Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-16

tiClal government would inevitably
step in and do the duty that the states
refused to do. i
Mr.. Lewis-Exactly. Mr.. President,
it was immaterial where the senator
pleads guilty-whether it is on the
first or second count of the Indictment.
He admits that which l said expressed
was what occurred.
Mr.. President, 1t is because !, know
ing the senator TO be an eminent law,
yer and statesman, both in matters OF
constitutional law and the theory OF
this republican government, that was
surprised 1T the utterance then, and
l say that he was then Planting the
seed of a tree which ultimately he
would have to draw his own AK upon,
lest it should poison the very shade
in which he must survive.
Now, what finds he? That the peo-
pie took his teachings in the stare of
New York seriously. and throughout
this country are denouncing through
the voice of senators in this body that
they shall carry ont the very creed Of
the distinguished senator and mas.
much as New York has failed through
her rich men to pay her proportion of
! taxes, and has allowed the personal
property taxes on her vast and Unlim-
tied millionaires to be less than the
personal taxes paid in the lesser state
of Wisconsin, cheating the public be-
fore the eyes of the nation, swindling
the citizenship before the honor of the
country, and depriving the humble
J people of their right of proportion and
their privilege of having the expenses
/ of government borne by all to the ex-
! ten of their possessions; there has
/ sprung up in the land a sentiment of
! just such retaliation as forced itself
| over the senate and over the doctrine
/ of constitutional state and federal de-
| marcation demanding the very form of
! conf1scatory punishment which the
| senator rightfully inveighs against
They, the people now demand that
| New York pay the penalty, either
eminent on the one hand or the hand
of the state en- the o'heT. As it has
been observed that they will not obey
( the state law, but evade it by either
/ failing to make their returns of tax
! alton or commi ting perjury TO cheat
] It; there was but one refuge, and that
was to follow the advice of the distin-
! guished senator from New York; and
when New York has failed to 90 its
duty, for the national government to
step in and chas Use them by doing il
for them by levying any sum on New
York that the mob" on the corners
in the streets and alleys demand
STATE AND NATION.
The senator alluded characteristic
ally, with his wisdom, to the theory
upon which this government was es
tablished. He adverted to New Jersey
and called attention to the part she
played , in the constitutional conven
ton, where her statesmen demanded
that the smaller states should have
equal Tepresen atiCn with the larger
ones. But, sir, | take issue with much
trepidation with the distinguished sen
ator on his construction of the object:
of this demand 1t was not merely fo1
the reason that he states should havt
equal representation, but Mr.. Paterson
of New Jersey, speaking On the SUP
ject, specifically urged as one Of th'
very reasons for that claim that thu
LEGAL sovereignty of the distinct local
ties might be preserved, equally bal
, anced one with the other in matters il
which the sovereignty of the state wa
to exercise its functions of govern
ment, and in the senate be equal il
vote 10 preserve its sovereign position
. Mr.. President, we have seen much il
these later days of this new theor,
: advocated by the senator. Lately tn
one that has gradually stolen upol
this nation, augmented, regrec to- say
by such responsible wisdom and from
9 such an eminent source as the distir
guished senator from New York, !
. designated national conservation. Al
around this nation goes the impres
: sion that the time has at last com
when states shall have no longer
7 sovereign existence, when there shal
no longer be home rule, when with
. their precincts the states shall not b
any longer permitted to control thei
= own own affairs by their voice an
vote. This movement has increase
, 70 the embracing every conduc. of III
: state from the regulation of railroa
; freight rates in the state and the MI
nicipal control of city utilities. No7
: the federal court, as a disciple unde
the teachings Of these brilliant master
and before all others stands the di.
tinguished senator from New York
has seized the states and cities, fgul
atively speaking, in the clutch of il
hands, dragging them into the fedora
court, and, under the theory that tn
federal government has the right (
suppress and control the state as il
pleasure dictates, has through fedora
court injunction paralyzed the col
struc ion of needed improvements i
the state and city, restrained the o
ficials Of the city, county and stat
governments, and denied 10 the loo;
bodies the right of home rule. A
this upon the theory that the feder;
government alone has the right to col
troll the states as body, and 10 dire,
the private affairs of the citizen of Ii
state in his private concerns. So e,
II feOciva has this Vipa 0f pOVprDr7 or