Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-04-13
POPULAR ELECTION OF SENATORS.
Chandler Opposes the Palmer Idea-An
Interesting Debate.

POPOlAR ELECTION OF SGNA ORS.
Chandler Opposes the Palmer Idea-An
Interesting Debate.
WASHINGTON, April 13.-Cha ndler paid
his respects yesterday to the scheme for
the people. Chandler does not believe in
it and said he would offer for adoption
amendments to the constitution giving
congress power to prevent men becoming
too rich, and another providing for the
election of every federal official from presi-
dent down, every two years by popular
vote. He said the adoption of the Palmer
idea would extend the federal power over
the elections to an extent that while not
alarming to him would be 'pizen" to the
senators on the other side. He did not see
what force there was in the claim that
the new law would bring the senators
nearer the people
Some Distinguished Examples.
Said he: Take the state of Illinois, for
example, the state of the senator who in
troduced this amendment. Who could ba
closer to the people than the senators who
had represented that statet Stephen A.
Douglas (and if Douglas had not been
elected Lincoln would have been), Yates,
Oglesby, Logan, David d. Davis, Cullom
and Palmer. OF these senators Yates,
Oglesby, Cullom and Palmer had been
chosen governor by the popular vote and
Logan had twice been elected congress
man-at-large. He (Chandler) wished that
the senator from Illinois had left out of
his speech the insinuation that he had
come here on a higher plane than any of
the other senators because of a movement
started by the Democratic committee to
secure him popular vote.
'Panacea for an Invisible Evil"
From this point Chandler diverged to
what he termed the absolute destruction
of the fifteenth amendment in three states
of the Union, South Carolina, Mississippi.
and Louisiana "and here we are" he
added. confronted with this grand pana-
cea for an alleged and invisible evil, by
permitting popular vote for the election
of senator, when the fifteenth amendment
to that constitution which the senator
from Illinois glorified in such eloquent
language, when he had the honor to be
Republican governor of Illinois, was de-
liberately destroyed in three states of the
Union He said that with hordes of
ignorant foreigners coming to the country
it was bad time to adopt such measures.
Palmer Rises to Reply.
Palmer said that after the war he was
elected governor of Illinois upon the basis
of standing by the public faith and paying
the debt incurred by the war in gold. In
1872, after the Republican party had
adopted all the heresies of the old Whig
party he abandoned it. In 1860, when the
Republican party was organized it was
not protective tariff party. The pro-
tectionists came into it afterwards He
voted for Greeley, for the ridiculous rea-
son (as it now seemed to him) that protec-
tion should be referred to the congress
eional districts,
Has "A Colloyuy with Hoar.
Hoar tinterruptingl-On the ground
that Greeley was not protectionist
Laughter.
Palmer-No, did not, voted for him
because he was an honest man.
Hoar-May ask what quality Horace
Greeley possessed which was not possessed
by Ulysses S. Grant,
Palmer replied that General Grant had
surrounded himself by class of dishonest
| men who were disorgauizing affairs.
Hoar asked whether Greeley had not
also round him class of men who had
been engaged in "disorganizing affairs"
Palmer-Oh, expect he had; but am
simply clearing my own record.
Reminds Hawley of "A Story.
Cullom remarked that the Republican
party was as much n party of protection
| when Palmer was a Republican as it was
| now, and he discussed the political history
of his colleague and himself Palmer
| thanked Cullom for his cheerful testimony
that he Palmerl was an original Republi-
| can. The senator had the best means of
| knowing because he himself was not.
| These "reminiscences suggested to Hawley
a story OF General Logan Logan, being
once confronted with one of his early
| Democratic utterances and asked to
explain it. did so by saying because / was
then as big fool rs you are now"
Palmer Was that Man.
Dawes Ito Palmer What was the mat
| ter with Lincoln that ne could not be
elected senator when Trumbul wass
Palmer sau tell you, he was not a
| Democrat
Dawes-Oh, | had a faint recollection
| that there was some senator who could
| not vote for him.
| Palmer was the man, sir / could
not and would not and did not Laugh
! ter
Sound Advice.
Mr. Neer-What ought we to do, doc
| tor, as community in order to-er-tc
| meet the grip?