Arizona republican., 1898-06-16
WILL THE STATES SURVIVE.


 The old question as to the ultimate survival of the state form of govern ment in our American system is again suggested by the trend of recent events We are entering, very probably, upon a colonial era. We are going to gov ern the Philippines and Porto Rico, and doubtless Cuba also, for a time whatever the final disposition of these several provinces. General Merritt has been appointed military governor of the Asiatic archipelago, and Major General Coppinger is said to have been selected for a similar post in Porto Rico. Just at the time when only Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona remain under territorial form of ad- ministration, with Alaska occupying an even less definite position as a fed eral district, we are confronted with this new problem of how to administer several large tracts of territory which from the nature of things are unfit to be governed as we govern our states.
 AS everybody knows, the influence of the state, in comparison with that of the nation, has been steadily declining. Even before the civil war the federal power was drawing more and more to itself. The great struggle between the north and the south def1- nitely fixed the inability of any state to withdraw from the Union, and in stituted an era of centralization at which has become, with the passage of the years, more pro- nounced. Now we see another blow struck at the state system. Jefferson's original idea was that foreign territory could not be annexed to the United States because there was no constitu- tional provision for the holding of sucn property in common by the several states. They were merely bound to each other for the common welfare. The national government, as such. had no right to take possession of territory separate and distinct from the states themselves. In course of time Jeffer- sons view changed. He purchased Louisiana because it was obviously a great bargain; and whatever constitu- tional objections stood in the way had to yield. It was condition and not a theory, that confronted him.
 Now we are told that there is no provision in the constitution or in our political system for the holding of colonies. We are nation of states, and we do not want, we have no right o take, any territory which cannot be- come state or a group of states in process of time There is. no warrant Or adding to the national domain any 'egion which is populated by an alien ace, with alien religion and laws, and with no conception of our republican But if we decide to keep Porto Rico and the Philippines these objections will not endure. We shall ind some way of evading them, even l it interferes with our preconceived 1 otions of what the destiny of the re- ublic is to be. And just so sure as 1 re incorporate the Philippines and | 'orto Rico into our political system | mother blow will be struck at the tates. Whether they will remain un- haken or not remains to be seen, but | he addition of large and prosperous olonies cannot fail to increase the fed ral power at the expense of the sev- ral commonwealths.
 Without going into the merits or de- lerits of the nationalistic proposition ) abolish the states altogether, we lay contemplate with equanimity one esult that would be brought about by i. leir effacement. At the present time r lere are the most diverse laws in the 'veral states touching. the same sub- cts. The ridiculous variations in our vorce statutes and in our bankruptcy giSlatiOn are illustrations of this.
 man may be married in one state Id single in another. It would be a eat thing to have uniformity of law roughout the country touching many alters. ot that that would be a suf- ,ient argument for doing away with le states; of course, it wouldn't be- r: Ut much simplicity would result if ere were no authority except the fed al and the distinctively local. AL ,ady in the east the county has be- me fifth wheel in our governmental stem. Is the state destined to be- ,me as useless? Perhaps not, but e tendency of the times is all in the rection of curtailing the influence of IT sovereign" commonwealths and creasing the power of the govern ent at Washington.