Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-03-06
Capitalization.


which the Eederai SYSTEM seems. to per-.
|j,,it, and which, under the skillful iaan-
Emulation Of the RepHblic leaderss has
grpWn 1oproportions which seem 70. en-
Hanger the 3iberties ofatho country. is
TT study for the patriotic heart. and one
that can not be dweitupon nor contem-
plated too often. ~, is the great aues-
tionof the lime whether, ia the strife
for political power, the principles OF
free government are not being trampled
under foot and sport made OF the dear
est possession the patriot can enjoy.
Amid the conflict and excitement of the
period there is great dan ger that the
landmarks Of liberty may be lost. and
the people awake from their lethargy
and indifference to find. themselves fet-
tered by chains which their own neglect
has fastened upon them. The history of
all human egoveanments shows that the
masses have become ~enslaved through
the, ambition and eeupiditys. of public
leaders, and Who will say what would
have been the destiny Of England had
not the ambit on of Cromwell over
leaped itself and opened a way for. the
return ~of monarchy in the person of
Charles the Second. All the wisdom
and the patriotism Of that period went
down inFthe misguided zeal and unwor-,
thy amhitionslef that aspiring fanatic,
until the fabric of popular liberty which
the patriots had rearedzwas baptized
with the best blood Of Britain. 1t is
from the ambitious strifes of the leaders
that the people have always received
their yokes and burdens, and the his
tory of the past few years in thisscoun-
try proves that nothing but the utmost
vigilance upons the part of the people
can protect them, even in this favored
land, from being made the servants Of
ambition and the slaves of designing
politicians. 'Si' ss5H2 s3s9sst. s.}7 sesa L
Every step this Nation has taken dur
ing the past twenty years has been IN
the direction of Capitalization and away
from the principles and practices of the
early days of the Republic. Under the
specious cries of progress and advance
ment the people have been deluded into
snrrendering one right after another
until the States are shorn of all their
proper powers, and sthe individual is
left almost powerless to protect himself
against the assumption OF Government.
Away back in the early period of this
country's history this posi- bility, was
discussed ard feared, for it appears in
Elliott's Debates that Alexander Hamii-
ton undertook to disabuse. the minds of
the trainers of the Constitution of the
fears which were then felt by exclaim-
ing: s'Wil1 the people suffer Congress
to strip. them of their privileges. till the
solemn prerogatiyes Of the States are
reduced tosa shadow and a Iamep'' and
then. as if srepelling such. a thought,
answered: THE idea is shocking, to
common sense;;"s and yet this IS precise.
ly what the followers of this great adj
vocate Of Federalism are preaching and
practicfng to day. and the idea which
Hamiltonthought was shocking to COM
mon sense has been for years held alCft
as the true principle Of National policy,
That the people were jealous of
their rights and regarded home rule,
the sovereignty of the masses, as con-
tradistinguished from the designs of as
piring politicians, above all other con-
is. tabundantiy proven by
the acts of the colonies long before the
Constitution wasafermed. Even then
the claims Of the people to manage
their domestic affairs was strenuously
insisted upon. Il Previous to 1868 the
colony of Virginia received a charter
which provided that ..noserders of the
court in London We're to BIZ binding on
the colony unless ratified, by the AS
~ In 1852 a-char.er was grant,
ed to Maryland which gave the people
the power Of legislation without any
from the mother country.
In the charter to Pennsylvania in 1851
the principle of the right of local self
by the people .wassfullg rec
ognized. In the controversy between
and New Hampshire,
which was,settled in England in 1879,
and. Government organized in New
Hampshire, it was provided ''that no
act,s imposition law or ordinance
should be imposed upon the people of
the province, but such Z as should be
made by the Assembly and approved
by the President OF. the Council"
On page 81 of Alexander Il. Stephens
History Of the ssy United States it
is stated - that ..there - was, a
formed between four of
the colonies, in which it was provided
that each colony was to be perfectly
free in its management of its own in
ternal affairs. while external matters
were. Entrusted to- commissioners to be
selected by each colony. Here we
nave Tie JEALOUS TcSdEu u Tie people ]
for their rights and liberties distinctly
stated and admitted while yet, the Ma
lion was In embryo, and before the idea
Of a Federal Government was thought |
Of, This, desire to have local self-gov-
remained with the colon SITS. |
and it was against the fears felt by the |
patriots of the time that Hamilton used |
Ill his matehless powers of statesman |
ship to reassure and. encourage those !
who doubted tie wisdom and expedien-
y Of surrendering those rights for the
general purposes Of government Not |
the, efforts of Hamilton
and the Federalists, the people were
afraid to fall in with, their views, and
t, appears in the. second volume of
El1iott's Debates. that Mr., Bosiman.
while the adoption of the Constitution
vas under consideration in Massachu-
'etts, expressed his fears that the Cen
sral Government W. uld encroach upon
The sovereignty of the States, to which
Mr.. Sedgwfek replied and said eff he
that The adoption of the pro-
posed Constitution would interfere with |
he State i e orislatures he aHoalld he the /