The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-10-16

1EIt tf1ttouf tbat ~ Aut@IaatI1tAUF
government, diving dos q among The
private affairs OF men, essaying the
task Of making men rich or poor,
taking charge Of bis business for
him, when he finds he cannot take
care Of Il himself, screving him up
and down with pegs and keys - men
work an automaton; thai such q
government is scarcely one remove
from q despotism. Governments do
not make men, men make govern
ments. aud when made, their fune-
ton IL TO preserve order, administer
exact justice, and preserve equal
conditions among men 30 that every
man, free and unmoieeted can carve
out his own fortunes.
Remember do not say-and I do
not want to ssy, that government,
business customs, and social rela-
lions may not have something 10 do
with those equal conditions on
which individual prosperity partly
depends. I most emphatieally say
that everything In government oper-
atioBs; everything In the system Of
business, or social condition which
may have grown up In the great
labyrinth we call modern civilization,
which diseFimlnales In favor Of one
individual, against another iudivid-
ual. or one claas against another
class II an abomlnatiOn In our politi-
cal system. IL was against all such
privileges that the declaration OF In
dependence was hurled. And here,
and TO you I also most emphatically
wish to declare, that whatever would
divide the great body Of the Ameri-
eau population into separate inter-
esis, classes, occupations OF castles;
that would discriminate In favor Of
one Of these against another-would
lPgislate In favor OF one against an
other, or array Que against another,
IL In violation of the first principles
of the American government and at
war with its best Interests and pros
Perity.
IL was my fortune week or two
agp to hear Mfr. PETER, an orator of
this new party, who, l understand,
aspiTeS to q seat In the senate OF the
United States, at MiltOnysle In this
state. I had expected To take part
In that meeting, but did not have the
privilege, except OF speaking Mt
separate meeting called by our
friends at night. heard part OF Mr..
PETERS speech, however, aud he
among other things said ASK Mr..
Phillips, don't let him dodge II.
Write down the question as I shall
give Il to you, ask him why the gov
ernmenl Of the United States should
not relieve the necessities OF those
burdened with debt by lOanlng them
money at per cent. per annum ,"
For fear IL would not be written
down ~ he slowly repeated II, ]
wrote Il down myself, and answered
ID that night, rs I shall answer 10
now. He had been dilating on the
great calamitles under which the
people were suffering aud urging that
this was the great remedy; aremedy
that they coIld only get by electing
the representatives OF the peoples
party to power.
MY frat answer was that such an
act Of congress would be uneonstitu-
tional. You have several govern
menIs and they differ In their origin
OF authority aud power. The state
government Is one Of original pow
ers. II derives its authority directly
from the people. for nothing 10 law
or can have the sanetity thereof, save
ttlf WI VI
expressed. With comparatively lit
tie delay the people can change both
law and constitution.
TIE federal government, on the
Their hand, is one OF limited and de-
rived powers. Congress can only
legislate on the subjects especially
entrusted To IL by the express terms
OF the constitution. While it can
tax, and vote the expenditure Of
money, 10 can only do either for the
specific purposes authorized by the
constitution. I shall read from the
Sth section OF the 2lst article, the
measure Of its powers In the direc-
ton indicated THE congress shall
have power Ia lay aud collect taxes,
duties, imports aud exclses. TO pay
the dehtE. 10 provide for the common
defense and general welfare of the
United States" This United States
IL n political entity, with eertsin
officers, establishments aud func-
tions. II has n legislative body with
all iis officers, machinery aud fune-
tions. u has a clearly defined presi-
Dental, ar executive authority. 10
has a judicial syeippI TO determine
federal questions. II has Its army.
macy, custom and postal establish
mehts. For these il can levy taxes,
but they must be uniform In the
country, aud for these IL can expend
them. There Is not q shadow OF
authority for taxing the people Of
the United States 10 loan money to
n portion uf the people Of any state.
How any man aspiring TO be o law.
maker In the senate could make such
4 grievious mistake IcanDot Imagine.
I do not Tish 10 believe that he
meant To deceive, or 10 dupe his
hearers with n fallacious hope, yet u
would be scarcely more charitable to
believe that such an aRplTant was
ignorant OF such fundamental mat
ter, aud merely led the people astray
In tlis VaIn hope that they could find
relief from = source from which 10
could never come. Does any one say
that the constitution can bee ghsnged?
II has only been changed fev times
in our history, In eases when there
was an absolute necessity for IL, and |
Il would be absurd 10 say that such 3 |
fundamental change I'm It's power and |
character would ever be agreed TO by
twO-tEiTds of the states.
There ~, however, smother ques-
tiDn; II ID were constitutional or pos
sibls, would it be expedient or lust |
The government to-day 10 paying in |
terest on ten hundred millions Of /
bonded debt at 4 and ~ per cent. |
I'er annum, aud taxing you to pay i
the interest. That was &C the very /
lowest rate ut which Il could get the /
money. IL the United States knows i
any way TO make money worth per /
cent. had 10 not better pay Its own i
debt that way? On what prstext /
shall 10 tax all the people Of the
United States to raise money TO loan i
to a privileged and limited class OF /
is paying per cent. on lie own
debts? Could Il reduce the rate
When buchanan was president Of
the United States, the entire govern
ment In the hands Of democrats, his
secretary Of the treasury, In Q time
u pesSs. merelyNto keep the msehin-
cry Of the federal government In
had to bOTFOv Insney and
issue United States oonds, aud that
congress authorized him 10 borrow
II y per cent. which he said was
The lowest amount he could get 10
Tor.
AfeE years thereafter, the arst
administration Of Abra-
lam Lincoln came Into power.
When he had such men So Seward,
rhase and Stanton In his cabinet
hey were Leviathans, great men I'm
my country and any time. They
eeeiyed treasury so beggared that
iOu could not have fonnd nickel In