Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1882-06-17
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. JACK
SON-STATE SOVEREIGNTY.

recently delivered at Charleston, IN
which he is reported to have said:
"The States are mere satellites cir
cling around great central figure,
from aohicb they derive all Dower."
The Intelligencer cites some opin-
ions of Mr. Webster, uttered in the
feryor of debate, which, while they
go to the full length of liberal con-
struction of the constitution, do not
sustain the extraordinary declara-
ton of Judge Jackson. Mr.. Webster
was not even uniform in his advo-
cacy of these extreme doctrines of
the old Federal school. His speech
at the Capon Springs, in Virginia,
was wide departure from them, but
that speech has been excluded from
his published works in order to pre-
serve the consistency of his previous
utterances.
We have great respect for the
memory of Mr.. Webster, and in the
following quotation which we take
from his speech in the Senate of the
United States, delivered on the 10th
of February, 1S43, we are sure that
he will have the concurrence of
Judge Jackson, the I1ltelligencer and
every other sound jurist in the
country:
at is undeniably true that the
trainers Of the Constitution intended
to create a national Judicial poaCer,
which should be paramount on ma
tional subjects, and looking to that
Constitution "no language, he says,
"could provide with more effect and
precision than is there done for sub
jecting constitutional questions to the
ultimate decision of that court
Let us then see what this national
judicial power-the Supreme Court
of the United States-says on the
point of this heretical opinion of
Judge jackson. We will make a
few citations:
"All the legislative powers of the
Federal Constitution are concessions
of sovereignty from the people of the
States. 18th Howard, $40.
"The powers of the Federal Gov
eminent are limited; it possesses
none but such as is granted by the
people of the States. Judge Mclean.
at would be as gross usurpation
on the part of the Federal Govern
ment to interfere with State rights
as it would be for State to inter
pose it's authority against a law of
the Union. "a Peters, 1853.
"With the exception of the
powers granted to the Federal
Government, the people of the sew
eral States are absolutely and un-
conditionally sovereign within their
respective territories. lie How
ard, 42S.
After these few citations, which
might be multiplied into columns,
what would the Supreme Court of
the United States say of one Of its
subordinate and inferior Judges who
would announce from the bench that
| the States were mere satellites or
planets who derived all their light,
powers and sovereignty from the
central orb of the Federal Govern
ment p?
The progress of centralizing all
power in the national government
to the utter overthrow of our State
authorities is going on rapidly
enough under the influence of eXecu.
tive and Congressional usurpation
surplus revenues, subsidies, jobs
/ contracts, &c. 1t is hardly fitting
in a West Virginia Democratic Fed
eral Judge to hasten the national
catastrophe by annihilating by a
single stroke OF his pen all limita-
tions on Federal power and all the
reserved rights of the States and re-
ducing them to the condition of
counties or provinces.
1t is said the late civil war has
forever settled the doctrine of seces.
sion. This is true. But it will take
a half dozen of such wars before the
people will ever submit to see their
State lines effaced and the whole
country reduced to the condition of
satrapies and provinces.
House Bill No. 81 is announced
as a candidate for the Legislature
in Dod6ridUp county. He should