The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-12-26
THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE
THE People SHOULD ELECT.
DECEMBER %. 1891

The introduction of a bill in the sen
ate by Wolcott Of Colorado providing fo'
the election of president and vice-presi
dent by "A direct vote of the people. and
the Introduction OF a joint resolution ir
the same body providing for an amend.
ment 70 the constitution Of the United
States by which United States senators
shall also be elected by "A direct voteof the
people, are in harmony with the scnti-
mcnts of the masses Of the people upon
those questions. Ii has never been
clearly shown why those Offices should
be otherwise filled. There has been
so much said about senators repre-
should therefore owe their position to
the states representatives in legislature
assembled. There has also been
more or less nonsense written and spoken
about the beauties of clccting a presi-
dent and vice. president by a body of
men who are called presidential electors
whom the people elect when they elect
their constables and county officers.
Still no good reasons exist why those
higher officers should be SO elected.
The trainers of the constitution of the
country had not gotten entirely rid of
their respect and generation for rank
when that great instrument was drawn
up and the idea of e~lecting a president
and vice president and United States
senators by plebeian votes was a too vio-
lent departure from patrician customs
TO bc entertained at that time. But the
country has outgrown that view Of the
question. The people are the sovercigns
and the officers are their servants. They
demand the right to choose their public
servants themselves and not through
"middlemcn,' as electors and legislative
bodies ma be regarded in this onnec
tion.
There is no question that a constitu-
tional amendment providing for the cleo
ton of the officers named by ii direct
vote of tine people could easily obtain the
sanction Of the legislatures of two-thirds
of all the states in the union-the num-
Der necessary to carry the proposition.
This being done the rest is simple
enough. The same political machinery
by which governors and justices of state
courts and other state officers
are nominated and elected will place
candidates for the United States senate
directly before the people for their
sutiragcs. Presidents and vice-presi-
dents could be nominated by national
conventions as they now are but instead
the people voting for electors as they
now do, they would vote directly for the
candidates when they voted for their
and other state officers. This
is simple and what is more the plan ap-
proaches nearer to true democracy than
does the present complex and round
about one.
The question of e~iecting presidents and
United states senators by a direct vote of
the people is not IA new one. 1t has been
discussed by the press for several years,
and while it is generally favored by
newspapers, politicians as Il rule oppose
the departure. They would find the
OF their operations greatly reduced
by it. Hence their opposition. There is
another powerful factor which will oppose
the amendment the minority party. But
h., D',,.,r, l,, f,;tL -, tba ,.n,lo md
believes that upon a fair, square vote
they would be found in favor of an
amendment to the constitution provid-
ing that %they-thc people shall elect
their state senators and presidents by a
direct vote.