The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-20
FEDERAL POWER: ITS GROWT

AND NECESSITY
 By Henry Litchfield West tformer com
 missioner of the District of Columbia).
 George H. Doran company, publishers,
 New York, N. Y.
 The former commissioner of the Dis trict of Columbia. Henry Litchfield West, has written most interesting and valuable book entitled Federal Power; It's Growth and Necessity
 Being in a position to study the Sub- ject from all angles, MT. West writes with marked intellectual force and broad knowledge of his subject and from the opening chapter entitled "The Beginnings of Federalism through to the last chap ter, entitled Federalism and the Flu ture, there is food for thought, well written and carefully studied out.
 In al Preface to Federal Power, MT. West says:
 An epoch in our national history oc- curred on April 6, 1917, when the people of the United States. through their rep resent&tive in Congress, declared the eX- istence of state of war with Germany. Since that eventful date we have wit messed most remarkable and unprece dentedl exercise of federal power. We have, without protest and even with sat isfaction, accorded to the government control over corporate and individual ex- istenee which infinitely transcends the widest dreams of those who advocate centralized authority.
 This being the case. it is worth while to review, briefly and concisely. the his tcry of the growth of federal power There lis a prevalent idea that the ac- ceptanre of federal control is a matte- of recent development Nothing could be fl rther from the truth. The belief in the necessity of standardization had it's
 beginning nearly three centuries ago and
 its pefsistent progress can be clearly tra ced through all the succeeding years. It's course is as well defined as that of the trickling mountain stream which deepen$ and widens until it is resist less force sweeping onward to the sea. In other words the federal power now witnessed in unparalleled extent is the evolution of a principle to which we nave grown accustomed and which We now recognize as essential to our national warfare. If we seem to be advancing with rapid and overwhelming strides, 1t is beca}se the momentum has been gath ering flor many years. Long before the war wiEh Germany was declared the doc Urine o} states rights had vanished and the doc3trine of paramount necessity had taken its place
 Because of the vital truth underlying this dottrine, the growth of federal pow CT will be unchecked It's continued man. Hesitation upon a constantly enlarging scale is as inevitable as fate. We know that the character of our government as designed by it's founders is already rs pidly changing and that we are less prone 10 regard our constitution as 1 sacred land inviolate instrument. There l is a possibility that the integrity of the | state aS an essential unit dlsaPpearihs ! that va may be brought face to face
 with q one-man bureaucratic autocracy ! There is still further danger Of drl1tine l into socialism, which cannot develop IT a republic composed of independent sov- ereignties, but which will thrive exceed 1 iEgly under the aegis of strong cen 1 tralized government. The power to oe termine the destiny of the nation rests
 with the people, It is for them to solve the problem of reconciling democratic system of government with the exercise 1 oi federal power The fact that they have in the past proven their capacity | for selfIgovernment is the basis TOT tn'
 hope that they will wisely and safeiS cope with the grave situation whlch a'
 ready cbnfronts them
 l Tn the chapter devoted to "The Firs Triumph of Federalism MT West re-
 cords the following:
 .The victory of federalism in the con stitution came as the outcome or SKI , fully managed contest. The states, uh aware of the tremendous issues to coin' before the convention, sent their delesaeeS
 with perfunctory credentials New Hanp shire stood practically alone Tn It's acc
 laration that it would not circumscrlo'
 it's views to the narrow and selfish ob 1 iects of the partial convenience, and II it's ayoval of readiness to make every ! concession for the safety and happlnes'
 of the whole. When Edmund Rahooipii
 delegate from Virginia. introduced series ofresolutions as basis Tor actio'l 1 he carefully avoided all reference 10 'h' ! levying of taxes or the regulation or com
 merce although he was willing that con 1 eress should 'legisiate in all cases U which the separate states are Incompetent i or in which the harmony of the initee | States mAy be interrupted by the eNercis' 1 of individuad legislation Charles Plhch | nev of South Carolina went further ah' boldly proposed that Congress shall nav 1 the powelr to lay and collect taxes. duties | imposts and excises. While this vi'a principle was being gradually lnpresse upon the minds of the delegates. the ue { hate proceeded. The tender sensibilitie
 of those who still manifested some i gard for, the rights of the states "ef l rudely shocked by the unqualified expres sions of Alexander Hamilton. l am con tvinced.' he said, that no amendment the Confederation can answer the Pu' 1 pose of a good government so long as t,l 1 state sovsreignteS Tn any waN eNis
 decnred further that state distinction and state operations must be annihllatee a nd unless we do this he added. no goo 1 purpose can be secureu. que oi ms .s
 sons for ,electing representatives by tn people was belief that there might com l a time when state legislatures woui | cease and he thought that such a 1 event ought not to emtarrass the nations ! st not be understood 1 however, that these radical views wer ', uttered without arousing protest. . the contrary. Robert Yates and Joh
 Lansing, Jr, delesates rom New iorf withdrew from the convention when the