The morning call., 1890-08-18
ELEorING UNITED STATES SENATOR

There has been much talk in recent years
of dispensing with the services of State
Legislatures in electing United States
Senators. The results that have attended
the exercise of that power by several State
Legislatures have convinced many thinking
men that the true remedy is such change
in the Constitution as would place the
Senator and Representative on equal
ground in respect to an election. Win the
power to elect a Senator in the hands OF
Legislature, men fix their eyes upon seat
in the Upper House who would not trhSt
themselves to the tender mereleS OF Inc
masses of voters. With parties ABOUT
evenly divided and bare majority con-
trolling the action of the dominant party,
but little more than one-fourth Oh the
whole number of voters may IN effect Sc
cure the election of Senator. Inc Cal-
fornfa Legislature is composed of 100 mem
hers. A majority is 81, and under the
caucus rule 80 may dictate to the 6l. 2
very rich man or the representative OF a
powerful corporation may thus by OBTAIN
ing the votes of 50 members OF the LeSisla-
ture get himself elected to the Senate. In
this way some men have been elected TO inc
Senate who could not have been elected Dy
a popular vote to the lower b1ancn OF the
Legislature which elected them 10 the hlgh-
est office in the gift of the State. but the
election of United States Senator deyolyes
up on the Legislature by virtue OF the FED
eral Constitution, which can only be
amended by the concurrence of three
fourths of all the States. If we proceed to
remedy the evil complained OF by a cOnsti-
tutional amendment the process will be
tedious and the result remote. Cannot the
10, I, n,,l ha p1Nt uJ JHlt
waiting for Ihree-fourths of all the States
TO concur in a constitutional amendment?
This is the question that is being asked and
a little consideration shows that an affirma-
tive answer may be given. The Immediate
remedy is for the State Convention to
nominate Senators whom the members OF
the Legislature shall be in honor bound to
vote for If a State Convention cannot
agree upon candidate legislative dis
tricts may require asrirants for seats IN the
Legislature to pledge themselves 10 Potelor
Senator for the person the legislative dis
trict may designate. 1t might then happen
that two or three candidates would be pre-
scented with legislative votes behind them,
bat 1t might also happen that the only way
of effecting an election would be Tor the
caucus to determine which of the number
SIOulu De Iit patty S'iAA'ueA1p' ii-S S'4A-
plest way would be for the convention to
name the candidate. AL aspirants could
test their strength in the convention and
the unsuccessful ones would be required to
help to elect Legislature which would
elect the successful one. 1t may be OBJ
jected that such a nomination is not bind
ing. Under he law the Legislatures pos
sess the absolute power to elect whom they
may please. But custom and public opinion
may make the returns Of a convention as
binding upon member of the Legislature
as the obligation Of a Presidential elector
to vote Tor the party candidate. 1t is now
expected that Stephen NJ. White will ask
the Democratic Convention to nominate
Senator Whether or not Mr.. White is sue
cessful in this attack upon the present
method of electipg Senators, he is placing
proposition before the convention which
may bear fruit hereafter.