The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-04-24
A REVIVAL OF STATE RIGHTS.

When Judge fancy travelled out OF
his way to declare congress had nc
power TO settle as 1t pleased a politi-
cal question he supposed he had
silenced forever the slavery agitation
and fixed the status of the slave for.
ever. In six years the slave was free
The recent decision of the supreme
court has had a like effect in another
direction, in revival of State;
Rights
States Rights and Secession
were in the past generation synono.
nous terms. and States Rights suf-
fered. The modern term for State s
Rights is Home Rule, and with that
meaning Gov Johnson, a Democrat
and candidate for president, Friday
in a public address protested against
the obliteration of the states.
The New York Tribune referred to
the Minnesota decision as protest
against "Calhounism, and ii in turn
brings protest from a reader who
says that respect for the rights and
dignity of state existed before Cal
houn: that it was first living princi-
pie III We" anu thdt JOnn
Hancock was one of its chief ex-
ponents. He then makes this quota
ton from a forgotten biography of
John Hancock:
He did not, however, in favoring
a Confederate Republic, vindicate
with less scrupulous vigilance the
dignity of the individual states. In
a suit begun against Massachusetts
by the court of the United States, in
which he was summoned upon a
writ. as governor. to answer the pros
ecution, he resisted the process, and
maintained inyiolate the sovereignty
of the commonwealth A recurrence
of a similar collision of authority was
in consequence of this opposition,
prevented by an amendment OF the
federal constitution.
In the development of modern in
dustfies We have a natural and nee
essary concentration of control, and
IL would he dangerous not to have
in government large increase in the
power of the national government.
We have ii in the postoffice. No one
ever did advocate state postoffices,
for the value of a mail service is in
the facilities it offers for an inter-
change of letters.
The old states rights theory con-
corning our rivers and harbors has
been abandoned. and all men, or
nearly all, recognize the benefits of
federal supervision and control.
In the transportation lines ii VIII
be found that federal regulation is
more comprehensive, and to the ship
per and the railroads more satisfac-
tory.
But while all this is evident IL does
not follow that there is in our mod
ern scheme of government no place
for the state. Ii is better, for in
stance, to have state schools; IL Is
better to have regulation of the liq-
uor traffic: ii is wise to strengthen
the police powers of the state, and
the regulation of mines. of child
labor and of employment generally
should be left to the state.
The liquor problem is not yet set
tied certainly no rule that works
we'll in a thickly settled community
would necessarily work well in a
sparsely settled community Prohi-
bition does well in Kansas; II may
do well in the agricultural states of
the south; it does not follow that 1t
would do well in New York or Chi
cago.
Regulations that might bring order
and peace out of chaos and conflict
in our great cities might not meet the
requirements of the agricultural
states.
These are mere platitudes in the
science of government, but conditions
arising call for their repetition. We
may be willing to see the federal au-
thority over the railroads strenth-
ened, but we are not on that account
committed TO principle of action
which authorizes any federal court
to enjoin states attorney general
from appearing in a state court to
put in operation state laws for the
regulation of state commerce.