The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-07-23
THE BLAIR ELL.
A Blow at the Reserved Rights
of the States.

party arc keeuIy alive to the fact
that the South once more stands
proudly erect, claiming, maintaining
aud exercising her right 10 share in
the Legislation that shapes the pres
ent aud will shape the future of
our common country aud the
greater aud inalienabIe rights to
develop her resources and manage
her affairs as she sees fit-lree from
the mischief making interference OF
any section which may control the
administration, and without the
sulerimpOSition of ideas, manners,
habits and customs obnoxious to
her own. That such is the case we
owe to the principle of State SOW
ereignty-a principle, which, thank
God ! did not die at AppomatOx.
State autonomy, the cardinal
doctrine of our political system, is
the one jewel which we of the South
should guard as sacredly aud as
jealousy as a woman guards her
honor; for, upon the strict con.
struction of hat dOctrine-in letter
and in spirit-depends thepreServa,
ton of Our rights and liberties.
AS between the two sections, the
South is the weaker in population
and wealth and, therefore, in politi
Cal power. Impair the autonomy
OF the States and we, the minority,
are at the mercy of the more pOpu.
lOuS, the more wealthy aud the
more powerful North. Given the
power to judge and legiSlate for
Hur goOd-as Safes respectively
the power lin the hands of our enc.
mies) TO judge and legislate for our
evil cannot be resisted. Ii Con
gress, under the pretense of pro
noting the general welfare, has the
to impose certain laws bear
ing directly upon local aud mum
matters, the regulating Of
is the exclusive fountain of
he State, there will follow, as sure
y as the night succeeds the day,
he assumption by Congress of the
light to regulate any aud every
ocal aud municipal matter.
Coerclve and %repreSsive measures
failed TO subjugate our
to Republican ideas, The one
i'm Of Our vlgilant enemies ,
as ever been to SO shape lrgiSIa-
ion that if time and fortune should ,
them to power, the Southern +
might be under their abso
ute control. But, knowing fuil +
rell, that ais long as the principle ,
# State sovereignty lives aud ,
ivifeS the nation, their power for :
vii is checked aud leSSeued, they {
re continually deviSing some tupth ,
q to establish IA precedent which
he reserved rights OF The States, ,
ur only safeguard against political !
egradation and debasemeht, may, |
I some future time, be abridged -,
nd impaired. j
Of all the schemes concOcted by /
,adical ingenuity to bring about Y
Ills result, nothing has yet been +
AIMED more insidiOus in its nature, /
lOre dangerous in it's application
nd results, than this same Blair J
i'll, about which SO much has been
aid, aud which has been so adroitly -
sed to inclte public opinion against /,
lr. Van Eaton. Aud because he II
had the foresight to detect its X
mares and the courage TO condemn d
hat he could not endorse, his enc G
lies are silly enough to accuse him !
t deliberately voting to deprive the :
COR man of the means TO educate I
is children. When the dangerous Il
endeucy of this bill shall have o
cen exposed. few will be found i,
POLISH enough to repeat the aecusl- -
on, and not ii few to approve Mr.. "
AN Eatou's cause and urge it as a
trong reason fol his denomination.
In the first place, the Blair bill is
ased upon Il degree of illitpracy
rat does not exist among those of
1ucable age, as among the Hitter Il
les are iucluded those, who, hav- II
lg passed their majority, are not
1ucable and, therefore, unable to II
erivc any benefit from its benevo- X
mt pensions. 1t is, furthermore, u
ased upon the false aud SANDER
us assumption that we have peith- :,
r the means, capacity, o dispo II
tion to provide for the education -
u children ; and there are -
outhern men willing to swallow "
Ie insult and Islander, aud to in.
uee others to do the anne p
Ii 1.-THE bilD gives the Federal d,
Overnment, through the Secretary al
the Interior, a continued aud u
)ntinual supervision over the u
tate, to such a degree, that on the
,mplaint of some marplot, for real g
r faucied wrongs, the State can be 81
pprived of its share of the school u
md, in spite of tue fact that it I'll
as paid aud must continue 10 pay
s full quota of the 1900, 900. 10
nd against this injustice the SOW pI
-eign State is ~powerless, for, from L.
le decision OF the Secretary of the lie
l%teriOr, there is no appeal. Now, CO
ace this absolute power in tue de
lnds of a Republican admimstra- ft
on, aud what would be our cOndi- m
OUT Garry out the "ideal school Ci
stem" and "civil rights" as enun- wi
ated by Senators Logan aud Har- TIA
sou in their speeches on this bill, di