National Republican., 1883-05-14
WISE ON NATIONAL ISSUES.
An Interesting Interview with Virginia's
Congressman at Large.
Uho National Idea Coming Prominently
10 tho Front In the south.
SnenfnI Leiksr.


RICHMOND, May 12.-.Hon. John s. Wise,
congressman at t-large-elect from Virginia /;
Col. J. s. Browning, Gov. Cameron's private
secretary; Judge Edmund waddill, who is
United States district attorney for the cast
ern district of Virginia, and one or two other
well-known men, were seated in Judge Wad-
dill's Office this morning talking over the re-
cent decision Of the supreme court in the
Richmond school board case. The conversa-
ton turned upon the approaching presiden-
tial contest.
"You haye travelled through probably
every county in the state, and have had an
opportunity Of ascertaining the drift of pub
lie opinion In regard to the coming presiden-
tial contest. Tell us something about it,"
said one Of the party.
when was travelling through the state"
said Congressman Wise, az was more inter
ested in who was to be congressman at-large
from Virginia than who is to be the next
president of the United States. A pleasant
smile illuminated the countenanco of the
young Virginia congressman and his eyes
sparkled with satisfaction. 81 satisfied my
self that Mr.. Massey would neither be con.
gressman-at-large nor president, and am still
engaged endeavoring to convince others Of
that fact"
"But still you have your notions about tho
presidential outlook" said your correspond
emit interrupting.
ayes, have" said Congressman Wise. "but
they are very vague and underlined as yet. 1t
is impossible to forecast either the i ssues or
the candidates"
"What do you think will be tho leading
issues?"
ut looks to me as if parties were drifting
back TO the position they occupied fifty years
ago, when Clay and Sergeant ran as advocates
of tho American system. In other words, it
looks to me as IL the country, having aban-
donod the passion issues is deviding off into
parties, ono of which advocates o national
policy Of improvement, tariff, subsidizing
shipping to regain our maratime importance,
controlling the currency and finance reliev-
ing and aiding the Mississippi valley. and
generally applying the national power and
wealth upon liberal construction of the ma
tional idea of national aggrandizement
While the other still contends for n limited
and restricted national policy, the chief rec
ommendation of which shall be economy and
the non-interference and non-exercise of
federal power, save as is absolutely necessary
Without celebrating this idea or further
Dointing out the different results which would
ow from the supremacy of either of these
theories, 1t seems plain to me that one theory
will shortly become the rallying cry Of the
two parties The latter theory is tho rem
nant of the old states rights doctrine 1t
triumphed in tho first contest and will be de-
feated in the next. The necessity of adopt
ing that theory in order to perpetuate slavery
gives it the support of many who, now that
slavery is gone, care nothing for it, but, on
the contrary, feel the need Of q national pol
icy of protection and succor. This is pc
culiarly the case in Virginia. Old Harry Of
the west with his American system would
have swept Virginia like whirlwind fifty
years ago If the Virginians had not been slave
owners and afraid to give too much to the
national idea of national supremacy. Even
in the days of slavery her states rights posi-
tions were always forced upon her by slavery
and the relation which 1t begot between her
and her sister slave states. To-day, standing
with slavery abolished, with all her hopes of
the future lying in the development of her
manufacturing resources, her people have as
little fear Of federal supremacy as Pennsyl-
vanians, and as high hopes of aggrandizement
from tho triumph of the American system
involving protection and restoration of COM
merce.
The states rights theories have received
such shocks and loss Of prestige in the past
twenty years that they will never be as pop
ular and captivating as they werc in their
first contest.
The result of all this is that in the ap-
preaching contest between q broad and
narrow construction of federal power of those
who advocate its liberal aud limited exercises,
have a new field of converts never opened to
them before in all the territory where slavery
formerly existed, in which the people now
aspire to manufacturing or commercial prom
inence, or feel the need of federal aid That
territory designate as Virginia, West Vir-
ginia, North Carolina,S northern Georgin,
northern and western Alabama, east Tcnnes-
sec, and last, but not least, Louisiana, All
but Louisiana will unite in q national policy
of protection for the purpose of securing
development of their mineral resources.
Louisiana, although now hostile in theory to
the federal idea, can be made enthusiastically
its friend by that party that has the wisdom
to realize and announce that tho federal
power is strong enough and broad enough
and paternal enough to spend enough Of
national wealth to reclaim the most fertile
territory for national good.
/ believe that party will triumph in the
next contest which boldly proclaims, as to
its leading tenet, the supremacy Of national
power, and as incident to that supremacy not
only power to rule but power to save, TO de-
velop, and to build up. Under that general
declaration 1t should announce as its leading
purpose federal supremacy in currency and
finance, u system Of federal protection to
American industry, and determination to re-
gain and establish our commercial Importance
even bya large expenditure of federal wealth,
restore American bottomry, and regain our
lost carrying trade, especially in South
America, and liberal expenditure of federal
money to reclaim tho drowned lands Of tho
Mississippi valley and control and direct the
ovcrnows of the Mississippi river.
These arc few of tho things which he
lieve to be the winning ideas in the approach
ing presidential contest. Which party will
adopt them or whether either will have the
nerve to stand upon them remains to be seen.
am confident, speaking for my state, that
she would give q triumphant majority for
such platform.