The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-02-25
STEPS TOWARD GENERALIZATION.

From the New York Herald, Feb. lOI
) The passage OF the everlasting Blair
educational bill in the senate yesterday
is fresh illustration OF the mischiey-
Gus tendency of the times toward a
centralized power at Washington.
Fortunately, as our Washington cor.
respondent shows, there Is no prospect
of its final success.
The unconstitutionalily Of the bill,
its proposed interference with local
matter that belongs to the several
states. has been repeatedly shown on
The floor Of the senate by arguments
which have not been and cannot be
successfully met. The Capitalization
objection TO the measure was forcibly
pointed out by Senator HaWley ON
Tuesday in one of the most striking
speeches delivered on the subject this
session. He said:--
"This is bill bringing under federal
control interests which from Plymouth
Rock up to this day have been under
local control, and wisely SO. Ii is n
bill declaring the failure of local self
government in one of the supreme in
terests OF the people. 1t is not for eight
years. Ii is the beginning OF a pcrina-
nent poiicy-of q permanent new reIa-
ton between the federal government
and the states. 1t never will 20 back
and never will diminish, but its infiu-
ence will grow"
Unfortunately, il does not stand
alone as measure heading toward
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES "a new relation
between the federal government and
the states" The lard bill now pend.
ing in congress aud the oleomargarine
bill-for which, by the way, Senator
Hawley both voted and spoke enacted
last session, are open to the same OBJ
lection in a greater degree. Both OF
these are, like the Blair bill, an uuwar.
ranted interference with functions of
the state. Both are attempts 10 iegis-
late against one industry for the benefit
of another, under the cloak Of tax
law. or course, congress can levy
tax for revenue upon any product.
But regulation, not revenue, is the
object Of the Oeomargarine statute aud
the lard bill. The former strikes at a
cheap substitute for butter and the
latter at the cottomseed oil industry of
the south. The tax is mere pretext
and sham. 1t is imposed for 10
other purpose than to serve as con-
stitutional excuse for congressional
action. The real object of the Iegisla-
ton Is protection to dairy butter
against olcomargarime and to hog lard
against a product in which cottonsecd
oil is large ingredient.
The trainers of the constitution never
intended that congress should legis!ate
even to prevent fraud, imposition and
adulteration in food products, much
less to protect one domestic industry at
the expense of another. That is a
matter left entirely TO the states. 1t
congress may, under the cloak OF rev.
enue legislation, "regulate" one srti-
Gle of food it may regulate all, and
thereby Oust the states from a domain
in which the constitution has made
them supreme. The mischievous pre-
cedent established by the enactment
of the oleomargarine statute has been
followed by the Introduction OF the
lard bill. Ii the latter passes similar
measures relating to other Industries or
branches of trade may be looked for.
Every step in this direction, every one
in the line OF the Blair educational bill.
Is a step toward a mischievous, il not
dangerous centralizatjon OF power IN
the federal government.
1t is all the more important that such
tendency should be arrested. because
the power actually vested IN congress,
especially since the postwar amend
ments, is vast and far reaching. TO
60 beyond this, to invade the domain .
of state sovereignty, to legislate on
local matters which the constitution
has left to the states, is u usurpation of
power as mischievous as it is inexcusa-
BILE, an usurpation that cannot be too
strongly opposed.