Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1888-03-24
A DANGEROUS INNOVATION.

majority. lt carries a great deal OF
money, some seventy odd millions, but
VIC care nothing about that. II purports
to be in the interest Of education, and we
do care a great deal about that. But
the real objection TO the measure is the
assumption by the Federal Government
Of a power not hitherto exercised and
not clearly defined in the Constitution.
From the beginning Of the Government
until now the matter Of education has
been exclusively under the jurisdiction
Of the several States. Our free school
system is the best in the civilized world.
We may well inquire whether the system
can be improved by the interference Of
the Federal Government. We believe
strongly in the old Constitutional land
marks as established by the fathers. We
all hurrah for the Declaration Of hide.
pendence, and it is right that we do, but
the big blessing in this country is our
Constitution and the perfect system Of
government which it guarantees so long
as we keep within its pale. The tendency
to centralize power in Washington is
wrong. The more we centralize the
nearer We approach the Empire. with
Monarchy Just in the background. No
right surrendered by the States and the
people is ever recovered. More power
in the Central Government means less
liberty for the citizen. 1t is the history
Of the world that liberty has been lost
by stealth and encroachments rather
thar by violence and revolution. Reyo.
lutions generally work the other way.
For the Federal Government to begin to
NEEDLE in a purely local matter like our
schools suggests that a dangerous inno-
walton is being attempted. There is
sometimes talk that it will also take cog
nizance of the subjects Of marriage and
divorce. These, with the schools, have
always been held as questions for local
legislation. Certainly none Of them come
within the enumerated powers of the
Constitution. One thing will follow an
other until ii will finally be impossible to
abate a nuisance in Mud Springs without
an Act Of Congr ess. The whole tendency,
as we have already said, is wrong. If it
is considered desirable that new grants
of power should be put in the Constitu.
tion let us go to work and amend it. We
never want to see the people in this coun.
try viewing their Government at WASH
ington in the light of a paternity pa.
ternal Government, answerable for all
the dwarfing of all independence, Of all
enterprise and Of all manhood. The lar.
gest individual liberty, with the least
thought of governmental dependence is
the true theory. And just here is the
real dividing line between Democracy
and Republicanism. 1t is mainly upon
this proposition that we have always es-
poused the cause OF Democracy. We
never liked the Hamilton idea which was
substantially an Empire as the form of
Government in this country. He wanted
practically all power, local and general,
lodged at Washington. Madison, who
was the greatest man this country has
ever produced, advocated and secured to
the people the dual system of Govern
ment under which we have lived for more
than a century. Experience teaches that
Madison was right and Hamilton wrong.
Republicans as a rule are a little more
Federalistic than Democrats are. 1t is
the real enduring issue between the two
parties. We can all have our notions as
to whether the tariff on some articles
should be a few cents higher or a few
cents lower, but there is no politics in
that. That is a mere policy of admins
tration. The other goes to the true the
DRY and science Of Government. 1t is
the bedrock of party politics in the
United States. The great question being
SO often obscured and subordinated to
more trifing issues, is the reason, per-
haps, why there are SO many people who
cannot readily explain why they are Dem.
ocrats or why they are Republicans.
Senator Stewart voted for the Blair bill
and Senator Jones against it. If the
views we have been considering entered
the minds of these gentlemen, their votes
would show Stewart to be a Federalist
and Jones a Democrat. But both may
have voted for reasons entirely foreign to
the real question put in issue.