Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-30
The people of Illinois are trying an expert

The people of Illinois arc trying an expert
ment Of considerably more than local i'm
portAnce. Gen. John NJ. Palmer is running
before the people for the Office of United States
Senator. This is the second time in the history
o: that state that the question has been virtu-
ally determined by the people in advance Of
the meeting of the legislature, the first having
been the memorable contest between Lincoln
and Douglas. Under the Connecticut Com
promise" OF the Constitution it was arranged
20 have the Senators chosen By the legislatures
Of the individual states, two from each state Of
the Union, and to have the people in districts
of each state to elect the Representatives. The
reason for devolving the choice on the legis-
lature rather than, as in the other case, on the
people was a two-fold one: At that time the
country, recently emancipated, did not have
full faith IN democratic rule, and having at the
moment q Congress composed of delegates
selected by the Legislatures as vice regents OF
those states, the common idea of the state was
that il was the state government and not the
people of the state. Inbucd from the lament
able history-nOt then ended-of the confed-
GRAFTON, with fear Of state control and also
entertaining fears of the rashness OF the
mass Of the population, the founders placed
every possible safeguard that occurred to them
around the new federal government. One OF
these imagined safeguards was tho constitution
Of ono house Of Congress in some other way
than by the direct vote Of the people: and the
duty of constituting this chamber was dcvolved
on the legislatures of the states each choosing
two Senators. This safeguard, with other pro-
visions, operated. in the opinion of many emf
nent men, to make Of the Senate an aristocratic
body. The chances for other undue influences
to work on the legislation of Congress were
also increased. Many times it has been pro-
posed to elect the body by direct popular
vote, but this requires a constitutional
amendment, secured only by two-thirds vote
OF the very body intended to be reformed, it
has never been found practicable. Two-thirds
of the House of Representatives and three
fourths OF the legislatures could doubtless be
obtained for such an amendment. The Illinois
idea looks not only to immediate results, but
also to preparing the way for the eventual
adoption Of an amendment to the Constitution
In this view OF the matter the campaign of
Gen. Palmer assrmes national importance.
No subject in American politics during the |
last ten years has awakened more widespread
interest than that of reciprocity in connection |
with the pending tariff bill. 1t is not simply |
that it is preached and pressed by one of the |
foremost men in our later national life, al !
though he has eonfessedly added more to the |
discussion than any other person whatever, but |
because the question il one for the final de- |
cision which the public mind is now fully pre-
pared Sugar may be regarded as the CENTER
piece in the movement, that product entering |
% largely into our imports from the American |
nations and dependencies south OF the United /
States. But the concern of Mr. Blaine and the /
political economists of Congress is not Alto
gether about the saccharine item Of the tariff.
Mr.. Aldrich's amendment, not to 20 into de-
tails, provides for reciprocity in trade between
our agricultural and other products with the
sugar, tea, coffee and hides produced in any
country which imposes duties or other exactons
upon the products OF the United States. But
broad Us Is the scope Of this proposed iegisla-
ton there Is an apparen. intention to 60 much
further. The proposed action of Congress in
the matter Of Canadian fish, raising the duty
on the same unless Canada comedies the pur-
chase OF bait to our vessels and free shipment
Of their catch in bond; and the enactment of
the meat inspection bill which gives the United
States retaliatory power over impure wines if
France insi is 10 excluding our meat products,
are both on the same line of a self-protectiug,
liberal policy with other nations il they so
elect 1t appears to be the well-defned policy
Of the republic to invite them to exchange COM
mereiai advantages with u.s.