Year: 1870

i
The West is getting grimly
ready to commend TO New Eng
land lips the poisoned chalice of
Congressional usurpation. Orig
inally a New England decoction,
justice will scarcely be shocked
to see it, after it has done its
deadly work elsewhere, sent back
to plague its inventors.


1t has been through the assid-
uous inculcations and the cease
less agitations and the untiring
inachiliations of New Nngland
politicians that fhe Federal Gov
ernment has become identical
with the absolute power of a real
or Fictitious majority, unscrupu-
lously used for the aggrandize-
ment of particular sections or
favored classes. But all this while
the numerical element of this
power has been rapidly shifting
its centre westward. and the Wes-
tern mind would be stepped in
more than Bpotian dullness not
to perceive in it sword which
the West may at any time un-
eathe for the purpose of Topping
off from the national trunk the
overshadowing growths of New
England arrogance, assumption
and monopoly


New England, with only one
tenth of the total population of
the United States, has contrived
to tax all other sections for the
benefit of her peculiar industries;
has contrived to escape an equal
share of taxation by making her
self the great bondholder on this
side of the Atlantic; and has con-
trived to contain one-third of the
organized and active banking
capital of the country with a pro-
portionate issue of bank currency;
while, out of Seventy-Six senate
rial representatives in Congress,
the constitution awards her twelve,
nearly twice the num- mber which
she would have if reduced to
equality of representation upon
the population basis. But what
can this dispensation of the con
4stitution have TO do in practically
deciding the fate of New England
whenever the West shall WELD,
with as high a hand as New Eng-
land has welded, the absolute
power of the lnaiority9 There
was always higher law for New
England when the constitution
was to be overridden to- crafty
her greed, her ambition, or her
|. .fanaticisn, and the West will not
be likely to forget her instruction
in this regard, and, if need be, to
better it in following her example.
The Fifteenth Amendment and
the Virginia and Mississippi bills.
opening, as these measures do
open, state affairs to unlimited
Congressional intermeddling, are
precedents which afford the cru
saders in the West who are fur
bishing their weapons for final
battle to wrest the political en-
pire from the East the most con-
venient and effective ammunition
which could be conceived for such
a campaign.


The West feels poor in purse,
and she charges its collapse to
the long prehensiIe fingers and
the hungry depicting condHits of
New England in its identity with
governments. But she feels rich
in political resources and in all
the elements of material strength.
and in due time she will bring
these into play for crushing the
power, abasing the pride, and
putting an end to the exceptional
and invidions wealth of the great
Eastern nabob of America. When
tho day of this onslaught shall
come at length New England will
invoke constitutions protection.
But where will be the constitu-
tiOn9 Buried in the grave dug
for it by New England hands,
Not the ghost of the constitution
which perished under her stabs
will answer her invocation. She
will fry to throw herself back on
reserved and indefeasibie State
rights. But where will these be7
Gone in the wind which New
England, in the opulence of her
power and impunity, sowed broad
cast. She must, perfOrce, reap
fhe whirIWiyad. and history will saw