The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-04-15
PECULIAR, BUT NOT SINGULAR.

good deal has been said since tht
slaughter Of the Italians in the New Or.
leans prison about the alleged defect in our
system OF government which prohibits tho
federal authority from interfering in the
local affairs of a state, and thus makes il
impossible for the United States, as ma
ton, to fulfil certain. treaty promises and
obligations. The New Orleans inciden,
furnishes what is termed a striking illus
tration OF the So called defect. We have .
treaty with Italy, by the terms of which
we guarantee TO furnish to Italian subjects
resident in this country the same protec-
ton which is given TO American cit1-
zsas. In New Orleans some Ttal-
ian subjects were unlawfullv killed
and the King Of Italy presents q
demand upon the United States that those
guilty Of the killing shall be punished
Rnd another demand that monetary repara-
ton shall be made to the families or heirs
OF the men who were lynched. Now
the United States are free to confess tbat
they cannot go into New Orleans and trv
the alleged murderers of the Italians that
being matter strictly within the province
Of the state of Louisiana, which has sover-
eign authority and power over offeneas
against the law within its dominion If
Louisiana were unable to apply its own
local laws, by reason ofinsurrectiou or otber
cause, perhaps the United States power
might be exercised to re establish the nm
thority of the state, but the federal pow
eminent could go no further. The state
may punish the slayers of the Italians
nv
unmolested, and the United States conId
10 nothing. Again, if it came to none
tary indemnity, the government could NOT
pay it, because the money in the fedaral
treasury does not belong to Louisiana and
the other states would object to giving
their cash to smooth over an offense hu
Louisiana. The affair becomes more nm.
zling and more complicated when we refao4
that while the United States are absolutely
powerless to comply with Italy's legitimate
requests. if Italy were to undertake. IN
enforce her demands by attacking Louis-
lana direct, the United States would ba
compelled to go to the defense of the state.
even though the federal government might
know the state had done wrong. A foreign
power cannot make war upon one state
without making war upon the nation.
1t is conceded that ii is somewhat neon
liar, and gives monarchical governments
some sort of right to assert, as they are do
ing, that the United States under the pres
ent constitution, are unable to maintain
certain treaty obligations. Of course. no
American cares very much for the criti- |
cisms, for the reason that the aim and mr.
pose of Americans are to do right bv for
eign powers, regardless of the strict |
reading of laws and constitutions: nor is If |
likely that the exposure of the so-called |
defect in our governmental system will |
result in any change. People here are con
tent to let things stand as they are, beliey- |
ing that having existed for more than a
century without resulting in injury To
others or harm to ourselves, our ''irre-
sponible plan of government" may be
trusted yet awhile.
But is the condition of ''irresponsibil-
ity'' which has been pointed out excep-
tional and phenomenal! Does it not apply
to other nations as well as to the
United States Take Great Britain.
for instance, whose newspapers have been
quite as vigorous as those of Italy in declar-
ng that the American plan Of government
olaees this nation outside the circle of