The sun., 1881-04-24

and financial interests OF the country, 10 sum
med up in two sentences. Mr. Field submits
TINT the acts form in themselves a displacement
OF State power far beyond anything mooted by
the most tuncompromising champions OF Fed
eralist opinion In the early days OF the
Constitution. and probably far beyond any
thing then thought to be possible. He insists
further that the theory on which they rest
would II carried out TO its logical results-and
the pressure in this direction has. at timcs.
seemed irresistiblo-lead to the practical alb
sorption in the central Government Of all the
chief functions OF sovereignty. Indeed. It has
already become fashionable on the part OF Re-
publican newspapers and politicians to call the
power OF the States police power. rs IL these
great commonwealths. which still make most OF
the rules OF property and OF conduct under
which we live. and which. according to the
theory, divide the attributes OF sovereignty with
the Federal Government. had been reduced to
tho condition Of n body Of police officers. The
assumption seems the more grotesaue in the
mouths OF those who make It. because they are
unwilling to permit the States to even guard
their own polls by their own policemen.
The causes which have evolved the tendency
to centralizatlon are plain enough, but how has
1t happened that public opinion. which. on the
whole seems still loyal TO the Constitution. has
the floors OF Congress? MIR. Field answers this
question by laying his finger on the weakest
point in our political system. We have. as he
says, reduced tho responsibility OF the mom-
bers OF Congress to the minimum. Senators
are responsible to thar own States. Represen-
tatives to their respective constituents. but here
in practice the accountability ends. Yet how he
asks in the name OF justice. can Senator from
Nevada or a Representative from Michigan be
allowed to participate In legislation which may
transform or annihilate the industries OF Massa-
chusetts or OF Florida This absence OF respon-
sibity was not felt In the early period OF the
Federal Government. because Congress at first
confined ITSELF for the most part, to laws affect
ing interests common to all the States these
interests being few in number and carefully
defined in the Constitution. Now. on the other
hand, when Congress is tending to invade
under one pretext or another every sphere OF
legislation. the total lack OF accountability on
the part OF Congressman toward every State
and district except their own 10 big with dan
ger to the fundamental principle OF representa-
tive government. For when the people once
awake to the perception that their most vital
concerns are ut the mercy OF a lot OF Legislators
over whom as a body. they exercise but slight
control. how can we expect them to do other
wise than other nations. in like conditions have
done before them. viz. discard representative
institutions and turn. in despair. to strong
and highly centralized government which. for
its own sake. might deal impartially with the
country at large3
Mr.. Field suggests no special change in our
political machinery. with q Wow of subiectng
our Federal legislators to q keener sense OF
responsibility. There is. however. one eX-
pedient, unQuestionably constitutional by
which representatives in the lower House. at
| all events. might be made to feel themselves
| accountable to much larger constituencies.
| Precisely the same change might be made
| which is now advocated in France by Gam
beta. viz, the substitution OF scr,ttin de liste
| for the scr-itin darondissemert. or. in other
| words. the election OF representatives on gen =
| eral State ticket instead Of by districts. The
| probable effect OF such change would be 10
| check the shameless spoliation which annually
goes on under the guise OF river and harbor
| appropriations. The majority OF the voters OF
| New Jersey. for example. are by no means
friendly to such pecuations which draw money.
| as they well know. from their own pockets
to enrich dwellers along the shore. The same
thing may be said OF other seaboard States. II
| seems clear. indeed. that IL the reoklessness OF
Federal egslation is due to q lack Of RESPONSE
| bili;y and II this again is attributable to the
| small size OF constituencies. the tendency TO en-
croach hment would be to some extent arrested by
| choosing Representatives on one ticket voted on
throughout State. No doubt there are objec-
tions to this course. but they are certainly less
weiGhty in the United States than in France
where there are no .jtate legislatures intrusted
by the organic law with the larger part OF leRis
lation. Indeed it may be fairly said that. in the
original and correct view OF our Federal Con
stitution. a Congressional district has no spe
cifc local interests which have any claim to ad
vocscy in the Federal Legislature. Tho onl,
interests it has to which it may legitlmatel,
demand attention are those which are common
to the whole State. and the State in turn
according 10 the true. though too offer
disregarded, view OF the Federal compact
should uphold on the floors Of Congress
only those interests which 1t has in common
with all the other members OF tho Union.
Whether this. however. or any other chang,
in our electoral machinery be expedient. it Il
manifest that nothing whatever will be dom
unless public opinion 10 aroused. and by per
sistsnt agitation kept alive. to the imperative
necessity OF impressing on the peoples ser
wants a deeper sense Of responsibility and
more rigorous adhesion to the limits OF Fedora
legislation laid down in the Constitution. Th
strict or loose construction OF that ins,rumen
must remain the crucial question on whicl
parties will divide themselves SO long as ou
present form OF government endures. And 81
long as the Democratic party lasts. we. for ou
part. have faith that the United States will con
tnue to be a plural and not singular noun. /
is true enough that State rights got a bad nam
because they were pushed TO the folly OF null
lifcation and the crime OF secession. But Mr.
Field suggests that it 10 scarcely safe or wise
because this folly and this crime were com
mtted in the name OF State Rights. to infer tina
the name thus perverted and usurped may no
have at bottom good meaning and represen
q useful thing.
MOZ4RI'S HARPSICHORD.