The record-union., 1893-01-19
SENATOR WHITES SPEECH.
HE TELLS THE PEOPLE WHAT HE
PROPOSES TO DO.
A Reply to Bretz's Wild Assertion
His Position on the Issues of
the Day.

Stephen NJ. Whites mastery address
to the Senate and Assembly yesterday
after his election was as follows:
Were 1 to declare that l am deeply
grateful for your action l would be using
a trlte and common saying. Neverthe-
| less, these words would be as surely in
| dicative of my sentiments as are any OF
those sincere utterances which in daily
intercourse convey the warmest throbs
of our emotions.
Pardon me if 1 attract attention at this
point to words which have just heard
were uttered few minutes ago in this
| chamber. l understand that some one
upon this floor charged that he believed
corrupt means had been used to influence
the vote of Mr.. Kerns, who supported
me, and that the same party inumated
| that Marion Cannon. a Congressman from
this State, had assisted in such corrup-
ton. wish to say in the presence of all
of you and before the people of this State
that the author of that imputation, in
so far as he sought to convey the
idea that any illegal influence had
| been brought to bear to further my
claims or advance my interests i'll this
| election, uttered base and unmitigated
| ialsehood. Marion Cannon is an honest
and worthy man. The people of his dis
| trlct have expressed their confidence in
/ him by giving him an overwhelming ma
jority at the recent election. His position
among his neighbors and those who know
him cannot be influenced by anything
| that may be uttered by tongues stepped
in calumny and falsehood. Mr.. Kerns |
have known for over eighteen years.
lie has been my neighbor and my
| friend. He has at all times openly
| expressed his intention of support
ing me; he ran upon that avowal,
and he can go home to his CON
stituents and look them squarely in the
face with the knowledge that nineteen
twentieths of them, irrespective of party,
approve of the action he has taken. And
While l am commencing his manly and
| honest conduct l must not forget the gen
/ tleman from San Francisco, who, elected
as Non-partisan, determined to cast his
vote in obedience to the dictates of his
| conscience and in accordance with the re-
quirements of his situation as he under
stood them.
This mark of your confidence is not un-
sought. l have openly declared by
candidacy and fairly submitted myself to
the judgment of this tribunal. No one
upon whom a similar honor has ever
been bestowed more keenly appreciated
1t; none ever recognized more thoroughly
than do the need of unpossessed ability.
cannot hope to fill the measure of the
qualification which my fancy depicted;
| but l trust that | may answer the de-
mands OF the station to an extent COM
/ patible with q continuance of your re-
gard. There are numerous affairs of i'm
portance to California pending in and
coming before Congress. all of which will
require patient investigation and con-
/ tinuouS attention.
| There are many topics upon which the
| masses of the American people, irrespect-
i've of party, seem to be.fully agreed. We
all desire a government capable of COM
/ manding respect; but while the Govern
ment should indeed be strong, yet the
people who created it can never be COM
PEELED to relinquish the right to control
! by proper methods the exercise OF that
authority which they have temporar-
| lily delegated, or, indeed, to change
the form or method of admins
tration. The will of the people is and
must be supreme. That there should be
no more law than is essential to liberty
and security; that the Government should
| be honestly and economically.ca carried on
without the use of over complex machin-
| cry; that the judiciary shall administer
exact justice and that the republic shall
| have within it no Office or officer not
within the easy approach of the poor and
weak. the great and strong, are precepts
which will not be denied. Nor do / think
| that many will be found to dispute that
an honest currency, offering no advan-
| tages to bankers, bondholders, speculat-
ors or monopolists not also afforded to
| the laborer, the producer and to our
! numerous and ill-treated agriculturists.
is not only desirable, but essential. [
have often expressed myself in favor of
| gold and silver, and | trust that a condi-
| tion of things will soon be brought about
that will lead the people of this country
and those selected to its National
Legislature to recognize that con-
Z i
| tereSt of the tillers of the soil,
of those who really need protection, but
is after all mere means of further en-
riching the possessors of those enormous
! fortunes which to-day constitute the
greatest menace. The parry to which
/ belong, headed by the distinguished citi-
! zen who has been called by general favor
/ to the Executive chair, has declared for a
tariff for revenue only; and it is the
| theory with some, and a matter of politi-
| cal faith with me, that the taking Of
\ money from the pockets of the public
! should only be for the purpose of gov
ernment, and thata plethoric treasury con-
/ tanning millions boarded and unused.
! cannot but be productive of business
stringency and widespread injury; that
| the gold thus collected might as well be
! hidden in the womb of nature beneath
/ the everlasting hills as to remain in the
| form of coin under the lock and kew of
/ the wOuld-be dIctators of our affairs. No
corporation or individual should be the
sole beneficiary of any governmental.
| financial or other policy. Such special
privileges can never be justly granted or
honestly retained.
| Believing that the interests of our
country demand the election of United
States Senators by the direct vote of the
people, / have long and strenuously ad-
vocated the submission to the Legisla-
! lures OF the several States OF a constitu-
tional amendment designed to attain that
object. This Republic was erected upon
the ruins of a monarchic system, and it
was impossible in a season to eliminate
all the heresies incident to kingly pre-
tension. Hence, it is not surprising that
some distrust existed, even in the minds
of those who framed our National Con-
stltution, as to the ability of the people
to fully control themselves. A system
for the selection of a President was
adopted, by which the voter gave to the
elector the power TO choose a Chief
Magistrates; the theory being that a col
| lege thus formed could more safely be
intrusted with plenary power. But since
! the incumbency of John Adams no Presi-
dental Elector has dared to do more than
to automatically register the popular
Will. Kindred arguments evoked the pre-
vaillng mode OF naming Senators. Legis-
latures were considered more competent
to designate good and able representa-
tive than the citizens at large; but no legis-
lator will now assert that lie can conscien-
= II.