The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-03

hall. tall and gaunt of figure. booted
and spurred, whip in hand, and take
part at once in whatever business was
going on, showing plainly his contempt
! for anything or any person not Suiting
J his fancy. Indeed, he was the very in
/ carnation of the slave-master spirit, a
true exponent of plantation manners"
which are now happily only a memory.
| He entered public life in 1899. when
he offered himself for election to con-
gress as the champion of state -Sover-
| eighty. The period was a critical one.
The young nation had been insulted by
France, and wave of patriotic indig-
nation had swept over the land, bring
ing to the unpopular Federalists great
opportunity to strengthen themselves
by a firm, but moderate, course. This
opportunity they had foolishly thrown
away by passing the alien and sedition
laws, which at once brought into play
the determined hostility of the repub-
licans. The latter had from the first
dreaded the establishment of a national
government strong enough to control
and perhaps subvert the state govern
ments, and they believed that these
laws We're long stride in that direc-
ton. To meet this bold move of the
Federalists, and at the same time bring
into prominence the state as an essen
tial factor in our scheme of government,
the Republican legislatures of Virginia
and Kentucky. under the lead of Mad
ison and Jefferson, issued the Virginia
and Kentucky resolutions. These reso-
lutions deliberately ignored the supreme
court, and proposed that the constitu-
tionality of an obnoxious law should be
submitted for decision to the several
states of the Union. This evidently
transferred the final exercise Ct SOW
ereignty from the nation to the states.
Had it prevailed the national edifice
reared by the convention in 1857, and
strengthened with such care by Hamil-
ton and the Federalists in congress.
would have fallen to the ground. Wash
ington, seeing the danger, prevailed
upon Patrick Henry to come forward:
in defense of the national authority
and this he did, though weak from sick
ness and years. with an outburst of pat
riotic ardor which brought to mind his
ancient fire. This speech was answered
by. Randolph, who upheld the sover-
eighty of the states as against the ma
ton, and this was the first important
occasion on which he displayed that
eloquence which WAS always so effect
i've with a southern audience.
He went to congress, and was sew
eral times reelected by his faithful
constituents Once also he was sent to
the senate to complete an unexpired
ltflil- Et llOSl Important OF mis-
congressional career began in 1901. The
Republicans had elected Jefferson and
majority of the house of representa-
tives, and so had come Into power"
as we use the term. Macon of North
Carolina was chosen speaker, and he
appointed Randolph chairman of the
ways and means committee In that
position he was, as Trent says, lone of
the most efficient and thoroughgoing
party leaders on the floor of the house
of representatives that have been pro-
duced since the birth of the nation"
Later, during Jefferson's second term.
he went into opposition. and became
the leader of small faction called the
"Quids," and thenceforth. in the words
of Trent. was the most pertinacious
and personally dreaded free-lance in
politics that this country has ever
known"
In 1901 the great obstacle in the way
of the Republicans, who wished to keep
the nation from gaining ground at the
expense of the states. was the national
Judiciary, for as long as the federal
court could interpret the laws of con-
gress and pass upon their constitution
ality il had the advantage in determin-
ing the relation which national and
state forces should bear to each other.
Quite at the close of John Adams adj
circuit courts had been or
ganized, and judges from the Federalist
party had been appointed 10 fill the
new places. To get rid OF thessD6udges
was the effort of the Republicans, as
sisted by Randolph 1t was conceded
that they could not be disposed of by
direct removal nor by reduction of sal
airy. The constitution too plainly for
babe resort to either method But
could not the circuit courts themselves