The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-19
OvERLOADING UNCLE SAM.
Legislative Tendency to Clip state Power
and Responsibility.
Mr. Sherlev Of Kentucky in the House Of

ur. Sherlev Of Kentucky IN III House Of
Representatives..
1t Is one Of the curious things in connection
with American history that the clause that
was put into the Constitution OF the United
states for the purpose of keeping
free should now be used for the purpose Of
hampering commerce.. We owe our Constl-
tuition to the fact that under the Articles Of
Confederation there had arisen conflicts be-
tween one State and another In regard to
interstate commerce., and In order to prevent
a State from discriminating against articles
from another state II was provided that
Congress should have control over
between the States. and, for another reason.
entirely over with foreign nations,
for those gentlemen who have taken the
trouble to read the history Of the debates at
that time realize that the two provisions
contained In that clause were
given for diametrioally opposite purposes.
Congress was given control over
with foreign nations in order to give the
national Government a weapon to fight Eng
land and other nations that we're discrlmi.
mating against our commerce on the high
between the States for the purpose. OF pre-
venting the States discriminating and not for
the. purpose Of restricting,
that the work that ~legitimately comes to
Congress has become so great that We nave
Debn IOTCeQ 10 not OILY 40 WOTh Ilu VI
heads Of Departments, We are not able to
consider matters that, come here on the floor
Information that some Department presents,
and nine times out OF ten we follow the recon-;
mendations made by the Departments and
that we shall not only take care. Of the many
matters now presented, but that we shall GO
them OF their police powers. The gentleman
said that this does not take .away. the police
over yeT oo Of th }uI stasts o T. That Rot s Is pS15stStS sGs s tEns;
that long ago. but you cannot.
UNION &aat ,o Is asPDffPh% s stats Ia sV Gesis Sis,n %. lie
State governments, instead Of being virlle
and efficient, are becoming anything but that.
efa thei His state 6 90 eTn @ans Be Because asH III il means "a
State taxation to pay for its exercise. which
the people have to pay directly out Of their
Governments charged with these matters
coming UP to the national Government to
that tha they be be relieved Of the burden and the
States relieved OF the cost; believe IT was
intended that the indiyldual States OF America
among the people 90 per cent. of the things
that affect fife, liberty and PROPERTY be
such government at home.
But 1t is a modern tendency TO come to
to the different States; and it has gone so far
now that we have the doctrine proclaimed
that whatever ia big because it Is big must
be solved by the national Government. You
will swamp your Government. You will de-
stroy a representative government In the
true sense of the term II you insist. upon 60
ing along this road. and ! have taken ocoa1
sion to make these remarks. not because /
have any special objection to this particular
BILL have not examined it in ,detail.-but
because ] know it Is not a matter that belongs
to the national Government, and because l
know in my short experience here that we
cannot undertake to attend TO all the matters
| that should be subject to the police powers
of the State and keep this Government an
intelligent and effective one.