The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-06-08
OLD FEDERAL IDEA
SENATOR RAYNER TAKES ISSUE
WITH BRYAN.
Debate Within the Party Must Settle
Its Future Position Maryland
Statesman Sees Revival of
Federalism.

The magazine debate between Mr..
Bryan and Senator Beveridge on the
constitutional question of the re-
served rights of the states and Incl
dentally of the Beverage bill to regu-
late labor in factories, known as the
child labor bill, has been generally
read. To Democrats the discussion Is
Of transcendent interest, for it fore
shadows a much more important de-
bate within the Democratic party on
the issues of states rights and home
rule. The first instsllrnent comes
from Senator Rayner of Maryland in
the Baltimore Sun of May Is, in which
he summarizes the policies advocated
by Mr.. Bryan as follows:
"Ffrst-Ultimate ownership by the
government of all the interstate rail-
roads of the United States.
"Second-The initiative and referen-
dunn.
"Third-Congress to have the right
to arbitrarily fix the total product of
all interstate corporations, q%uasi-pub-
lie and private, and to destroy thei
business if they transgress the con-
gr~essional limit.
"FOurth-The supreme power OF
congress to prescribe the terms upon
which all interstate commerce shall be
conducted, and whenever congress
(Which, of course, means the domi-
nant party conceives it to be against
public policy, it shall have the right
absolutely to prohibit commercial in
%tercourse between the states upon
the intardicted article Gas is fully ex-
emplified in the provisions of the child
labor bill).
My own deliberate judgment is that
IL We embody these doctrines in a
Democratic platform the next step
that will be necessary to take will be
to change the name of the party and
revive the name of 'Federalist,' or take
some other title suitable to the occa-
sion; and then, after we have done
this, the final step will be, with our
leaders in the van, in solemn process
sion to accompany the remains of De-
mocracy to their resting place; n
when We are engaged in performing
the last sad rites and obsequies, and
are cOmmemorating her departed vir-
tues, do not let US forget to recount
the tragic manner of her death, so that
2osterity shall know that in the hour
of her brightest hope and most allur-
ing prospects, determined to end her
cr1ot h;ct1r;o aornDr che fhrnu har
self upon the poisoned weapon of fed
eral Capitalization, and died of a self
inflicted wound"
Democratic voters will have to de-
eide these issues before they elect
and instruct delegates TO the next ma
tiOnal convention, and to do so must
investigate the arguments on both
sides to arrive at a just conclusion.
Mr.. Bryan has so clearly stated his
case that it Is not necessary to repeat
it,, Senator Rayner's summary has
led the Baltimore Sun to say:
"The discussion of all these theories
of government; the suggestion of Sec
rotary Root that the constitution be
changed by construction so as to de-
prive the states of their reserved
the Beveridge bill and Mr..
Bryan's doctrines-all these things
tended to direct public attention
to questions Of policy and constitution
al law which have been dormant al
during this generation. Such a
mastery exposition as that of Sena-
tor Rayner, by so profound a student
of the constitution as he is, will do
to bring the people to the old