Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-06-09

w Nv" "''tN''i WV 't'''S iii'NiI I'Np' VI
freedom, disorder and confusion must
inevitably follow. And what power
but the military can keep in order II
confused mass of 5O,OOO,OOO people?
And then will come the "strong govern
ment," TO be followed by the empire.
See if you do not give the most un-
qualified assent to the following funda-
mental maxim: "No power essential
to the happiness and welfare of the
whole people in the republic should
ever be allowed to pass out of the
hands of the people into the hands of
those not chosen by the people, and
who are not responsible to you for the
manner i'll which they exercise that
power | see that without regard to
party you give the most unqualified as
sent to that great principle. Now, the
difficulty is to obtain your consent to
its practical application in your govern
ment. lquOte now from the first arti-
Gle, second section of the constitution
Of the United States, which defines the
powers Of congress. The third subdi-
vision clothes congress with power "to
regulate commerce with foreign nations,
and among the several states" The
eleventh subdivision confers upon con-
gress thepoWer" "to regulate war" Now
all these several powers are conferred
for the protection Of the life, liberty
and property OF the citizen, and cannot
with safely be abandoned or delegated
to irresponsible parties. The only
safety is in requiring these parties to
be exercised by the parties upon whom
they are conferred. IL would not do to
delegate the power "to declare war to
the gunsmltIls and powder manuiact.
urers. Nor has our experience shown
That it is at all safe for congress TO delc-
gate the power "tO regulate commerce
among the states" to the bank, rail
road, and telegraph monopoIies. What
is commerce? You, business men of
Philadelphia, are competent to give a
good, practical definition of that term.
1t is synonymous with trade and
traffic. Now, what does the conStiLu.
ton mean when ii says, Congress shall
have power to regulate commerce
among the STATES" 1t certainly does
not mean that congress shall fix the
price of abushcl of wheat, or Of Il car
80 of merchandise 1t means that the
great agents of commerce shall he con-
trollcd by law. They are three in
number, namely, money, transportation
and the transmission of intelligence.
Without the presence of these three
agents commerce is impossible, and each
and all OF these agents are essential to
the happiness and welfare of the whole
people in the republic. Can you safely
part with the right to control them?
Who, then, should control these great
agents of commerce? The people,
through their representatives who are
responsible to them. That is what
the constitution means. But what is
the situation to-day? Who regulates
the volume of your money? Who rcgu,
latcS transportation? Who regulates
the transmissrno of Intelligence through
the telegraph 1t lS the most alarm
lng TACT ol modern Times, That all CON
troll over these great elements and
agents OF commerce has been wrenched
from the hands OF The people, and been
gwen over INTO the lllrec greatest mo-
nOpolleS ol modern Tunes cS-'h" bank
| lrnInlI.lI IONS lllu I.llllnlu ID
monopolleS. Ihe growth i'I r".
OF corporate lie III TINS coun J "'.,.
The last lllly years has he 30 N,.|".-
douS and Is most alarming.
God grant that both the H".h,H'
South may forget Their old G''..rt '"d
unite III one grand brothcrllo y 1i an f.
TO rescue the republic. tdr .Hd
AGENTS OF commerce must he 'I"'2ht
into practical harmony will ,i. toPV-
lar well fare, or free gov fW"uAJ .v
the laborng lnsterestS OF Tho country
is at an end,
The great agent of cOUWrrn is
transportation. The railroads o,ynflt
tax upon everything that y0, u', and
wear; by II simple stroke of the pen
they annually change the value lf inn
property of the people by hundreds q.
millions of dollars, and are deaf to tl.
voice of complaint and suffering pro
duced by their DEGREES.
When God made man, he jlniIci u,u
years of his life; placed him upon 'uD
earth, and restricted him within 'u.
circle Of certain moral and physical
laws, necessary for his own happiness
and the protection OF his ntighbor
The state then takes hold OF him and
supplements natural law with u mrIli.
tude of civil and penal restrictions.
The whole framework of sociriy FROM
the smallest subdivision of human au-
thority up to the grand government un.
der which we live, has been instituted
to compel men to respect the rights o.
their neighbors-to protcc. the weak
against the strong.
Now, the state, initiating the Make,
of the universe. also has the power ,1
create living being. Under law, mon
form what is called company. the,
construct n road bed then add the ties
the rail. the car. and the lbroIhiuc
engine. The state then brealhes int,
the nostrils of this company the brcatl
of corporate life, and endows the com
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