Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-01-27

SIR:-In the Baltimore Sun OF Janua-
~ 21st, under the heading West Vlr-
GINA Legislature, )" appears the follow
ing:
Mr.. Finley's joint resolution iavoring
the election of United States Senators
bv direct vote OF the people, instructing
orr Senators and requesting our Repre-
sentativesi in Congress to do so, was taken
up yesterday and passed by the Senate.
Its passage was FASTENED by letter re-
ceived by Mr.. Finley announcing that
the resolution looking to this change
from the present method had already
passed the House Of representatives.,
and IL was deemed important that the
Senate should act speedily"
If this statement is true it Is most
extraordinary, aud / think, unheard OF
proceeding. The Constitution o. the
United States has ever been regardeu
by our people as most sacred insru-
ment. Of the twelve amend'hehts 10
IL made before the civil war ten were
recommended by the conventions oI 1ne
States when adopting 1t; the e,eVehtn
was made in 1897 and the twellVh ~
1904. From that time until alter Tue
civil war there was no other amendment
made. The last three amendments
grew out of the results OF that war.
The people, it will be seen, have been
very slow to amend the federal Consul
tntion. The Constitution provides In
Article for its amendment as follows;
"The Congress, whenever two-thlrds
of both Houses shall deem II necessary
sbalI nroDose amendments to this Con-
stitution. or on the application Of the
legislatures OF two thirds OF the several
states shall call convention for propAs-
ing amendments, which In either case
shall be voted to all intents and purposes
as part of thisConstitution, when ratihed
by the Legislatures Of three-fourths OF
the several States, or by conventions In
three-fourths thereof as the one or the
other mode of ratification may be pro-
posed by the Congress"
1t seems clear that this hasty action
of the Senate of West Virginia is pre-
mature and unauthorized. II two
thirds of the Legislatures cannot even
propose amendments, but can only apply
to Congress to call conventions in the
several States to propose them, can
Legislature get around this provision
by instructing the Senators to propose
certain amendments? Surely 1t was
not in the contemplation OF the trainers
OF this instrument or OF the people oil
the States in adopting it, that the pow
er of the Legislature should be brought
to bear on the United States Sen
ators TO force them to propose an
amendment whether their judgement
approved OF it or not. Who wrote the
letter spoken Of, and whose behest
the West Virginia Senate has been In
such hot haste to obey, we are not In
formed.
This is most important amend
ment, making radical change IN our
Constitution and far reaching In It's Ell
fects, yet so far as appears from the
newspaper report, 1t has passed the
Senate of this State without deiibera-
ton, or one reason given for it. The
present provision for electing United
States Senators for more than eighty
years worked admirably. The Senate
was the pride Of every Ameri-
can citizen, and was recog-
nized everywhere as one OF,
if not the ablest legisa-
tive body in the world. 1t Is true that
some OF the prominent newspapers have
recently advocated this change, and
have presented some strong reasons for
IL, the chief OF which is that the legi3la-
lures have become so corrupt and in
competent that they are no longer MT
TO be entrusted with the high duty OF
electing United States Senators. There
are mary things to sustain this posi-
ton. 1t would, however, seem to be
becoming in the West Virginia Legisla-
turo TO wait until the time arrives when
the constitution imposes the duty upon
it, before it expresses an opinion. The
Legislature should pause and deliberate
before laying its hands on this sacred
Instrument. The people In electing its
members did not have this important
matter before their minds. Better too
much delay, than too much haste. An
error committed now may be past
remedy. Wait until the excitement of
the Presidential election has com plete-
" died away, and the minds of the peo-
pie can calmly and dispassionately con-
slider this great question. Then If no
other remedy for existing evils can be
devised, let it be adopted. But let the
people mourn II we have so far degen-
Grated that we no longer can send to
the Legislature men tit TO elect compe-
tent United States Senators.
JAS. d. ARMSTRONG.
Romney, W. Va, Jan. "a, 1898.