The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-10-03

expression of his choice Sectional
and party interests are the great i'm
pediments to united effort for the pub
lie good and it may be safely assum.
ed that the mass of the voters, not
looking to political preferment, are a
safer depository of power to choose a
chief magistrate than the leading pol
itician whose hopes are proportionate
to the attention he attracts in a can
vass. Another reason for setting aside.
as far as practicable, all disturbers of
the voters unbiased selection of the
men to whom he prefers to entrust the
destinies of his country, when the day
arrives on which he may deposit his
ballot, is the corruption which re-
wards for campaign services naturally
engender. Without seeking to draw
illustrations or to make application of
recent Presidential elections, it may
be we'll to notice that the people of the
United States have shown more FOR.
bearance under irritating circum-
stances than the trainers of the con-
stitution gave them credit for, as ap-
pears in their debate on the provision
for electing President and Vice
President and from it to draw the
comforting assurance that the election
of the chief executive is not likely to
produce a revolution in the future.
If it has been successfully shown that
the executive department does not rep
resent majority of the people-in-
deed is not directly chosen by the peo-
ple-it is in order to show how the
case stands in regard to the legislative
department.
The House of Representatives is
most nearly derived from and respon-
sible to the people. The members
j are chosen for two years by the voters
of geographical districts within the
States, being in number equal to the
number of representatives appor-
toned to each State these members
are chosen by the voters of the dis
trict, majority deciding the result.
But, as is often the case, the parties
may in one district be so evenly bal
anced that the difference between the
candidates will be measured by tens,
while in another district it will be by
thousands. Thus it will be seen
without further elucidation, that a
majority of the members may repre-
sent minority of the voters by
whom the House was chosen. Then
| the conclusion is that the majority of
the House of Representatives is not
measure of the popular majority.
In the tther branch of the legisla-
tive department, the United States
Senate, the aspect is still less favora-
| BILE to the claiIo for rule of the pop
ular majority. Senators represent
States as sovereigns, therefore are
equals ; and each State. without regard
to its population, has two Senators
the smallest two, the largest no more.
They are elected by the legislatures of
the State they represent, not by the
people thereof; their term of Office is
for six years, and they are classified
SO always to have two thirds of the
body of members. The long tenure,
the mode Of election and organization
Of the Senate, tend to separation from
subjects of temporary excitement and
fthe acquisition of the knowledge of
the international affairs needful in
their relation of advisers to the Ex-
ecutive.
! By its constituency, its organization
and its duties. the Senate surely. was
not expected to subordinate the States
to majority of the people in mass
even if there had been any means by
which to learn the will of that unor
ganized, indefinite something.
4 The judiciary Department has
least of all, any popular character
The Justices are nominated by the
President, confirmed by the Senate
and practically have permanent term
of office. They have no constituency
to whom they must appeal for indorse
ment. Seated ON the high plane o
abstract investigation of the rule ol
right, in order that justice may be dis
| pensed to litigants, they are under {
shield impenetrable to temptation, un
/, less and until they offered their zeal
: Gus mistress" the law. by giving to he
divided worship" May the da,
+ be tar distant when the court of las
t resort shall acknowledge the suprema
e cy of the myth-a majority of th'
POctiO LII mass, VI OOoClt VIC thV POIiIi
t cal tides to find guide for judicia
t decisions
II As the organic law of the Uni
/ ted States does not recognize the ma
, jority of the people in mass to be tn
: ruler or superior power-indeed con
clusively refutes the existence Of sucl
s an entity-there have been snne VIII
Z contended that the constitution Of tn
: United States is the supreme powe
: over them This would imply ths
? the constitution created itself, Wake
h forth upon the world with all requi
9 site power to execute it's will, and ths
+ its subjects were the people of tn
d States. To create some semblance /,
+ authority, reference Is made to a claus
+ in the constitution, the compact b,
r tween the States, which declares -th.
is the constitution ''shall be the suprem
: law of ::he land"-certainly shall t
'e the supreme rule to g1ide the acti !
'e agencies instituted by the powers WI
nj made the compact. Neither the con