Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1882-04-29
Has Our System OF Government
Proven a Failure.

and one which demands the serious
consideration of patriots and politi-
clans. The course pursued by the
latter class. whose province it has been
to shape the destiny Of our country
for the last twenty-five years, Indicate
q conviction on their part that il has,
or at least that they do not regard the
form Of Government adopted by the
founders Of the government as the
wisest. We assume that they have pro-
ceede,l upon the basis established BY
the result of our civil war-ttat state
governments are and should be SUBJ
ordinate to the Federal government.
In other words. the decision of that
revolution was favorable to the doc.
trine of the federal party, that had
existed under different names almost
from the first recognition Of the inde.
pendence of the American colonies.
But no one can read the history oe
this country, the formation of the uu-
ion of states aod the constitution
adopted BY the founders Of the reppb-
lie, and honestly conclude that they
contemplated the supremacy of the
Federal government. On the contra.
ry they very jealously guarded against
any such result.
The articles of confederation were
so carefully constructed, with o view
to preserving the autonomy of the
states in tact, as to leave the Federal
government with scarcely any author.
ity whatever. except such as was
granted by the states as independent
republics; which left the compact too
weak and precarious for mutual pro.
lection against invasion and insurrec-
ton. TO remedy this defect and
establish more permanent union
as expressly ststed-tbe articles of
confederation were succeeded by q
constitution, the writer's and adopters
OF which, however, were very careful
to preserve the autonomy of the states.
and TO set forth in unu,isi akable terms
the fact that all the authority excr.
cised by the officers Of the union thus
established was delegated to it by the
states. and that all other rights and
authority was reserved by the states
who were parties to the compact or
who might thereafter be admit into it.
There was uo.bing 10 either the arti-
cles Of confederation nor constitution
upon which to base q claim Of suprem.
acy for the Federal government.
This jealous care with which our
ancestors guarded the independence Of
the states was very natural. They
had just passed through q long, bloody
and devastating war, he result oi
which was extremely doubtful from
the beginning, in order to free them.
selves from the expressions of q ty.
ranical supreme governa'ent and were
not at al inclined to surrender their
dearly bought liberty and indepen'
dence to another supreme government
For some reasons the articles of the
constitution reserving the rights and
independence of the states were no,
eliminated from that instrument, al
though they were rendered nugatory
by the decision Of the war and many
of them have been totally disregarded
BY the Federal government at times
ever since. In fact, the states have
become actually subordinate to Fed
eral government, although there are
many who refuse to recognize the fac:
or that this was one Of the principal
issues Of the war, the decision o.
which brought the states into subor
dination.
These being the facts, the question
is, Can the states reclaim their formel
rights, and establish :heir supremacy
without another revolution? And j
they could, would it be for the best
Is not the supremacy Of the Fedora
government preferable to . confeder