Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-01-10
Popular Elections Of United States
Senators.

Does well. acts nobly Angels can no more'
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Popular Elections Of United States
Senators.
At Its last session he Legislature OF In
diam instructed its senators and request
ed its representatives in Congress TO vote
for an amendment to the Federal Consti-
tuition providing for the election OF United
States senators by the people-that is. by
popular vote. Before the Senate adjourn
ed for the holidays Mr.. TURPIE. OF Indiana,
made q speech in that body advocating
such an amend ment 70 the Federal Con-
siitution as the one proposed by the Legis-
laturs of his State.
The same amendment has been recon-
rnended by a large number of the Farmers
Alliances in the United states-perhaps
we might say by large majority of them.
Certainly our United States senator's,
elected for term OF six years and by the
Legislatures of the several States. instead
of by the people, seem TO be perched very
high-to be. in fact. beyond the reach OF the
correcting hand Of the popular vote. and
where they can look down upon their con-
stituents. if indeed the people can be call
ed their constituents. az the jackdaw of
Mr.. WKBsIEB's last illness looked down upon
the people of its city from its perch in the
church steeple. But il il TO be said that
the terms OF United States senators were
made long and their election confded to
the State Legislatures as a means OF pro-
tecting the people from hasty and ill-ad-
vised legislation-as a check upon the de-
magogical schemes which might be forced
through the House of Representatives. OF.
in other words, as restraining hand
upon the popular branch OF the National
Legislature.
The power possessed by the President OF
the United States Of vetoing bills and
preventing them from becoming laws un-
less passed over the veto Dy two-thirds
vote in each house of Congress is akin to
the power possessed by the Senate Of re-
fusing to pass the bills sent to that body
for its approval after their passage by the
House of Representatives. The President
Is part of the law-making department OF
the Government. His veto is equivalent
10 the votes Of two-thirds OF both houses.
and that power is often exercised. and yet
he is elected by the people. That Is TO
say. we have so made our electoral system
conform to the wishes of the people as to
enable US TO cast our ballots for the man
Of our choice. though at the same time a
majority of the popular vote may not be
represented in the electoral colleges. In
-.
other words. we nominally elect our Presi-
dents by the popular vote. but may at any
time find our candidate defeated of cleo
tion though he receive majority of that
vote. In fact, our system works so differ
emily sometimes from the way IN which 1t
was intended to work that II IS no wonder
there is a movement amongst the masses
in favor of electing both the President and
tho United States senators by popular
vote.
The experience of this country in the
election of its Presidents shows that ifthe
people really desired to elect their United
States senators they might do somewhat as
they do in presidential elections-yote only
for candidates for the State Legislature
pledged TO vote for their favorite for the
place Of United States senator. A Legisia-
ture was once elected in Illinois on such
an issue. MIR. LINCOLN and Mr.. DOUGLAS
csnvassed the State i'll their own interests,
and the voters cast their ballots for candi-
dates for the Legislature pledged to one or
the other of the candidates for the United
States Senate. Mr.. DOUGLAS carried the
State and was reelected to the United
States Senate.
There are two opinions as to whether it
would be good policy or not to put into
the Federal Constitution such an amend
ment as that proposed 10y the Legislature
of Indiana and the Alliances. According to
WILLIAM NJ. TWEED. a State Legislature IS
more easily purchased than the voters.
He is said to have declared once that he
never put his money into a campaign for
the election of members of the Legisla-
ture because he had found it cheaper to
buy the Legislature than the people. II
Mr.. TwEED's theory agrees with the
facts, then tho sooner we turn over
the election of United States senator's
to the people the better. But II
it is better to keep the Senate as it is as
a breakwater against the waves of popular
ignorance let us all agree to say so can
didly. This country Is so large that the
people of a majority of the States are not
at all likely TO be the victims of dema-
gogical schemes at one and the same time.
Such decisions "a the greenback craze
may carry number OF States, but will fail
to carry a majority. The deluded voters
soon find out that they are wrong.
The returns of a popular election result
ing unfavorably to their notions in ma
iority Of the States has wonderful inhu-
ence upon their subsequent action. SO
we como to the conclusion that If there
are objections to the election of United
States senators by the popular vote there
IS also much to BE said IN favor of such q
policy. We await more light" upon the
subject.