The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1886-08-27


General Sherman Is unfortunate IN
being possessed of strong tendency
TO be exlravagant 10 many Of his say
iugs. Ia many respects he Il man
Of great force. He 10 one OF the great
est, (it not tho graatest,l Generals oi
his day. He once said that ''lf Gen.
q. +. Smith had lived, Grant would
have disappeared after Donelson. y
Very few pefsons who lived IN the
days that preceded and Included the
downfall OF Donelson will agree with
Sherman. In extenuation OF this
exiravagant saying, II Is said that he
Is not a lawyer "welghlng every
spoken or written word" but Il does
not require the cunning and skill OF
q lawyer 70 grasp the full import of
this extravagant remark about Gems.
Smith aud Grant. Gen. Sherman Is
human, and the remark above quoted
sclnlillates indications of some hidden
but may be, unconscious jealousy of
the very strong mold which Grant had
on the affections Of the people. Gen.
Sherman has been making some
ex,ravagant and loose remarks to a
Nsscs reporter, which fully exempllfy
his constitutional, tempeamealal
tendency to strong, vivid statement"
He rushes In to erIrlcise Governor
Ireland for doing things which the
Governor never did, never attempted
10 do, nor claimed that he would do,
and tnen rushes In 10 say that the
''quesIisn OF states rights was settled
long sgo," which statement Is iu
keeping with the Generals extrava-
gant disposition. The truth Of his
tory Is that the right OF . state to
secede was settled by the sword, and
all yield hearty submission TO that
settlement Of that question. But the
rights OF the states, ss contradisiIn-
guished from the powers OF the gen.
sral government. are continually be.
Ing discussed by the ab.est conslItu-
tionai minds OF the country. Our
readers win remember that the quea-
ton AS TO how far Congress may go
In exercising power affecting the
common school systems Of The several
states was extensively discussed In
the late Congress while the Blair
Education Bill was up for consIdera-
tion, and, thanks 10 returning reason
and right sense, the strongest obIec.
tlons to the passage OF the bill were
that Il contained provisions deroga-
tory 10 the rights OF the states, aud
these objections were urged by the
ablest Republican Senstors In the
United States Senate, and upon these
objections mainly the bill was defeat
ed. Gen. Sherman and other GEN.
tralizationisls will learn, sometime In
the future, we hope, that our govern
ment is ons whose powers are defined
by written constitution, and that
the man who strikes down that con.
stitutlon, or attempts to abrogate II,
under the form Of law Is more dan.
gerous enemy toour government than
he who takes up bis sword and makes
open war against IL. II Is not ress,
surInR, when we contemplate the fact
that for many years we have been
drifting away from thcss fundsm .niAl
principles OF free government luaI
distinguish ours from the govern
ments OF Enrope. The constitute 70
Of the UnItedsStates was made TO be
obeyed, not dlsreearded. lis provi.
sions are just as binding upon all a,
a statute law Il. lis provisions,alI o
them, are tho supreme law OF Tho
land. The powers delegated TO Con
gress by this constitution ara to b
exercised by Congress. Those no
delegated TO Congress by the constI
tuition are to be exercised by the state
respectively or by tho people. Thes'
two propositions are laid down In tn,
constitution itself and are just a
! binding and as unas3allable rs tina
provision OF the constitution whIct
gives TO Congress the power 10 de
clare war. 1t would be Just as mucl
: an iniraction OK the constitution Of tn
United States for Congress to under
, take to regulate the matter OF suffrag
Ia the several states as for any one {
the states TO assume the power an
authority to declare war against
foreign power. There is no cscepIn
) this conclusion. The power no
d vested In he s.yerh states OF thl
union Is the great palladium Of col
stitutional liberty, and must renal
the hope and rock OF freedom for a
future generations.
nvmmmmsuuuuumn