Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-10
STATES PLAN FIGHT
ON GENERALIZATION
Delegates Meet Here to Lay
Foundation for Recovery
of Sovereign Rights"

lnduEuTdlln2 a movement WHICH
has for its primary purpose "a chal-
lenge and a check to the untoward
GENERALIZATION of power at Washing
ton" a group of delegates from the
governments of % States met today
at the Raleigh Hotel to outline
methods of procedure for the coming
national conference of State legisla-
lures and to draw up plans to petition
Congress for repeal of the Federal
estate tax. Nearly so delegates from
the more than a score OF States met
in executive session to listen to a
fiery plea by Lee Satterwhite, chair.
man Of the organization of State off
Gals, for restoration of self govern
ment 10 the States and decentraliza.
ton of purely State functions from
Washington.
I'VE are about to engage in setting
up and perpetuating a new agency of
government" Mr.. Satterwhite said.
We have witnessed with growing
concern the swift Capitalization, espe-
cially during and since the World
War. of governmental powers at
Washington. We have seen the rapid
growth of Federal authority and bu-
reaucracy.
1NCcu hCStOt
with increasing uneasiness, we
have beheld the extension of Federal
control, supervision and meddling into
fields remote from the base of ma
tional jurisdiction until today Federal
power, Federal authority, Federal
Government have encroached so far
upon the rights of our State and local
governments that those governments
bid fair soon to become but append
ages to an imperial republicanism CEN
tering in this city.
There is little left today of self
government in the United States.
There is need for it's restoration. We
are met, the official ambassadors of
many sovereign states. as champions
for its restoration. We have come
here to inaugurate movement which
has for its prime purpose challenge
and a check to the untoward central
ization Of power at Washington. We
look upon such GENERALIZATION as a
menace to that freedom of govern
ment contemplated by the Constitution
and as threat to the permanence of
the republic"
people Can Take Away"
Declaring that the powers of the
Federal Government are derived from
the people of the States represented
at the conference. Mr.. Satterwhite
sounded the warning that 1.-The people,
in generosity, have given; the people,
il necessary, can take away They
will recall grants Of powers, which.
through legislative or administrative
Interpretation. become burdensome
upon or confiscatory of their local
rights. This recall can and will be
accomplished through the orderly
processes Of government provided
therefor.
at Is fitting that now. in the face
IT vast extension of Federal power.
the state Legislatures, as the source
of that power, should go about setting
up their organization to review the
uses and abuses of the power GRANTED
to Congress by them, to commend the
good, and to condemn the evil and
eradicate it; and more particularly
to focus public thought upon methods
of subterfuge that may have been
employed by Congress in gaining
dominion over the legislative and ad.
ministrative branches of State gov
eminent" 49,
Hits Estate Tax.
Holding that Federal dominion ex.
tends today virtually completely over
some branches of State governments
and on others Els descending like a
cloud. without even. the poor pretext
of a financial partnership" Mr..
Satterwhite declared repeal Of the
federal estate tax TO be the "im-
mediate and pressing cause for con.
Germ" and "the first abuse which we
should correct
ITO levy an inheritance or estate
tax is no Federal right" he said.
ut has ever belonged to the States
and has never been granted by the
States to Congress. In making such
q levy the National Government has
taken a thing to which, under our
Constitution. it cannot show title. BY
virtue Of its power 1t has seized
revenues whose seizure cannot be sus-
tanned under any clause of the Con.
stitution as we interpret 1t.
Our immediate aim, therefore,
should be the repeal of the Federal
estate tax. But in making that our
drst step, let US bear in mind that
1t Is but the first step-that there
are many other steps to follow in
the long march back to readjust-
ment, on a basis of sanity and jus.
tice, between the Federal and State
governments"
Mr.. Satterwhite laid before the
State officials the draft of a plan
of organization for the proposed Ma
tional Council of State Legislatures,
to constitute, in effect, a board of
review for the States on legislation
passed by the National Congress.
The conference today was to set
a date for the converting in Wash
ington in November of the first ses-
sion of the Council of State Legis-
latures and to elect officers.