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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1913)
"fWjtngWHTOy B iit lil rs & 6 The Commoner. Another Great Victory for Popular Government Following Ib a dispatch to tho St. Louis Ropubllc: Washington, D. C, April 8. Tho doath knoll of tho old method of electing Unitod States senators by tho legislatures was uoundod today. Word roached Washington this afternoon that tho ratification of the direct election amendment lias boon completed by tho legislature of Con necticut. This makes tho thirty-sixth legislature to. Tatify tho amendment. It now becomes, after tho necessary formalities as to proclamation by tho prosidont, a part of tho constitution. In states that huvo not already dono so, It "Will bo necessary for tho legislatures to pro vide tho necessary machinery for tho senatorial oloctlon and particularly to make provision for putting tho namos of tho senatorial candidates on tho ballot. In somo of tho states this al ready has been dono. Tho situation that results throughout the country whero many legislatures have ad journed until 10 15, is such as to leave confusion In tho minds of members of tho senate as to how tho early Bteps toward direct election of sonators would bo carried out. Whilo tho proclamation of tho secretary of stato announcing final ratification of the amend ment by thirty-six statos is required by law, Sonators Brlstow and Borah, leaders in tho direct elections light in congress, expressed the opinion that tho amendment is for all practical purposes now a part of the constitution. "Any man who may be elected to tho senate horoafter must bo elected directly," said Borah. "Tho now amondmont gives to the stato legisla tures, however, tho right to prescribe tho xuothods for electing sonators. "Many legislatures havo adjourned and will not roconveno until early in 1915, a few weeks foforo tho tormo of moro than thirty senators sxplro. It is expected that in many states tho legislatures will adopt the plan authorized in tho now amendment and direct tho governor to appoint senators temporarily until tho people can elect men at regularly called elections." Special sessions of tho legislatures will be urged in many Btates so tho necessary laws can bo passed beforo the general elections of 1914. In somo states action has already been taken or will bo before tho legislatures end their present sessions, authorizing tho people to voto for sonators at next year's elections. Tho choice of a senator in Maryland in tho place of Senator Jackson would havo boon made by tho legislature next year under the old sys tem. A special session of the Maryland legis lature would bo necessary to provide laws by which a popular election could occur next year. In tho opinion of members of the senate, no successor can bo appointed by tho governor nndor tho new provisions, when Senator Jack ion's term expires, unless tho legislature shall nave especially dlroctod such action. When told that Connecticut had ratified tho constitutional amondmont providing for tho election of senators by direct voto the presi dent said: "I am sincerely glad that tho amendment has been ratified so promptly and a reform so long fought for at last accomplished." Secretary of Stato Bryan said: "Tho state department will take no action until it receives ofllcial notification from all tho tates which aro reported to havo ratified tho amendment. "Wo aro writing to all tho states that aro reported to havo ratified tho amondmont but which havo not officially notified this depart ment, and wo hope to havo their official notifi cation at an early day. "I am very much gratified to learn that tho amondmont has been ratified." Tho now amendment to tho constitution, for tho popular election of United States senators, Is tho seventeenth to bo adopted. It reads: "Tho senate of tho United States shall be composed of two sonators from each state, looted by tho people thereof, for six years; and ach senator shall have one voto. Tho electors In ach state shall havo the qualifications requi alto for electors of tho most numerous branch of tho state legislatures. 'When vacancies happen In the representa tion of any state in the senate tho executive authority of such state shall issue writ of i..n. i nil ..,l, nnnnnnlnit nrnvMcd that thO legislature of any state may empower tho execu tive thereof to make temporary appointments until tho peoplo fill tho vacancies by election as tho legislature may direct." Tho amendment primarily transfers tho power of electing senators from the stato legislatures to tho people at the polls. To effect this change it was necessary to alter the machinery for the filling of vacancies in tho senate. For moro than Bixty years proposals havo boon made to change tho constitution so as to provide for the direct election of senators. It was not, however, until June 24, 1911, that tho senate was induced for the first time in its his tory to give its consent to the change. On that day it voted to submit to tho states tho proposed amendment. The resolution to submit had already passed tho house in a some what different form. Beforo adjournment of tho session, both houses agreed to the language to be employed and tho resolution was deposited with tho secretary of stato May 16, 1912, for distribution among tho states. The original theory in establishing the choice of senators was that they represented the states, whereas tho members of the house represented tho people of their districts. It was because of this theory of the state as a unit that all states, largo and small, wero given equal representa tion in tho senate, Rhode Island having the same number as New York or Pennsylvania. In the theory of the constitution-framers this entity of the state was thus made more distinct under tho federal system, and the state legisla ture was regarded as the suitable medium for expressing the same state entity. Later It was contended that state entity would still be preserved if the people of the entire state, instead of tho legislature, chose its sena tors, and this view has now been accepted as tho basis of the new system. In 1826 the first action was taken in congress looking to a change. In that year Representa tive Storrs of New York introduced a resolu tion making sonators elective by the people. Another resolution of similar import was in troduced by Representative Wright of Ohio in 1829. In 1850 Senator Clemens of Alabama introduced the first senatorial direct election resolution in the senate. Nothing resulted from these movements. It was Andrew Johnson who revived congres sional agitation for the direct election of sena tors. As a member of the house of representa tives he introduced two resolutions for the change, and in 1860 renewed the agitation as a member of the senate. In 1868, as president, ho sent a special mes sage to congress advocating tho measure, and then repeated his recommendations in his annual message. TU?oBoUob3e,ct was revived in 1873, 1876, 1886 and 1888, but without success. In 1893 the house agreed to the proposition, as.it did In the succeeding congress, and still again in 1898, J uLS0?' PrPSed n of these occasions won a favorable report from committees in tho senate. in Tnvn? ?iUS( thus aiWed year after year in favor of the change, the senate became the l?', Senator Bristow Kansas took the lead in advocacy of amending the constitu tion along this line. . m December, 1909 he introduced his first resolution. A year later he obtained a report from the committee but a l?,tUTrK had. been tackeI onto his proposal $? asm- -J--SJ the federal government was given tteDower ciiuciseci tho method employed by southern states in depriving negroes of the right of suffrage. Senator Bacon renliiwi w J? too we sion, the resolution was defeatelVy Senator Brlstow reintroduced the resolute Th?P?W 8e8Sl0n tomodlatS? SSowtag bu tht thApi?c.odlnB 8ession was ref ought but this time the friends of the resolution won VOLUME 13, NUMBER 15 by a vote of 64 to 24, or five more than tha required two-thirds. The house had passed a resolution which made it clear tho federal government was not to interfere with senatorial elections in tho states. For weeks the measure was in con ference. Finally the house conferees receded and the house agreed to the senate meosuro hv a vote of 237 to 39. uy Previous to this time, the several Btates had taken the bit in their teeth by enacting laws which in effect did not wait for a constitutional amendment on the subject. Probably the most successful of these was adopted in Oregon. It virtually directed tho members of the legislature to elect the person who received the majority vote at tho regular election, when the placing of the name of a can didate for United States senator upon tho tickets was authorized. The control of legislatures by great corpora tions was assigned by Senator Bristow as ono of the main reasons for the demanded change. "With the development during recent times of the great corporate interests of the country," said he, "and the increased importance of legis lation relating to their affairs, they have tena ciously sought to control the election of sena tors friendly to their interests. "The power of these great financial and in dustrial institutions can be very effectively used in the election of senators by legislators, and they havo many times during recent years used that power in a most reprehensible and scanda lous manner. -They have spent enormous amounts of money in corrupting legislatures to elect to the senate men of their own choos ing." Ono of the first speeches made in the senate during the twenty-year crusade for the change in favor of the direct election was by Senator Turpie of Indiana. In that speech he declared that the election of senators by legislatures was the one blemish on the democracy which was embodied in the American government. One of the most notable speeches ever made In opposition to the change was that of Senator Hoar of Massachusetts in 1893. He stated tho object of the election of senators by legislatures instead of by the people had been to remove one of the two bodies of legislation "from the opera tion of the fleeting passions of the hour, to lay its foundation below the frost and to remove the appointment-of the men who are to com pose it, as far as may be, from tho temporary excitements which so often move the peoplo to their own harm." "I am not afraid to say to the American people that it is dangerous to trust any great power of government to their direct inconsider ate control," he added. "I am not afraid to tell them not only that their sober second thought is better than their hasty action, but that a government which is exposed to the hasty ac tion of a people is the worst and not the best government on earth." A DEFINITE POLICY The Chicago Record-Herald, a republican paper, in discussing the president's message, pays this high compliment to the president: Even the opponents of the measure, or of tho arguments advanced in its favor, will candidly admit, however, that the president and his party are endeavoring to redeem their pledges, to re lievo the consumer, to open new channels to in dustry and commerce, and to promote national prosperity. There may be room for amendments and compromises; no rate is to be considered final; a full and searching discussion of the bill is assured. The administration will not wabble; Liwrn W5 What lt wants and wil1 -ccept respon siDHity for the consequences of its policies; but it will welcome light and honest data from those who regard the proposed reductions as too radical." MR. UNDERWOOD'S EXPLANATION OF THE TARIFF BILL (Continued from Pago 5.) protection of profits, the continued policy of not-house growth for our industries the stag nation of development that follows where com petition ceasesor, on the other hand, the grad ual reduction of our tariff to a basis where the American manufacturer must meet honest com petition; where he must develop his business aiong the best and most economic lines; where, wnen ho fights at home to control the market, ? ,?!nS tne way in the economic develop ment of his business to extend his trade in tho markets of the world. Tho future growth of our great industries lies beyond the seas." :'.