The sun., 1896-10-28
States Rights and Dcbsism.

The Popocratic Richmond Despatch tries
to play upon the sympathies of its readers
for the doctrine of States rights and so to
scare them away from voting for any other
than the Popocratic ticket. THE craven
spirit exhibited by the boilers from the
Democratic party" says the Despatch, in
their apostasy from the States rights princi-
pies of the party. as shown in their attacks
on the Chicago plank dcnouncing Federal
interference with local affairs, is simply con-
tcmptiblc. That plank is in line with every
decision of the United States Supreme Court
since the war Evidently the Despatch
believes that its readers are idiots. That is
Mr.. BRYAN's theory rs to the people of the
United States, and perhaps his newspaper
organs are not to be blamed too severely for
following his example. We should hate to
believe that any man of sound and disposing
mind in Richmond does not know that cur
tailment of the rights and necessary powers
of the Federal Government, and the restitu-
ton to the States OF rights and powers
hitherto denied to them, is proposed by the
DEBS plank in the Chicago platform.
The right of the United States Govern
ment to protect the transmission of the
mails, and the right to keep open the chan
nels of interstate commerce, cannot be
parted with or abridged without clipping
the sovereignty of the United States, and
reducing the Government to shameful
impotence. The exercise OF them involves
no trespass upon State rights. When the
State is able to afford the proper protection
and does afford it, there is no call for the
Government to step in. When, however,
an Anarchist Governor like ALTGELD re-
fuses to put down an insurrecton which is
interfering with the passage of the mails
and with Interstate commerce. then the
Government must protect them, protecting
incidentally, at the same time. the persons
and the property OF the State unfortunate
enough to be cursed with Governor who
sympathizes with lawlessness.
If, by its Judges and its armies, or both,
the United States Government could not
interfere in such case then there would be
n terrible wrong without any remedy. The
business of many States. perhaps the lives of
many citizens, would be at the mercy of o
band of rioters, whom the wickedness or the
cowardice of the State or States in which
the rioting occurred, would refuse to put
down. Long lines Of anarchy might exist
upon the great railroads, sporadic gather
ings of disorder in many States. The thing
would be intolerable. 1t would be infamous.
Lawlessness here and lawlessness there ,
tracks torn up, cars burned, the mails stop
ped passengers shot: great panorama Of
violence. And the United States Govern
ment must not be allowed to ointerfere. The
DEBsEs and their gangs must be permitted
to burn and plundcr undisturbed. The rail
roads must become resorts of robbers
infested by rutfians and cutthroats.
The attempt to identify the doctrine of
States rights with the DEBS doctrine of i'm
punity to hold up trains, stop the mails,
block the tracks. and choke interstate
commerce, is an insult to every Southern
statesman of the strictest States rights
school. The Southerners of 1850 seeded
from law to law, from one Government to
another. The DEBsES, the ALTGELDs, and
the BEYANs would give to State the right
to secede from law to anarchy.