The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-02-07

imagine, just ut present. that they want
i to abstract power from the national gov
eminent and distribute it among the
States. Let them once get possession of
the administration at Washington, and
they will change their tone. There is a
great deal of truth in the remark made
by President Hayes recently, that the
party in power always favors strong
government, and the party out of power
opposes it. When the democracy was in
power, it had no scruples about dragoon-
ing Kansas to make it slave State, nor
did it hesitate to place its hand upon
every citizen and force him to be a slave
catcher. At that time the Republicans
were States rights advocates. With
their personal liberty bills they attempted
to nullify the fugitive slave law, and
defed the federal authority. The war
changed the attitude of parties; but if
the Democrats were again to be few
years in power, another change would
very likely take place. The Democrats
would in all probability endeavor to per-
petuate their hold on the government by
schemes Of Capitalization, against which
the Republicans would raise the standard
of State authority The South may
probably be expected to remain for many
years attached to its States rights
notions, by reason of it's natural desire
20 la Of lnIn in,
var, and the unwillinsness Of its govern
| ing classes to recognize the full citizen
ship of the negroes; but the South will
not be formidable much longer. Political
power i'll this country is fast passing to
the growing West. which is increasing
in strength every day. The census of
1880 will shear the South of large part
of its relative power; and the census of
| 1890 will still further reduce it's weight
| in electoral colleges and in Congress-
| While the East has got its growth, and
the South is standing still. SO as not to
get out of sight Of it's former delusions
and mistakes, the great West, with an
almost limitless food producing capacity,
| a population made up of the enterprsng
from all sections, free from hampering
prejudices and outworn faiths, and i'm
bued with strong sentiment of nation
| ality. will continue to increase in power,
and from its central position will reach
| out to govern the eNtremities of the
country. Whatever may be the attitude
of parties, therefore, the working of the
| forces which are producing great. com
pact nationaities wherever civilization
| prevails is not likely to be much impedcd
in the United States
If we are now convinced of the exist
| ence in the United States of the same
| centralizing tendency, with the effects of
which we are familiar in the Old World,
let us inquire as to its probable results
here. How will it affect the form and
workings Of our governmental system
Evidently, it is going to bring the gov
crnment and the citizen into closer re-
| lations with each other. The citizen be-
| gins to demand more than he has re
ceived heretofore. lie says to the gov
eminent, You have the right in case of
| jnsurrection or foreign war; to seize my
| property and force me into the army.
where my life is subject to the terrible
| hazards of battle and disease. Now |
insist that you shall do more for ME in
return than to coin my money and carry
my letters. | want protection in my es-
sential rights of citizenship. Only once
in two years do | have any voice in in,
| fluencing the legislation of the country,
only once in four years can l exert any
control over its executive policy. On
these rare occasions, when | can put my
hand on the government which can
always put its hand on me, demand that
and that the expression of my will shall
be guaranteed its due force and result
| If he is told that he must look to his
State for this protection and guaranty,
he says, - This is illogical. l am not
dealing with the State at these elections
for congressman and for president; | am
dealing with the nation. From the
nation l demand my rights There will
be no resisting this demand. The Dem
ocratic politicians will talk in vain about
| the prerogatives of the States. In vain
will they dig up old anti-iederalist inter-
pretations of the constitution. The
federal election laws will not be repealed
They will be strengthened and perfected,
until the supervisory power of the ma
tiunal government over national elections
is made much broader than it is now.
The citizen will not stop with demand
for protection to himself and ballot. He
will say that he has the same interest in
Il fair election in another State as III his
his own, because the congressman chosen
in that State have just as much voice in
making laws for him to obey as his own
representative. He will therefore say
that it is his personal right as a citizen
that all elections of II national character
should be fair and honest, and that all
voters, wherever they may live, should
have the same freedom to express their
opinions and wishes with their ballots
that he himself enjoys. If he lives in
New York, he cannot look to the State
government of Louisiana to insure such
elections with her borders. He has nc
claim OH that government, and no way
to get at it. Yet he is wronged indivi-
dually if. by the suppression Of the vote
of his party in dozen parishes on Red
River, congressman is returned who
helps establish a political policy antagon
istic to his own views To right sucl
wrongs and prevent their repetition he
must look to national law and admins
tration.
Furthermore, in Il government by par
ties. the right of each party to the ex
ercise of the full measure of power whicl
its voting strength entities it to is un
questionable. If the Republican part,
has majority Of the voters in a majority
of the congressional districts in the
country. it is entitled to control legisla
ton i'll the house of representatives. |
it is deprived Of a majority i'll the hous,