Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-02-22

republic, but mixture OF both. Ant
the legislative department represent.
both principles. Destroy the prlncl
pie on which either branch OF Con
gress is now chosen and you over
throw the fundamental idea in tn,
| government. The House Of Repre-
sentatiyes, chosen directly by th'
people in the proportion OF theil
numbers, clearly represents the ma
tional idea in the republic, in contra
distinction from the Federal idea, Oh
that of a mere league Of sovereign
States. The Senate, chosen by the
legislatures of the several States
which have all an equal voice in that
body, to use the words Of Mr.. Madl
son, in the Federal,st, "is at once q
constitutional recognition OF the por
tion OF sovereignty remaining IN the
individual States, and an instrument
for preserving that residuary sover
eighty" The history OF the adoption
OF the Constitution shows that this
peculiaf formation OF the Legislative
department was the result OF a spiri,
of amity, and OF concession to the
opposing views. AT the same tine
it is doubtful if any merely theoret.
ic form of government could have
proved So wise and efficient in prac.
tice as this outcome Of diverse ideas
has done.
In considering the mode of electine
Senators, SO as to sink the "residuary
sovereignty" of the States in their
choice and hand it over directly to
the people, We must sec where it
leads us. The next step will be inev
itably to overthrow the equal voice
OF the States in the Senate-for the
logic clearly requires this-and we
already find some newspapers crying
out against the inequality of repre-
sentation IN that body. Then the
term must be shortened to two years
so as to make the Senator's more d.
rectly amenable to the popular will,
aud when this is done, you have
merely second House OF Representa-,
tives. The final step would logically
be to abolish this Senate-which is
no longer q Senate-entirely. Judge
Story anticipated this redaetio aa a6-
surdum when he said In his admirable
Commentaries, 1T each branch is sub.
stantially framed upon the same plan
the advantages Of the division are
shadowy and imaginative; the Wis
ions and speculations of the brain,
and not the waking thoughts of
Statesmen or patriots. 1t may be
safely asserted. that for all the pur-
poses of liberty aud security, OF sta
ble laws, and of solid institutions, OF
personal rights, ard OF the protection
OF property, single branch is quite
as good as two, it their composition
Is the same and their spirits and i'm
pulses the same
Has not the conservative branch OF
Congress, during nearly century OF
trial, met all the just expectations OF
the founders Of the government and
OF their posterity. who have enjoyed
the blessings OF our government
Has it made undue aggressions upon
any other branch or department OF
the government !? Uas 1t thwarted
just and wise Legislation? Has it ln-
terposed check to the progress OF
liberty and to the growth of "nobier
manners, purer laws?' Has it brought
our governments into discrediI with
foreign powers, and unnecessarily in-
volved us in war? What candid man
reviewing our political history, can
give other than an emphatic negative
answer to these questions On the
other haul, it has served to check
much crude and hasty leg Station. It
has, by its tenure OF service, given
stability to our foreign policy, and
secured for our government respect
and influence abroad. 1t has been the
arena where our most ilustrious
statesmen have fought for their rival
policies OF government, and have ut
tered those masterpieces OF eloquence
which would do honor to any age or
country.
A system which has produced such
results should not be lightly discard.
ed on merely theoretical or specula-
tive grounds. What a vantage would
be gained by making Senators elect
i've by the people? II the machinery
of our politics were such that the peo.
pie could be brought directly and ac-
tually to choose the men whom they
finally vote tor, there might seem to
be some reason tor the proposed
change. But we all know that such
would not be the case. The propos,
ed constitutional change would only
transfer the choice OF Senators prac.
tically through the machinery OF our
politics, to political convention.
Should we gain any thing by such a
changes? II seems to us that there
would be no advantage in transfer
ring the choice OF our Senators from
4 body OF men, elected tol . fixed
term OF service, and officially respon-
sibie to the people, TO another body,
chosen without legal safeguards, for
a days service only, often deliberat.
ing tumultuously, IT celebrating it
may be called, and almost wholly ir-
responsible to anybody. Those per-
sons, who, without reflection, have
made up their minds that our recent
Senatorial contest would have result
ed differently through an election by
the people, it seems TO us, have not
considered this point. Certainly the
advantages Of the proposed change, 1t
any, must be too slight to justify an
unsettling Of the fundamental coun-
terpoises of the Conslitution.-Belle
Plane Union, Feb. l5th.
WOmen's Rights In u Dilemma.
Mrs (NnIs, oV,t ,xyoc -,