Middletown transcript., 1874-06-27
The Senate, Its Origin.

The illustration of the COMMERCIAL TO show
that Sena torial representation Is npt based upon
the Fendal idea Of territory is singularly infeli-
citous. The Commercial AYERS that represen ta-
tion is based upon States not Territory. Most
sapient Commercial, has it occurred to you, that
in typographical, and political Nomenclature,
State and territory are synonomous? Hence the
point made by the COMMERCIAL that the ter
ritorial idea is not the dominant one. in Senato-
rial representation, is not correct The vast DIFF
ference OF Texas and Delaware, exactly sustain
our views-each alike are sovereign States, one
Imperial in extent, the other a pigamy hut are
for .he purposes of Representation lin the Senate
territorally equal. Our neghbor need hardly
recommend us TO read the debates Df the consti-
tutional convention, We are quite familiar with
them and strange enough we find in them ahun-
dant matter to sustain, and support our views
upon the matter in dispute.
The analogy between the House of Lords il,
England and our Senate as to powers are very
striking, the House of Lords have jniicial power
upon appeal-hut lacks the right 10 reject the
apponiees OF the Queen. Our Senate has the
power of rejecting the appointees of the execu-
tive. This is the main difference n their power
and functions. A portion of the House of Lords
are elected, TO wit The Irish Peers, they are
elected by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal
of Ireland" The Bishops and Lord High Chan
cellols are Peers by official right, 81 that it is
mistake to speak of the House of Lords, as en-
tirely nm hereditary body of Legislators.
After referring to the undisputed fact, that the
small states insisted upon equal representation in
the Senate the " Commercial adds
I" In forming our Delaware constitution, there
was no other object in view, and the Senate was
formed like the House,-except that its members
were elected for four years instead of two, and
that they did not all go out of Office at once In
creased steadness, stability, and conservative
force were desired, and these were means taken
a.
from the people, as the Representatives did, and
they had not, and never have had, anything
" feudal or territorial" about them, any more
than the members of the lower House"
good reason existed at the time our Senato-
rial representation was fixed at three from each
county.
In 1870 the population of Delaware was
50, 094-or 10000 in each county, hence the
equality of representation. The mode of election
by the people, MS ontradstinguished from the
manner of choosing Senators to Congress does
not destroy the analogy of the State and Federal
Senates. 1t was a question fercely debated, in
the constitutional convention, whether United
States Senators shoulder should nbt be elected
by the people The rule er-necesstae settled the
question in The States, there WIS no body
within them to delegate the power Of election,
hence il was Of necessity reserved by the people.
The Senate of the United States, as the Senatcs
the different States, feudal in origin. The
political idea OF an Upper House was carried
over by the first colonisis, and when their chill
dren formed the Constitution for the Contedera-
tion and the States, they created noihing new,
they simply codifed into organic aw the Gus
toms and political maxims of their free ancestors.
We are in favor and will stick to it, of full and
just representation for New Castle county in the
House but will oppose any alteration in the
time honored, and wise constitution of the SEN
ate, unless it be to equally increase tile reprcsen-
taiion OF each county Hiim. Adc wiser