The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-07-21
GOV. sTossE vlENas

| S''-e7%<t teytsssSe :.
He Chsrscterire, Kepei@e q his ststes
Rights Attitude rs tion=f Noa-
sense"-He Says lie Cafcs zks Ehethcf
Nation or State Begins Wkfh big 0tIits
tie Letter-yiews ON Federal slsk stats
Authority.
Gov. Stone. So a Kansas City dis
patch, has W. itten icttef TO Col. John
B. Stone, of this city,,in explanation OF
his recent letter TO Gen. Shelby, United
States marshal, demanding to know by
what right federal deputy marshals
had been stationed ~ Slater and other
points in the state.
The first part of the letter is partly
private, and relates TO a conversation
between himself, Col. Stone and Gen.
Shelby six week. ago. The newspapers
had said some thing about it that the
governo~didnt like, and, after saying
'sosffe continues
|. Apropos to this is II moi remarkable bow sem
satiOual our city press has become. and hDS the
Infection is reaching the feople Themselves
Nearly all city papers are devoting their co.'s
pmnS TO sensations, some simply to attract at
tention and others often for a far worse motive.
An effort has been made by some papers in
Kansas City and elsewhere 10 create the i'm
preston thlH recent occurrences 'ha' occ
stoned grea zion beasWecn me and uss.
Shelby vesS also engaged IN row
with yeland The only foundation
for :. lnal nonsense is in the FOL
on cd in dispatches printed in
St k,t Gen. Shelby had sent
den 20 Slater TO preserve the peace
an - the law at that place.
flN-Ts
purins the same day received dispatch
Yron "A merchant who is also city officer at
Slater. stating that there were number OF
| deputy marshals AZ Slater doing police duty
| and 50 conducting themselves 3s 20 greatly an
noy and exaSperatc tie people. He stated fur-
ther that these marShals claimed TO be acting
under my authority or by my consent, and SAID
that was absolutely no disorder at Slater
| that the mail trains were not being inter-
| rupted. and that local authorities were
| abundantly able to preserve the peace.
| Thcrcupon l addressed letter to Gen.
| Shelby. inquiring for what purpose these
deputy marShalS had been sent TO Slater, and
asserting the ability of the state to properly
preserve the peace within its Jurisdiction. to
which letter Gen. Shelby made respectful re-
| ply, informing me that he had sent the mar
shalS to Slater under direction OF the United
| States encouragement to prevent interfer-
| encc with the mails. and said that il l desired
| further information on the subject he would
| refer me to the attorney general / also wrote
n letter TO the sheriff OF Saline county, request
ing him to report to me the situation Of affairs
at Slater, and whether he was able to maintain
| order and enforce the law.
All the correspondence has been published,
| and that is the full extent Of any trouble be-
| tween Gen. Shelby and myself l have had no
| communication with the president, except OF a
purely official character. and that did not re-
| late To the employment cf deputy marshals of
| federal troops in Missouri. In conversations
| Acid in my office with diferen. gentlemen 81
| different times ] have not heStated to say that
emphatically disapprove OF the growing habit
Of using the federal authority in the admins;
tratiOn of local affairs of the states: that whilst
| there can be no question Of the right Of the
| United States TO employ their Official force to
| protect the mails. yet am unalterably opposed
to the dangerous policy Of making the protec-
tion Of mails or Interstate commerce a mere
| preteXt for supplanting state authority.
NATION AND STATE.
Missouri is n part and q very important part
of the federal union. Its people love the flag
and will make any necessary sacrifice for the
protection Of its honor and the promotion Of its
well being, but they are Just as loyal to the
state. All this nonsense about spelling nation
with big or little N or state with q big or
little "S'' is wholly out OF place. II Is an alb
suriity which little men. who set great store
BY catch words. resort 10. 1 care nothing
whether the NS or Ss are big or little The
line between the state and federal govern
mcnt has been well drawn by the constitution.
and by repeated and even recent decisions OF
the supreme court Of the United States and the
supreme courts of the states il is well estab-
lished that within their respective spheres
each government is independent and sovereign.
The present condition is full Of hazard to the
e
ficalS alike should remember that the consti-
tuition and laws. both national and state, are
to he respected and upheld. and no matter
what the expediency or how great the emer-
gency we should be slow to establish pre-
cedentS n II may be made the basis Of danger
Gus aggra sion at another time. The fag Of the
United States is The flag Of Missouri: the soil
Of Missouri Is a part of the territory over
which the United States have, within proper
constitutional lImitS supreme authority. Theit
officers, both civil and military, have n perfect
right to be in Missouri and to perform their
constitutional and lawful drtieS here without
asking permission Of nyone, and none has q
right to obStruct them:
CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITATIONS
But the authority Of these federal officials is
hedged about by constitutional and statutory
limitations. and they have no right to excee
them. for when they do they tresspass upon
have no prejudice whatever against United
States marShals or troops. or any other federal
officials. Such an idea is absurd Why should
/: These men are the officials and soldiery OF
the country. wish to uphold their hands in all
rightful ways. l would not hesitate a moment
to call upon the president for assistance
whenever any emergency would seem to make
IL necessary. Why should 1? II a condition
should he brought about In St. Louis such as
now exists in Chicago, which God forbid, I
would not hesitate u minute to ask the presi-
dent to send the troops at Jefferson barracks TO
the city. there to cooperate with the authori-
ties OF tine state in protecting life and property
and in preserving the peace; but IL to-day the
president should, without any seeming neces-
Sity, without being asked to do so, without con-
ference with the state authorities. send these
troops into the city and quarter them there to
do police duty, would protest against ii as an
insult to and an infringement upon the author
ity and sovereignty OF the state. object only
when federal officials arrogate to themselves
the exercise OF an authority which docs not
properly belong to them, and thereby not only
put diScredit upon the state, but establish
precedents fraught with danger to our institu-
tons.
PRONOUNCED VIEWS.
I entertain pronounced views in favor OF up
holding states rights. but so far during these
troublous times have had but little to say.
have had my hands full trying to so order mat
tiers as to keep the peace in this common
wealth. Some sensational newspaper starts a
story, which is taken up and added to from day
to day. and great mountain is made of q mole
hill have given no public expression con-
cerning Mr. Cleveland or his course regarding
the disturbances now prevailing.
The governors views have received
considerable attention from newspapers
of eastern cities. and the presidents at
tention was called 20 them.
Sequel to an Eiopement.
Mrs. J. William Thomas, formerly
Miss Edna I. Wilkins, has filed suit for
divorce at Kansas City. The divorce is
the sequel to an elopement December
%. 1892 Mrs Thomas is the daughter
of George E. wilkins, manager of the
Walter A. Wood Harvester CO., who
lives in Kansas City. She was employed
as stcnographer in her fathers office,