Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1893-10-11
Election of Senators by the
 People.

People.
 Itis understood that Senator Berry and Gov. Fishback are both in favor of electing United States Senators by direct vote of the people, and there can be no issue between those two gentlemen on that point. The senti- ment in favor of changing the con stitution so as to require the people to elect United States Senators is in- creasing. and the indications are the proposition will be considered by the next Legislature It is not improba- ble that the matter will be brought before the people during the next ampaign-Arkansas Democrat.
 We trust that Senator Berry and Gov. Fishbaek are misquoted. Both are deeply learned in the political history of this government, and must be aware of the great strug- g.e made by our patriotic forefath CTS in the Constitutional Conven- tion of 1787, which gave us our pres ent Constitution and form of gov ernment, to secure the present method of electing Senators to the United States Senate. When that Constitution was adopted our fore fathers builded wiser than they knew. Upon it has been builded the greatest Republic and the grandest Nation of free and happy people ever known to the worlds history. That immortal instru- ment was drawn oy master hand gifted with inspiration. It contains all that is necessary for the welfare and happiness of a free people. A hundred years of trial has not found the Constitution of our coun- try inefficient in any of it's provis- ions or requirements. Under it's benign influence our country has grown in greatness, wealth and prosperity until the sun does not shine upon it's equal in all that is required to make a nation of happy people great and glorious It is the most perfect instrument ever drawn by man, and it should be held in all it's simplicity and purity as one of the proudest and best her itages of American citizenship.
 The election of Senators by popular vote of the people would be a direct blow at one of the funda- mental principles of our Govern ment, and the adoption of such an amendment would forever blot out the last vestige we have of state soverignity. The whole drift of our Government is toward centraliza- tion, and with this recognition of the sovereign power of the states incorporated in the Constitution plotted out, then centralization would be complete, and the states would be no more to the United States than the county of Jefferson IS to the state or Arkansas.
 To make our position more clearly understood we again assert that such an amendment as the one pro posed would wipe out the last yes tige left us of state soverignity and be vital and destructive to the fundamental principles of our Gov ernment.
 In the Constitutional Convention of 1887 there was a bitter struggle between the Nationalists and Feder- alists over the very proposition in question. Of that convention Alex ender H. Stephens, in his History of the United States, says; "ItI was unquestionably the ablest body of jurists, legislators and states men that had ever assembled on the continent of America. Of that convention George Washington was chosen President, and among the leading lights were Alexander Hamilton, Rufus King, James Madi- son, Pinekney, Randolph, Franklin and John Jay. There were two
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