Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-11-14
THE sEsAToRsllrp.

Whilst many Of oar State exchanges
have bee1 discussing, with more or
lsss. zeal. the qsestien of the u. s..
Senatorship. bringing forward this.
that and the other man for that posi-
stion, we have remained comparatively
silent and for very satisfactory reasons.
We have long been impressed with the
conviction that the spirit. if not the
letter of the constitution, contemplated
the lower House of Congress as the
immediate representative Of the peo-
pie, in the aggregate. and the Senate
as the representative ofthe sovereignty
of the States. So strongly was tn S
latter doctrine impressed upon the
frame work of our governmnt, that
proposition TO elect Senators for life
with homes in Washington, was earn
estly discussed in the Convention.
From this standpoint,we looked upon
the effort to mix up the Senatorial
question with the canvass for Governor,
as a grave departure from safe prece-
dents and dangerous perEersion of
the spirit and intentof the sage found
ers of our Institutions
Apart from this, we object to this
reckless innovation upon long estab-
lished usage upon another, and none
the less important ground. The fed
eral Constitution assigns to the State
Legislatures, the duty of electing
. United States Senators. This, then, is
an original power, not delegated by
the people of the States, in their local
capacity. The Legislatures are sworn
to discharge their several duties in
conformity with law and their own
conviction of right Hence itfollows,
that an expression of the popular will,
in any locality, declaring preference
for any man, as Senator, is not to be
considered in the light Of instruction
/ to the representative Of that locality,
but as simple expression of opinion
and without weight, farther than it
may be in accord with the wishes and
sense OF duty to the State, entertained
by said representative. u
| The fact, that the Legislature holds
the right to elect United States Sena-
tors, asan original power granted by the
federal constitution, has a significance
not to be lightly disregarded. 1t
means that the Legislature as the re-
/ preventative of the entire State shall,
in the selection of federal Senator,
consider the interests of the whole
State, rather than the whims and per-
sonal preferences of the respective
constituencies of the several members
of that body, which should also re-
member that, whilst it elects Senator
in its State capacity, it is performing a
federal function, in so farit co-operates
with all the other States in the main
tainance of the sovereignty of each
and all. This we believe to be the
spirit Of the constitution, and hence
our objection to dragging the election
of Senator into the canvass for State
officers. But now that the election is
over, we feel more at liberty TO follow
the example of many Of our eontem-
poraries, in declaring our preference
for Gen, William A. QuarIes first, last
and all the time, and we do this not
because he is citizen Of this town
and county, but because he is honest
and capable" and every way qualified
to maintain the rights and dignity of
Tennessee as well as the constitutional
sovereignty of all the States.