The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-03-09
The Election Of = senator = Duty OF
the LeRlAIRlmre.

Joint Convention to day for tho purpose
of bnIloting for United States Senator.
This is a matter which has caused much
more controversy, planning, crawling,
twisting, padding, hopping, jumping and
twaddling than is consistent with the dig
nifty Of the government and the manly
character Of political parties. senator
OWNS official term is ended, and however
little may be expected from the participa-
ton Of California, through her agents, i'll
the Federal Government, we do not think
that political parties can juStiIiably pre-
vent the State from having her constitu-
tional rep esentativcs always commission
cd. The SenatOrship belongs to the State
not to largc or small sets of men, and the
representatives of the districts of the State
in the Legislature, are as much bound to
consider it their duty to fill vacancy in
the Senate, as to perform any necessary
legislative work. II is said that the Dem
ocrats in the Legislature have been busy
to prevent an election Of Senator; that
they are willing to disregard great State
right for the sake of party; that if Sen
tor is not chosen this year they will have
been the cilcctual oppOScrS of an election,
and that the responsibility of the failure
will be upon the Democratic party. We
would know from the action of the Demo
cratic members that these charges will
not have SO much as remote appearance
Of truth we would know that the Demo
0cratic members made an effort such rs is
characteristic of reasonable men and lib.
cral partiSans who, though never vacilla-
ting on principles, will not, through parti-
san stubbOrnneSs, cvadc or tritlc with any
requirement Of the public Offices which
they may occupy. We do not desire an
absolute abandonment Of such proper ac
ton as Democratic choice might naturally
dictate; we want 10 conditional or uncon-
ditional surrender Of party privilege and
strength, but we demand ail Of the modi-
lications of personal feeling which may
seem to enanate from an honest Demo-
cratic desire to fill the vacancy with n
capable man as soon and at as little cX-
pcnsc of time and public money aS pos
siblc. This course, whether il produce an
election or not, will do more for the party
than the election VI two Democratic Soma
tors could.
1t should be rccollcctcd that many of
the people have concluded that the lengthy
debate in the Legislature on the question
Of State secession, has been shallow yet
laborous and expensive preliminary to
the Senatorial question. In this view
is n considerable losing Of respect for the
partisan as well as the legislative qualili-
cations of the dcbatcrS. 1t has been sup
posed also that the Legislature have mar
rowly conceived that the Senatorial Ques-
ton derives its importance from the var-
Gus attitudes of the sclf.selectcd cand-
dates; that the will Of the Legislature is
suhscrvcnt to the appearances of the flock
of sclfpromoting, self.recommcnding, self.
designating aspirants. 1t does seem that
this hungry flock by their interested in
trusion upon the attention of the LcgiSa-
turc, have received from members Of the
State government scrvilc permission to
stand upon an unsubstantial cmincncc, so
high that the regularly dcputcd agents Of
the people must bend back to see them.
The Senator is the creature Of the Legis-
laturc, and both are the subjects of the
rights, powers and opinions Of the people;
but by virtue of delegation direct from the
people the Legislature are superior for
the time being, and have no authority
whatsoever to submit TO any irresponsible
individual pressure from the line Of party.
Now, the people say that Senator should
be elected, and that the Legislature should
value their own position SO far as 70 look
for capable man without considering his
long standing candidacy as an established
claim upon the votes of caucus and con.
vcntion. Moreover, the people say that
there are many capable, patriotic and hon
est men who could be confidently cntrust
cd with the agency Of the States business
in the Senate and they say that any man
who may be known to be possessed of
State pride, gcntlcmanly sense of honor,
personal dignity, regard for public scnti-
ment, reasonable notion of public wants,
just desire for the general welfare,
and opinions opposed to interpretations
for the advancement Of sectional party
ism, would be proper man for the Lcgis.
laturc, as unanimous body, to send to
the Senate.
We have sometimes thought it best to
not advise the election Of Senator this
year; but observation and dcliberation
convince us that extraordinary circun.
stances arc appearing in National, State
and party affairs, which will require the
most conservative action on the part of
men who, though they may differ on small
issues, are all national and conciIiatory
upon the great issues which can be effect
ually and nobly cncompAsscd only by an
active, careful and (ratcrnal Democracy.
Therefore, we concede that the Senatorial
election should take place, and that the
members of the Legislature will be sus-
taincd in choosing a man who is not col.
ored by Black Republicanis'n, or who has
not anxiously cast his chances in and in.
dictated his anti-Democratic preference for
the support Of the unfragrant caucus Of
dccaycd ism.