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

/ Va luO ttAttn lut l1ttult VI
the United States, oil power proceed
ing originally from the electors OF the
; States, qualified by State Constitution
|. and State laws. These form the very
basis of the organization OF this body
, and of the Federal House of Represen
tativss. Without them the Govern
ment of the United States utterly and
: absolutely fails. Under the Constitu
ton OF the United States you must re-
turn for ultimate power TO the qualif
cations of electors in tho States, to
electors created by the States, with
qualifications regulated and controlled
by the States, else these bodies cease
to exist.
The Constitution, in article 2, sec.
tion l, clause 2, provides;
Each State shall appoint, in such manner a,
the Legislature thereof may direct, a number Of
electors, equal TO the whole number Of Senators
and Representatives to which he State may be
entitled in the Congress.
These electors choose the President
and Vice President of sbe United
States. If there be no State Legsla-
lures there can be no Presidential elec.
tors. The electors of the Safe Legis-
latures are created and qualified by
and under State Constitutions and
State laws The electors in The States
are the same men who choose the
members of State Legislatures, and II
you have no State Legislature, then
inevitably the power to create electors
of the President of the United States
must fail. Thus you have the Senate
and the House and the executive de-
partment all absolutely falling and
breaking down for want of the State
Governments. But this is not all. The
Judiciary department of this Govern.
ment stands upon the existence OF the
Executive and the Senate. If the Sen.
ate fails through want of electors to
create members of the State Legisla.
lures, and If the Executive authority
fails tor want of power to create cleo
tors, then we have neither Executive
or Senate to create Judges of the
United States. Thus we have every
branch OF the Federal Government,
House, Senate, the Executive and
Judiciary departments, standing upon
the State Government, and all resting
finally upon the people OF the States,
qualified as voters by State Constitu-
tons and State laws. We now see
that the State Governments are vital
to the existence Of every branch Of the
Federal Government and that the
voters OF the States are essential TO the
vitality of every branch OF the Federal
Government. They cannot be inter
fered with by Federal power. The
Supreme Court of the United States
has expressly decided that suffrage is
under State control and so far as it
can be settled it is judicially settled.
THERE ARE NO NATIONAL VOTERS.
1t is thus settled upon principle and
by authority, as well as from the his.
tory OF our institutions, that the voters
under our system are the people quail
fed by State laws and Constitutions,
and that the Federal Government has
no voters OF its own creation. Suffrage
is under State control except in the
single case Of race, upon which subject
the State can make no rule OF discrmi-
nation. If there be such thing, then,
as "National election" II wants the
first element of an election-a national
voter. The Federal Government, or, il
Gt suits our friends on the other side
better the Nation, has no voters; il
cannot create them, it cannot qualify
them, The depositary OF absolute
sovereignty and power is in the peo-
Pile, the people of the States, qualified
as electors By State Constitutions and
State laios and all authority of every
kind comes from them by representa-
ton, and this vital principle Of Democ-
racy permeates every part of the Gov
ernment.
National power over the voter as
such, or National elections as such, are
new forms OF old Federal theories. In
the laws we propose to repeal, and in
kindred enactments in 1870 and 1877
the revamped doctrines Of the FEEDER.
alism Of 1903 first finds statutory ex.
istence. The universal practice Of the
Government since 1901 has been against
any such theory as is found in these
statutcs. National electors would re
quire National citizenship for qualifi
cation. How absurd theory, that q
man may be a citizen OF the State and
not of the United States and vet be q
National voter. Yet propose Ia
! show that such would be the legiti
mate result of this teaching as to Ma
tional elections. This subject is rightly
and absolutely controlled by State law
and State Constitutions G in almost every
State. There are no National voters
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