The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-07-24
PEOPLES FORUM
The State and the Municipality.

sir,-There came into my hands yesterday
a copy Of The Trumpeter" 1t presents as
It's view that the issue to be tried shortly
is prohibition against local self government OF.
prohibition against local option 1t appeals to
our spirit of democracy, citing among the nu-
merous fathers Of such Thomas Jefferson etc
Going back to the debates of Calhoun and
Webster We find that the Issue there was the
superiority OF the state as opposed to the SUI
perIorfty Of the national government There
We're two schools rather extreme in their views
| The school Of Calhoun held that the State was
the supreme creature, that the national govern
ment was mere creation Of it's hand from
when II could withdraw the powers given when
1t saw fit. The school of Webster was OF the
! opinion that after the state had delegated Ger
tain powers to the national government the
creation became superior to the creator
The Civil War, more properly speaking
the War of Secession, with All its devastation
of life and property. has been fought and fin
ished. Yet. there remains in, the South. as well
! as the North, remnant oftthe same thought
to which each adhered.
We well the folly of being an Elk
tremist. For there if middle ground which IL
far safer The national government should
nave been held supreme for some purposes
the State for others NO government can be a
real power a nation among nations. nor have
any prestige nUruu or abroad, ur1fpss II nas
certain. well defined powers given it and I'M
/ less its constituents recognize it's superiority
over them. The whole IL strong unless
each of its units in ha rmony Yet certain
rights and powers should be reserved to the
State to regulate its Internal affairs SO long as
/ II does not work harm to its sister States
The principle of local eif-government Is
good so long as it Ia not carried to the ex-
/ treme. Greece could have been a mighty na-
| ton today, but the spirit of democracy with It's
| battle cry. Local Self-Government" caused the
| state to be divided into many petty and warning
/ factions And "a house divided
! can stand"
| Can 1t he possibly said that the municipality
! is greater than the State? No For the munic-
| pality cannot lawfully exist when its laws are
not consistent with those of it's creator the
| State. II takes no Calhoun Webster to ar
que that point. nor a war TO settle H.
! Shall the State he divided into sections incom-
! patible with the existence Of the State? Shall
! the different cities and counties say to their
neighbors within the State: We shall have H.
quor here, You have dry territory If you
wish, but shall lure your people here with
their money, and after have depleted the +
/ funds, VIII send them back 10 YOU You
will not only suffer the loss Of the money but
will have TO put up with their drunkenness and
crime" That's local option: That's local self
government. That's why Petersburg went wet
several years ago. That's why numbers OF
counties continue to go wet every time a To-
cal option election Is held.
Should my neghbor be allowed to carry a
Will answer in the negative. You Will say that
the welfare of society demands that he should
not do It, We prohibit all from doing the same.
The first Is LEGAL option. the latter Ia prohib-
don. Local lf-government, represe .nting To-
cal option, can be carried far TO say the
individual can make his laws
do not believe in the majority rule only to
a certain degree and that is when the good
of society and when the morals prosperity and
good of all the State demands ii, as it does in
prohibiting the sale of liqnor throughout the
State Then the viii of the minority should
be made suhservient to the welfare OF the
State
We should recognize In fact that the State
has demanded the vote and that If we are to
have greater and stronger centralized Sta.e
government, must forget spirit Of de-
mocracy insofar 1t goes In placing parts of
the State superior to the State.
l was rocked In the cradle of Democracy
and raised by a Democratic mother but God
forbid the day when local self government is
carried far to place the municipality par
amount to the State.
n p. M.
Petersburg. Va.