The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-06-28

tutjon which lodges with the state f
or by the authority Of the states, dele
rates to the federal government the
duty when properly called
mon to protect the states
against invasion and on application
of the legislature or of the executive
when the legislature cannot be con.
vened, against domestic violence"
This clause certainly leaves WIN the
state the right to judge OF the heceS'
sity of calling upon the president loi
aid in suppressing domestic Vioiehce
and If an executive OF state or legIs-
Iature does not do 60, it would De
clearly an infringement on the rights
of the state tor the president OF the
United States to do so'
The president of the United STATES
ia not as capable as the state Oh JUG
ing whether or uCt domestic violence
exists in q state, or of concluding
whether if it does exist, the state au-
thority is not ample to quell 1t with
out the interruption or aid OF the
president of the United States
If the president was even more
capable of determining these points
he has no authority to interfere with
state affairs unless called upon by the
nroner authorities of the state.
We are drifting too rapidly
into the broai current OF
centralized government. We
are too prone to shift all responsibility
upon the federal authorities. The
state authorities have so weakened IN
the execution of the laws for the pro-
lection of property from domestic Vlo-
lence that outlaws cOntine their pre-
datory excursions to property that Is
not protected by the federal courts.
1t has become quite common to hear
that raiders on railroad trains, having
due respect for the trains carrying
the United States mails, often declare
in their peculiar phraseology that it
will not do to "monkey with Uncle
Sam"
This is simply because the states
have been too prone to yield we'll set
tied state rights to the federal gov
eminent.
This is q bad tendency. Our gov
government is dual in its nature, but
each political organization state and
federal, are clearly defined in their
respective jurisdictions by the con-
stitution and unless the states main
tain their authority on every SUCH
issue as the one under discussion, we
will soon lose sight of state lines and
find ourselves cumbering the federal
authorities with such broad juris-
diction as to destroy the original
intention of the founders OF
the government to preserve the dis-
tinction between federal and state au-
thority, The exercise of unconstitu-
tional federal authority during the
reconstruction of the Southern states
has to an extent blinded the post
bellum generation to these destruc.
tive rights. When we lose the even
ly balanced and properly adjusted
jurisdiction of state and federal au-
thority and the foundation wall of
this republic is torn away in one place
to build up In another We endanger
the whole fabric.
The governor and legislature of
state are the proper authorities to de-
eide when domestic violence within
state exists ard whether the state is
able to cope with and suppress it and
the president of the United States is
not officially cognizant of such facts
in state unless called upon by those
authorities to aid i'll the suppression.
Let us keep before the rising gener-
ton in this country these broad prin-
ciples upon which our government Is
built and upon which each part OF the
structure rests, solidly and safely.