The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-23
FINE PHRASES FOR WHITE.

Senator Hearst's organ is saying some
pretty things now about Stephen II. White.
Now tuat Mr.. White has given the Hearst
Buckley crowd the nomination of Senator
in the improbable event of the election of
Democratic Legislature, the Hearst organ
is trying to make Mr.. White think that he
has made only a personal sacrifice But
people who look deeper into the proposition
to name United States Senators by State
Conventions realize that Mr.. W hite made
something more than personal sacrifice
he sacrificed cause he had espoused. For
years the present method of electing United
States Senators has been the subject OF
scandal. Powerful corporations have pro-
cured the election of their agents and at
L0rneys by the use of money. When Sena-
tor Payne OF Ohio was about to be brought
over the Goals for buying his seat of the
Ohio Legislature he submitted to the COM
mittee in charge OF the Investigation proofs
of the fact that several other Senators had
obtained their seats in the same way. The
investigation was hushed up. Payne held
his seat, but the charge and the manner in
which it had been answered destroyed him
politically. This is only one instance.
California has repeatedly seen men elected
Senators who were not in the public eye
when the Legislatures were elected. The
use of money In many cases Is notorious.
The crime of buying votes has not been
confined 20 either party. The results OF the
crime have been about as pltlful in one case
as in another Practically at the present
time California is without representative
in the upper branch of Congress. At this
juncture Stephen NJ. White charged himself
with the mission of providing remedy
for the evil. His plan was to nominate the
Senator in State Convention and pledge
aspirants to the Legislature to vote, If elect
ed, for the nominee of the convention. The
plan was simple and thoroughly democratic.
It gives the distinguished men of a party a
chance to obtain the highest Office State
has to bestow 1t would have made the
candidacy of agents Of corporations impos
sble. 1t would have made it extremely
difficult for men who have no other quallti-
cations than money to buy seats in the
Senate. 1t is probable that at one time Mr..
White had the convention with him. But
the word went out from the little room from
which the boss pulled the strings that made
the delegates dance that the White reso-
luton should be voted down. Mr.. White
and few others comprehended that the
party, in voting this resolution down, prac-
tically declared that United States Senators
should continue to be elected in the old
way, and rather than subject the party to
the shame of such declaration he aban-
doned the fight. The Hearst organ now
pats White on the back. The Democratic
convention congratulates ITSELF upon having
eyaded an issue upon which the Democracy
might easily have carried the Legislature
Seldom in the history of conventions has a
body of men so signally failed 10 grasp an
idea. Under the direction of their bosses
they put aside an issue which would have
placed their opponents at a great disad-
vantage. The convention practically de-
clared that until the Federal Constitution
could be amended, Senators should continue
to be elected as they have been recently, by
the use of money