New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-22

lindsay or O'Brien to this city.
rv.pRTSTDENTS AS SENATORS-AT-LARGE.
',.roe blaine SUGGESTS SOME OBJECTIONS
TECHNICAL RATHER THAN COGENr.
lpy TELEGRAPH To rHE rRIBUNE.i
posroy Nov. 21-A representative OF The Boston
1.rsol had 4 long conversation with Senator Blaine
,..s.erday upon public topics. and gives the fol-
in0 as tee substance OF that portion OF 1t reiat-
;nr 70 the proposition to make ex-PreSidents mem
hers of tie Senate for life:
81 ,b,uk 0 said Senator Blaine " that those who
... ,r,og this innovation have not carefully eX
.a5 tho Constitution of the United States in its
'a.,d snirit. II you will look a. the clause de-
-. -to cooie of amending that instrument. you
-, cd a very remarkable exception made to the
-. of amendment. II is specially provided that
s+,ta without It's consent shall ever De deprived
T..o,,1 suffrage IN the Senate This you re-
o,,hsr was the guarantee OF equality required by
tse smaller States condition precedent 10 enter
;ng tbe UnloD On every other subject threefourtns
of tbe states can amend the Constitution, but equal
it in the Senate cannot be changed except by unan-
imous consent
o know continued Senator Blaine, it may be
eontended that ex-PresIdents as Senators-at-Large
voud be held TO represent one state as much as an
other and therefore there would be no interference
with equa suffrage IN the Senate y; but that would
be mere theory. In practice and IN fact the ex-
President would be a third Senator from his own
State A man Is not freed from the ordinary IN
fuences that govern human nature by beng
made President. John Quincy Adams as
much Massachusetts, Representative during
all the years he served in the House
from 1881 10 1S4s as any other man from the
State And John Tyler, when he came to the
National Peace Congress in 1861, was as intensely
Vrgnlan in his sentiments as any delegate present.
Andrew johnson reentered the Senate in 1870 after
he was President Just as thorough partisan as he
was before he was President"
At this point the correspondent suggested that at
any Que time there would be few ex-Prcsldents,
and from advanced years each one would remain IN
the Senate probably only brief period.
But You forget" said the Senator. g the plain
fac.s of history Virginia had three ex-Presldents
living at one time. She would not have had under
the provison suggested less than three Senators at
any time between Jetfcrson's retiremenr IN March.
lsO9 and Madison's death in June, 1886. During
fifteen wears of thar period she would have had four
Senators. and Tor nearly year and half five SEN
at0rs.'
"Bnt' suggested the correspondent, "the old VIZ
einia rule of Presidents presented exception not
likely TO be repeated"
N
much later period. Mr. Van Buren, left the Presi-
dencv in March. 1S41. He died in July. 1862.
Meanwhile Mir. Fillmore's term closed in 1888 and
he lived till March, 1874. Thus under the pro-
posed change New-YOri would have had three Sen
ators continuously for thrty-three years, and for
more than nine years of that period she would have
had four Senator's
Virginia of course presents the strongest case Tor
the lie of John Tyler President is to be given
in addition to those | have cited Mr. Tyler died in
tire winter of 1862 nearly seventeen years after he
lcft the White House. II would be curious to sum
% the extra years Of senatorship which Virginia
would have enjoyed had this provision been origin
ally inserted in the Constitution. Washington. JEFF
terson, Madison. Monroe and Tyler, altogether
would have given more than sixty-two years
equivalent to a third senator from Virginia for
two-thirds of the lifetime of the Federal Govern
ment"
But no other State" suggested the corrcspon-
dent presents such an extreme case as Virginia"
Not 80 extreme, indeed replied Mr.. Blaine
but still the case Of Massachusetts, is remarkable
fr she would have had third Senator from March |
ls0l. when the term of the elder Adams closed,
hi, the death of John Quincy Adams, in February
ISIS with the exception OF two years and eight
nontbsr
Then yon think Senator, that the proposed !
amendment would violate the DrOvlso III the ConstI-
tuition guaranteeing equal suffrage to all the States
II the Senate -
Most assuredly do" replied Mr.. Blaine. That |
guarantee perpetual in its terms. and it is not 70 he
talpered with or meddled with III any way whatever
You might just as well change any other part |
o. the Constitution by vote of less than three |
foarns Of the States as to change this part without
the consent Of every State. Equal suffrage in the
Senate may be DESTROYED without reducing
tie existing number of Senators to each |
State, and just rs ehectually. lake |
two STATES. Virginia and Pennsylvania |
Tor instance each with two Senator'S Their equality
is as completely destroyed by adding third sena-
tor to Virginia as by taking one from Pennsgi- |
yanis. III the one case 1t would be three against
two. In the other two against Equality is |
destroyed in either case. The difference is only IN
degeer
Well, could this amendment be made by every |
State consenting ~ asked
" Oh Of course. AS we used to say in the House |
o. representatives, unanimous consent can do any
thing. And the Constitution itself implies that 1t
nay be done with every State consentif-s."
Do you think it possible to get the assent OF
every State ~
BY no means" replied the Senator; should
oe surprised If the assent OF even one state couId De
secured, because although Immediate advantage
msht accrue TO particular State. no one could Tell
where 1t might hit in twenty or twenty-five years
Il tne amendment were adopted this winter Illinois
snd Ohio would each have three Senators at the
oVrning of President Garfelds administration
''aefal Grant and President Hayes are both under
sA'y, and have many years of life before them, as
"e all hope. At the end Of Garfelds term OF
s'''ce' whether it be four years or eight years.
quo would have four Senators on the floor, and
~fuaps the two at large would be as young AZ the
."o elected directly by the State, and vigorous
>A''sh Tor fifteen or twenty years of active service