without fatal inter
ference with state rights control The
election of a United States officer, though
the constitution and laws of congress
give the states greater measure of pow
er over the elections of the former thai
they do over the latter.