Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-07-12
The Decadence OF the State.

The most alarming feature developed
by the great strike is the position as
sumed by the Federal government.
Powers are claimed by 1t not granted
by the constitution and undreamed of
by the fathers of the Republic. An
ex-railroad attorney, who has consent
ed to serve his clients as cabinet
officer, brushes aside State lines in the
interest of his employers as contemp-
tously as if the restraints of the consti
tuition were the bylaws of some inferior
labor union. In these later days we
are becoming more accustomed to the
sight of the United States Marshal and
his deputies than of local constables.
There seems to be a conspiracy be-
tween the great corporations and our
United States officials to get along with
out appealing to local authority. On
one pretext or another, we find the
Constable, the Sheriff, the Militia, and
the Governor, elbowed out of the way
with as much contempt as the tramp is
fired out of town by the City Marshal.
If switchman refuses to 60 to work
when told by Federal official, he is
hustled of to Jail with as little cere-
mony as stray dog is taken to the
pound.
A minute before railroad goes into
the hands of Federal receiver you
can stand by the roadside and guy a
brakeman, if you are big enough, or
he is small enough to make it safe to
do so, to your hearts content, and no
one cares very much about it, includ-
ing the brakeman. A minute after the
road gets into the hands of Federal
court, if you should happen to insinu-
ate to the same brakeman that he is a
'.rat," or a 'hoboe," you are guilty OF
an offense against the authority of the
| United States, and are taken to Jail.
The time has come when the power OF
the Federal government must be re-
stricted to the limits placed upon it by
the constitution strictly construed. Ii
we do not do this, we will ultimately
lose all local self-government. Gov
ernor Stone has shown a disposition to
take steps to prevent the Federal au-
thorities from interfering with matters
that are within the province of the
State. He is the proper party to do
this, and every encouragement should
be given him to stand firm in his re-
sistence to Federal encroachment.
The man who twenty years ago would
have predicted that we would live to
see Federal soldiers operating trains
and doing the work of ordinary work.
| ipcmeu, to enforce their submission tC
the demands of their employers, would
have been hooted at as an insane crank
but this has not only come to pass, but
men have been imprisoned by Federal
authority for refusing to work and fol-
a few harmless words. In other words,
the Federal Government has undertake
en- to enforce obedience to the require
ments of the railroads on the part Of
their employees. These giant corpor'
ations are so strong that they can use
Federal authority to put man in jai
if he refuses to continue in their en-
ploy. 1t is time to resist, if we near
to preserve any semblance Of persona
liberty.
If this government is not to degener
ate into mere oligarchy, we must be
up and doing; public sentiment mus
be aroused, and an Intelligent resis
lance made to this new danger 20 civil
liberty.
The editor of this paper when ht
was a young man was an ardent advo
cate for the preservation of the unior
of states. He can not and will not 81
calmly down and see state lines brush
ed away, and every safeguard thrown
around the constitution, which thous
and fought to preserve, disregarded-
as if were a mere piece of waste pape
without uttering his protest agains
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