"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."
:'.
