The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-04-11

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NEW CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
General Hawley, Of Illinois, intro
duced into Congress yesterday bill pro-
posing an amendment to the constitution SO
as to provide for the election of United
States senator's by the people direct for
terms of six years, and that in case OF
vacancy by death, resignation or otherwise
a special election shall be ordered as soon
thereafter as may be, which was referred
to Committee on Judiciary.
This is step in the right direction. 1t
is high time that we undertook in earnest |
the reconstruction of the government upon |
a Democratic basis. Our present constitu-
ton took as its model the British govern
ment as it existed at the close of the last
century. Our fathers were impressed
with a constant fear of radical changes.
They retained the general structure of the
best government which they knew any
thing about, but introduced such popular
features as gave the people some direct
control in the conduct of affairs. They re-
tanned the checks upon popular interven-
ton, deeming them essential to the stability
of the system. The legislative branch of
the English government was composed Of
two clements. The House Of Commons,
which was elective, and the House of
Lords, which held by royal patent and
hereditary right. The former was popu-
lar, in some measure, representing directly
the views and aspirations Of the people.
The latter, was aristocratic, representing
the privileged class, to which it belonged.
So the revolutionary fathers when they
made the constitution to preserve this equi-
librium of the democratic and arstocratic
elements, they were willing to trust the peo-
pie to elect directly the lower House Of Con-
gress, but they deemed it necessary to con-
stitute body, as check upon possible ex-
cesses, analogous to the British House of
Lords, to be selected by the Legislatures of
the several states. They were to be older
men, to hold their seats during six years,
or three Congressional terms, and to share
in some measure the executive prerogative,
as in the confirmation of appointments and
ratification of treaties. The same principle
was, in part, carried out in the state legis-
latures, but there both branches were
elected by the people. General Hawley's
amendment would make the Senators of
the United States elected as the state Sena-
tors now are. We beliere IN IT,. The con-
tests for Senatorial seats have become in
many cases simply war ofpurses. They
are disgrace to our political system
However liable to mistakes the people may
be, all experience has proved that they
may be more safely trusted in the long run
than any delegated body.
The Senator'S should be elected by the
people directly, and the President also.
Moreover, the representative basis Of The
Senate should be eqotalized upon some fah
acreage. Our Senate presents us the mon
strous absurdity of t,co Senator's from one
state, representing bm. rtytaousand people,
schile four millions Of people IN anothe,
state haze but two Senator's. Such abuses
will not be tolerated when the people be-
come once aware of their enormity. The
government of England has been growing
more liberal every day for fifty years. We
have made no material change, because
our hands are tied by written constitu-
ton, and blind and stupid reverence fol
the men who made it, and who, themselves,
expected us to modify it to meet the growth
Of society. Our government is vastly less
sensitive to the touch of the people than
that of England to-day. They have an
elastic unwritten constitution, which per-
mits healthy development. We are
cramped and our growth retarded by at
tempting to wear the cast-off clothes which
we borrowed from them a hundred years
ago. 1t is time for tho people to scout
this antiquated nonsense, and pos,
sess themselves Of their own prerogatives.
If we have not originality enough to
mould our institutions upon q superior
plan of our own, let US at least initiate the
best, If we must be mere imtators, let
US chose model from the purest rather
than from the Dark Ages. The Europe Of
to-day can teach us many a lesson in the
art Of government which we need to learn.
We hope this movement of Gen. Hawley
will receive the attention which it merits.
He deserves the thanks of the people for
stepping aside from the beaten track OF
politics into the broader fields of true
craftsmanship, and bringing forward a
measure demanded by the interests of the
people, and in harmony with the spirit of