Show STATE RIGHTS 2We believe that the several stat es of the union are sovereign within their sphere and that upon the preservation of their autonomy depend the benefits of local selfgovernment the liberty of the citizens and tho perpetuity of the union Democratic Platform The constitution states that the enumeration In the constitution of certain rights shall not bo construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people I From this it appears that the state power tendsto all cases not covered in the grant made by the people to the United States This power which rests with the people or with the states includes therefore among other things the right of the state to punish for crimes committed within its borders t adjudicate civil cases to make I I rules and regulations for the protection and safety of persons or property within its jurisdiction in short to pass and put into execution all Laws that may be necessary for the ordinary ordin-ary conduct of business the daily life of the people tho safety of their property and the maintenance of personal freedom It may be observed that the punitive power of the state is vastly greater than that of the nation and deals with affairs of more vital importance For the power of Congress Con-gress covers chiefly the matters of revenue and taxation for national purposes the regulation reg-ulation of commerce the coining of money the postal service the army and navy the punishment of piracies and felonies cornAm mitted on the high seas and the establish meat of a supreme court and inferior ones for the adjudication of these cases The power of the states covers such vital matters mat-ters as murder felony arson theft robbery rob-bery contracts marriage and divorce di-vorce police regulations of all sorts quarantine regulations and numerous others that need not be mentioned Within With-in this sphere and it is a very great one the states are sovereign and the sentence quoted above declares with truth that the liberty of the people depends upon their autonomy upon their right to legislate for themselves within the vast field of action that concerns only their own citizens We have said that whatever else may bo disputed there is one proposition that admits ad-mits of no difference of opinion among Democratsthe right of a free community t govern itself By a strange fatuity however many have held and some Democrats Demo-crats have provisionally admitted that this doctrine of state rights has no application applica-tion t the territories But all agree that people of the territories may claim the benefit of the guarantees of personal liberty found in the constitution aud that the territorial condition is merely preparatory to full participation in national affairs and in local selfgovernment But though the states are sovereign within the sphere of the vast powers above indicated yet they are limited in their action ac-tion The supreme law of tho land declares that No state shall deprive any person of life liberty or property without due process pro-cess of law nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws Liberty a here used is a very comprehensive term aud due process of law signifies a regular proceeding before a constituted judicial tribunal I was once believed by many not only I that the states were sovereign within their sphere but that they could also judge of I the validity of the acts of Congress Nearly a century ago the Virginia Resolutions I declared the power of tho federal government I govern-ment is limited by the plain sense and intention of tho constitution and that in case of a deliberate palpable and dangerous exercise of other powers not granted by the said compact the states who are the parties thereto have the right and are in deity bound to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil and for maintaining within their respective re-spective limits the authorities rights and liberties appertaining to them The Kentucky Ken-tucky Resolutions passed at about the same time declared that a nullification by the states of all unauthorized acts done under color of the constitution is the rightful remedy These extreme views are no longer advocated advo-cated The federal government decides upon the extent and scope of its own powers and the remedy is not nullification by the states but reversal of roverial that policy through elections if the federal government govern-ment has exceeded its powers just the same as the remedy for other evils in the government Thus the muchabused but little known doctrine of state rights turns out to mean nothing more than that the states should exercise those powers which belonged to the states when the constitution was formed and have not by that instrument been granted to the federal government or prohibited to the states We have seen that these powers are of great extent and of the utmost importance I tho people themselves cannot be trusted to exercise these powers no one can Democracy pins its faith to the people in this as in other respects It leaves the I power in their hands and they are then responsible re-sponsible for its exercise The government govern-ment will thus be as good as the people choose to make it and no government can be better than the people composing it Unless Un-less the people are honest and make the government correspond it will necessarily be bad and there will never be found an unselfish few that will labor verV long in their interest if they themselves are neg lectful of it |