If the day should ever arrive (which God forbid!) when the
people of the different parts of our country shall allow their
local affairs to be administered by prefects sent from
Washington, and when the self-government of the states shall
have been so far lost as that of the departments of France, or
even so far as that of the counties of England--on that day
the progressive political career of the American people will
have come to an end, and the hopes that have been built upon
it for the future happiness and prosperity of mankind will be
wrecked forever.

[Footnote 1: Id., p. 238.]

If allowance be made for certain extravagances of statement, these words
will serve as a fitting introduction to the discussions which follow.




II

THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES


The Constitution effected an apportionment of the powers of government
between nation and states. The maintenance of the equilibrium thus
established was especially committed to the Supreme Court. This novel
office, the most important of all its great functions, makes the Court
one of the most vital factors of the entire governmental scheme and
gives it a unique preëminence among the judicial tribunals of the world.