The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-07-13
State Rights and Patience.


There is no plain truth in polite
people are SO slow to learn and t
appreciate as this: that just in pre-
portion as country is free, must
be patient and tolerant. The force
ut work being chiefly moral, ar
slow, however powerful at last, mus
have time and forbearance. Ever,
attempt to supplement them by til,
shiIlelah or the bayonet is inconsist
eDt and suicidal. The Northern
brethren, If We believe them, are 81
impatient to have things right, thai
Jacobinism and a strong and virtu
ally non-electoral executive have be
come Indispensable to their pro
gramme. Every man who will not
s'h0ller on their siden must be knock.
ed over. This notion they are ap.
parently Intervening into the law.
The yearly and constant drift is to
push the States, which are the con-
stituent elements of the Union-off
the political board entirely.
The general conclusion is, that the
States, like the Chinese, must "goo
that before long they will cease to
be considered as efficient agents in
our system of government, and we
sink very soon into centralized i'm
perialism and autocracy,. which al
though it may still wear the name of
a republic, will be substantially
as absolute as that Of Russia
herself. For it is q fact 10 the
United States, nothing is now SO
odious as personal opinion unless il
happens to chime in with that of the
majority. 1t is a great misfortune
to any man to form his ideas indie
pendently, if he can't keep in the
current, or very near it.
But we shall make q grand mis-
take if we conclude that because
opinion now drifts strongly against
the State governments, it is always
going to do so, and finally sink them
ont Of sight in a great maeistrom Of
centralism. That it is not going to
do. The immediate cause Of this
strong Drift to centralism is readily
understood. The civil war, from q
"Stalwartn or Jacobin standpoint,
was an array Of States against the
Union, ending in tho total defeat Of
the former. From under the calam-
tiles OF that struggle, We still groan,
I'd even now, it it is shadow Of.
te authority still left which, in
% conception Of the majority Of
States, now erects itself against a
thousand and one changes they
want to introduce to perfect their
system Of ssfree government under
which every man in the country shall
be compelled to think and vote Just
like every other manin the country,
or have his head knocked of as
useless piece Of furniture. They
cannot tolerate any thing in the sys-
tenn which savors of the right of
private Judgment and the eqality
and independence of the States.
But in the nature OF things, this
idea Of q centralized government is |
impracticable. The necessary legis-
lation and police Of the system must
be done BY the States, for the Gen.
eral Government can't do it. Every
day the demands upon that govern
ment increase, and every day its
capacity diminishes. The
great elementary duties Of govern.
ment must of necessity be performed
By the States, or left undone. Pub.
lie opinion, which sets so strongly
against the States now, under the
passions and prejudices Of the war,
viii, in ton years, set as strongly the
other way under the necessities Of
government, and the horror Of neg.
ect or arbitrary Federal interior
anre Tn d unyf1 ua marsh have M 1