St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-28
TILE SENGTE

An English paper has had the temerity to
call into question the value of the American
Senate, very much as some radicals on the
other side are insisting that the House OF
Lords has outlived its usefulness. Possibly
the same view of the case may have occurred
to many people in this country, the more es-
pecially within few years, during which the
Federal Senate has played no very valuable
part in the affairs Of the country. 1t is pos
sibly fair question, what is the
valne of the Senate to the country
as legislation.is nov copducteds
Its intep atthgoutset was to afford
check to the popular body, to counterpoise
the representatives of the people by an as
sembly which represented the states. Just
how the people were to be balanced by rep
resentation whieh1was that of an abstract Or
ganization knownas the state, is not clearly
to be understood. ''We the people of the
state of Minnesota will send representatives
of ourselves to make our laws, and Leaf
these, selections do, not do as we wish them
to do we will send two men who we will
term senators to hold them in check" is
about the popular idea of the uses of a sena-
tor as it might be expressed by state.
Originally many centuries ago, the crea-
ton of a senate had for its purpose the as
sembling of b body of elderly men of expert
ence and wisdom, and of whom advice was
asked oftener than the making of laws. In
the case of England, the senate, or Lords, is
a body which represents district interests,
and on this account has an eXplainable
TaiSon d. etye In our case. the senate repre-
sents only an abstraction, that
is, an area or province,
which is already represented in the house in
detail.
The majority of the congressional mem
bers of any given state represents its inter
ests as a whole; whence then, the necessity
of additional representatives in another
body: There may have been in the minds
of the men who established the two bodies
some idea that the extra one might be of
some use, but whatever may have been their
intent, at the outset, there is nothing now
in the character or the operations Of the fed
eral senate which excuses its existence. 1t
can embarrass legislation, but can do little
more.
Two bodies should not be representative
of the same class of interests, which is the
case with our two chambers. If it were the
desire Of the country that legislation should
be made by numbers and property, then
there would be a necessity for two houses
one Of which should act for mere population,
and the other for property. AS it now is the
interests of both houses are common. and
| the senate is as unnecessary as is
an extra wheel to wagon.
| 1t has dwindled into a sort of
refuge, something like the home provided
for cold soldiers or the retreats known as
old peoples homes. In addition to being
sort of infirmary for the care of broken down
| politicians, it is stepping stone to the
| White House man starts out by getting
himself elected mayor of some populous city,
this leads to his selection for member of
! congress, and then he aims to be Governor
of the state Once governor, he is on the
route leading to the senate chamber at
Washington, and here he goes into training
| for President.
Why should the country be called on to
support paddock for the feeding and care
of broken down and retired political racers,
and for nags which are in training for the
| Presidential stakes! The senate might be
abolished, and although the result might be
severe on the aspiring politicians, it would
save the country very large an
nual outlay. The senate chamber
is always the headquarters of
Presidential asprants. 1t is here where pat
ronagc is dealt in, and where it is distributed
to do the most good, that is, to points
where it will most favor the prospects of some
ambitious politician. 1t is not fair that the
country should be called on to support an in
sttution which is in part eleemosynary and
in part training school for Office seekers.