Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-08-01
CONGRESSMAN STEWART ON THE ORIG
INAl PACKAGE BILL

lNAl PACKAGE BILL.
When the House OF Representatives
had under consideration the original
package bill, two weeks ago, the leading
speech was made by Hon. John w. Stew
art of this district, who treated the matter
in broad and illuminating fashion that
made decided impression. After say.
ing that his principal purpose would be
to call the attention of the House back to
the real subject, he remarked:
The question is broad one. 1t is ma
tional. 1t is not partisan; it is vital; it
is fundamental. 1t goes to the very root
of the fundamental principle of our in
stitutons. The que. ton is whether the
States of this country shall control their
own police matters. whether they are in
favor of prohibition or license, or wheth-
er they prefer perfect freedom, whatever
restrictions or regulations they may put
upon this traffic the question is as to
whether this matter of local self-govern-
ment shall stand in this country. 1t is
practical question. and it is entirely in
dependent OF and a greater question than
the question of prohibition or of license
or of local option.
| think, Mr.. Speaker, that during all
my term of service in Congress no ques-
ton has been presented of equal impor-
tance with this. Let me say | am under
some embarrassment in discussing this
question. | regret that it is here; it new
er should have been here. 1t is one of
those questions which should always
have remained IA local question for each
subdivision of this great country to set
81 g., to- \ Il. .l,I,,
guration of what is called the national Pro-
hibition party of this country, not because
it affected my party, or the Democratic
tional legislation on subject which be-
lieve it is vitally necessary should be re-
mitted to and remain with the local con-
stituencies of this country.
If the liquor traffic of this country is
to be regulated by Congress, no step
could more absolutely and finally con-
clude the Capitalization of this govern
ment. If the regulation of the sale of in
tOXicants Is RENTED to Congress, you
must have your constabulary in every
hamlet of this country and the hand of
the general government on all the people
and everywhere; and could conceive of
no greater evil. Mr.. Speaker, am a Re-
publican. | represent a constituency
which is always Republican; but am a
States rights man and am willing to 90
that extent.
There is good deal more danger in the
other direction than that every State
shall determine precisely what shall be
sold in that State. | do not think the
safety of the institutions of this country
would be imperiled if that was the law
to-day in this country. The drift of the
Supreme court has been constantly
toward Capitalization. The mammoth
railroad corporations of the country,
wherever the States or the Representa-
tives of the people have undertaken to
tax their gross receipts, have been met
by the Supreme court of the United
States with the decision that it is in yio-
! laton of the nterstate-cOmmerce clause.
They say, "Iou can not tax the gross
receipts, because by doing so you tax in
terstate commerce." The telegraph
nonopolies, with their vast income. when
the local Legislatures undertake to de-
rive any revenue from the enormous in
vestments which the wealthy men have
made in those corporations, by under
taking to tax the gross receipts, are told,
"Why, you can not tax us, because you
| interfere with interstate commerce." If
the farmers of Minnesota propose to
protect their health or general welfare by
system of inspection of beef cattle,
they are met by the Supreme court with
the declaration that it interferes with the
nterstate-commerce clause; and so the
great corporations and the great "four'
in Chicago swell their Golfers, and the
people are powerless.
Finally, the Supreme court has decid-
ed that a State, under its police power,
can not control or regulate the sale of in.
toxicants imported from another State
This most unfortunate judgment is rev.
ersal of a well-considered decision of the
same tribunal which received the unani-
nous concurrence of all the able and
learned judges who graced that high