Washington telegraph., 1862-08-27
The Confederate Constitution-No. 3.

IHE SENATE. regard to the or
ganIzation of the Senate the change. aIe
unlmportant, and designed to prevent
corruption in the State Legislatures. and
internal di,cord amongst the people Of
any particular State. The United State.
Constitution did moi fix the time for the
election of Senators by the several Leg
lslatures- 1t happened that some Of the
legislatures adopted the habit of clecting
their Senators, at the regular session pre-
vinus to the expiration of the term of the
predecessor. As many of the Le.i,la
lures sat only once in two years. { gene
rally convenirg in the fall and as the
terms OF The Senators expired % the 18th Of
March nj the end Of six years, il followed
that Senator was often elected some l6
or IL months before he was entitled 10 lii
seat, and two years the sessions Of Con
gless beginuiu: 10 the fall , before he
would be called upon. in usual course. to
occupy it. To illustrate let Us suppose
Senatorial term to expire on the 4th of
March, 1861, the end of Congressional
session. Suppose, also the regular bien-
NAL session of the Legislature to occur in
the fall Of 1859. That would be the
session next preceding the expiration Of
the Senatorial tenn 4 successor then
elected would If course have to await the
expiration ot his predecessor term ur.
I'll March. 1861 before he could be sworn
IN, and exercise anyo the duties of his
Office. Practically unless in case of a
called session. he would not enter upon
active duty until the beginning of the
next session of Congress in the winter of
81. two years after bis election. Mean
while new Legislature would have been
elected fresh from the people, which
would convene, also. in the fall Of '6I.-
Objectionable features may have been d.
veloped IN the character Of the Senator
elect. The sentiment Of the State itself
may have materially changed 10 questions
of pubiic policy,or new questions may have
sprung up, of vast importance, with regard
to which the opinions and wishes of the
Senator elect might be wholly repu.uant
to the wishes, and interests of his State
The new Legislature would thus find it.
self trammelcd by the action of its pre-
decessor, and burdrncd With an odious
representative incorporating the will
Of the State, and fortified BY a vested
right 70 Office constituiionally conferred !;
whereas they might otherwise have elect
ed an acceptable Senator 10 ample time to
take his seat at the beginning Of the scs-
sion OF Congress, following the expira-
tior OF the term of his predecessor.
Another evil attended this practice. A
Senator who might 10, be reelected, sat
two terms in Congress With the ban OF his
State upon his head. HIS glory, and,
with it, his influence departed. All hon.
age paid him was transferred 70 the rising
star, his successor. However patriotic
he might be, or however we'll armed with
that calm philosophy which preteuds to
conquer all sensitivepess OF feel
ing, he would be morally more than NOR
tai to retain his energies undamPened,
and intellectually very giant to De able
any longer to exercise upon others much
influence for the good of his State and
the country. In the political as we'll as
the social world, all men are Mohane-
dams. They worship towards the East.
They watch the rising luminaries, to the
full glories Of the zenith, but allow them
to set, unooticedl at their racks, whilst
they drop Their eyes to catch with new
alteration, those just emerging from the
Eastern Horizon.
Other States adopted different policy.
They reserved the election of Senator un-
til the session of the legislature just pre-