Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-26
4 ssreat Reform.

~. Louis Republic.
The story that General John NJ Palm
er will succeed Congressman Springer in
the house Of representatives has been
given some circulation in Illinois. but it
is entirely without foundation. General
Palmer will not accept nomination 10
the house. The RspVb'ic makes this
statement by authority. though it ought
To be plain enough that the democrats
cannot afford to sacrifice General Palmer
AS leader by sending him to the house
He will be nominated and elected to the
senate to succeed Farwell, if he will &C
cept. On this point he says in "A recent
letter from which the ReDu5lic is allowed
to make extracts:
Since the abrogation of the common
law of American politics, which made il
the duty of senators To obey the instruc.
lions of the legislatures of their respecs
tive states, the senate has been irrespOn>
sible to the people. In many of the
states organized wealth has controlled
the election of senators and dictated to
the legislatures the persons to be elected,
and the result is that the senate may be
conserve all profitable abuses.
The readiest means to make the senate
responsible TO the people and useful as an
aid in effecting political reforms is that
political parties shall nominate their can.
didates for the senate, and 90 before the
people with their platforms and candi-
dates. There is reason To believe that
the democrats Of Illinois will adopt that
line of policy in 1850.
i do not desire to he the candidate
selected, because | do not want the posi-
ton. / would consent TO undertake the
duty only upon the distinct ground that
the democratic party of the state, with
substantial unanimity, required it, and
then wonld insist that the contest should
be freed from all complications and be
conducted without reference to the future
of politics or to its influence upon the
prospects of presidential candidates.
| may add, too, that | would not accept
the candidacy for the senate unless, when
the time comes, / should he physically
able to lead in the contest. Soldiers
never fight well when the commander is
compelled to give his orders from an am
bulance."
The Republic hopes to see General Pal
mer leading the fight in 1890 with the
same strength he showed in his magnifi-
cent canvass last year. He can carry
Illinois for the democrats, and they claim
his services. We are confident that he
will lead the fight in 1890 and win. He
does not care to 60 To the senate, but he
does care to make the fight for democracy
and good government, and he is a man TO
count on and rely on when such fight is
to be made.
The movement for reform in senators
ial elections he has so clearly, though
briefly, outlined cannot fail to become
national. The purchase of the party
caucus in senatorial elections by the leg
islature is one OF the open and notorious
evils of that plutocracy General Palmer
so strenuOusly resisted in the late cam
paign. The nomination of the party
candidate for senator in the party cOnven-
tion will make the vote Of the people an
absolute instruction To- the majority of
the legislature, and the power of money
TO buy senatorships will be broken. The
senate, now plutocratic and irresponsible,
will be brought back to a sense of re-
sponsibility to the people, and it will
become representative Of the will of the
states as it was intended to be.
General Palmer has proposed a great
reform. 1t will win in and out of ILL
nOis