The record-union., 1896-09-16
RIGHT OF SECESSION.
That Is What the Chicago Platform
Stands For.
Are We to Have a Government of
the United States and Will
We Maintain It?
(From the San Francisco Post }

(From the San Francisco Post)
William J. Bryan has illustrated his
intense desire to be President OF the
United States by catering to the rem
nant of States rights sentiment which
may exist in the Southern States. de
has also manifested a desire to attract
to his cause the laWless elements OF
this country. The charge that he is the
modern representative and exponent or
anarchists and socialists will no longer
be a mere charge 1t Will rest upon a
1ustifiable inference from the candl-
dates declarations. The Constitution of
the United States declares that there
shall be guaranteed to every State in
the Union a republican form of govern
ment. Thus far the Government un-
dertook as by the obligation of an
agreement to protect every State in
the Union against invasion. 1t did not,
however undertake as q duty, prl-
marily imposed upon it, the protection
of a State against domestic violence
but it did agree to perform that service
upon the request of the Legislature, or
the executive when the Legislature
could not be convened. There is moth
ing in the provision which would pre-
vent the Government of the United
States from restoring social order in a
state, Wnere SuCn OTOer fldu DeeH over
thrown and where the State authorities
might be found countenancing such dis
order.
The Government of the United States
as a government is present in the
States, and while it is not bound by the
terms of the compact between itself and
the States to incur all the expenses of
suppressng minor disorders and local
Z riots, or to execute the laws of the State
at it's own expense as q gratuitous SER
vice. it is at the same time govern
ment and is bound to see to it that or
Z der is preserved, the rights of each citi-
zen of the Government enforced, the
rights of property respected and law
1essness and violence put down.
The fourteenth amendment to the
Constitution of the United States must
be read in connection with section ; of
article 4, because all laws relating to
the same subject must be construed to-
gether, and the fourteenth amendment
TO the Constitution defines citizenship
as follows:
'An persons born or naturalized in
the United States and subject to the
I jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the
United States and the State wherein
they reside. No State shall make or
enforce any law which shall abridge
the privileges or immunities of citizens
of the United States; nor shall any
State deprive any person Of the right
of life, liberty or property without due
> process; nor deny to any person within
its jurisdiction the equal protection of
the law
BY these words the Government of the
4 United States declares that all individ
uals born in the United States or nat
Uralized are primarily citizens of the
United States; and that their protection
is primarily the business of the Federal
Government. The entire Constitution
with respect to the relation of citizen
ship in the Government and in the
State wherein citizens reside acquired
d new color by the adoption of the
fourteenth amendment. The Govern
ment Of the United States may demand
the life and the property of any citizen
Of any State in it's own defense. In re-
turn for this it guarantees the equal
protection of the laws to each citizen
of the United States and Of the States
wherein they reside.
Mr.. Bryan's letter Of acceptance prac-
tically refers to the Debs rebellion and
the action Of the Government in resist
ing the further progress of that re-
belliOn. However covert or concealed,
this is the true meaning Of Candidate
Pryan's letter of acceptance. He says:
''It will be noticed that while the United
States guarantees to every State re-
publican form Of government and is
empowered to protect each State
against invasion, it is not authorized to
interfere in the domestic affairs Of any
State except upon the application OF
the Executive when the Legislature
cannot be convened"
&c c{v % -
the original provision of the Constitu-
ton and the modification it has under
gone by subsequent amendments. The
Government Of the United States was
not bound to secure every State against
domestic violence but the words of the
Constitution do not hereby imply that
where domestic violence is Of such
magnitude as that citizens Of the
United States are being deprived of the
equal protection of the laws, it has not
the primary right to interfere. While ii
did not declare that II should be its
constitutional duty to do So the Con-
stitution itself does not inhibit the right
of interference where the magnitude Of
the disorder amounts to a denial to any
citizen Of the United States the due
and equal protection OF the law
1t would be an absurd conclusion to
declare that while the Government Of
the United States owes citizens Of the
United States residing in foreign coun-
tries Federal protection, that citizen
OF the United States residing in one Of
the States of the Union would thereby
be deprived of all governmental inter
ference on his behalf.
The logic of Mr.. Bryan's declarations
in his letter OF acceptance is that
State shall be the sole judge as to
whether domestic violence within it's
! borders amounts to an infraction Of the
rights of the people Of other States
Precedent is not wanting for instances
wherein the Executive of the State re-
fused to suppress lawlessness and abso-
lutely countenanced acts OF violence;
where. when domestic tranquility was
disturbed and social disorder had be-