The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-11-07
THE HISTORY OF THE SENATE.

THE HISTORY OF THE SENATE.
Public opinion has grown so hot
against the Senate of the United States
on account of it's recent non action
upon a vital question, and one upon
which the exigencies of the case de-
manded speedy legislation, as to have
led to the demand for the adjustment
of the upper House of Congress as an.
unnecessary body, and it is noteworthy
that this demand has come from many
ordinarily conservative men and news
papers 1t is largely the result of tenn
pOrary irritation, and of course the
Senate will never be abolished, but the.
suggestion naturally brings one to
think Of It's origin and how it got it's
place in our system of government.
Clearly it was borrowed from the Eng
Iish. The founders Of our government,
carried a number of the ide IS of mon
archy into the structure and some of
them pressed for more. The Senate
corresponds with the English House of
Lords. the seats in which are trans
mitted by inheritance, while our House.
of Representatives corresponds with
the English House of Commons, elec-
tion to which is by popular vote. Nom
inally we have the Congress divided
into two branches in order that one.
may be check upon thegother, but in.
fact Tire e5rnsrte S5rnsrt2s origin i2- monarchial.
That it was intended TO be the aTfsttQ-
cratic body is shown again in the fact
that representation is much more,
limited in it than in the House; that
election to it is by the legislatures of
the States instead of by the people by
direct vote; that the term of the Sena-
tor is six years, whereas the term of
the Representative is but two; and that
the Senate is perpetual body. 1t does
not expire with the expiration of a
congressional term; not more than a.
third of it's members ever go out at the ,
end of any one term and so the Senate
is always in existence and always has
a quorum.
Some of the facts stated with regard
to the United States Senate apply also
to the State Senate. Clearly twas
fashioned upon the same idea. It has
not the element of perpetuity, nor have
it's members the longer term, but it is
within the memory of living men when
a man could not sit in the State Senate
unless he owned certain amount of
land. nor could one vote for a Senator
unless he owned land. Here is the
English idea again-lhe idea of the,
landed proprietor and the repre- senta-
tive of the lordly interest. In contra
distinction from this we had in the
Lower House of the legislature, not the
House of Representatives, as now, but
the House of Commons-the house
where the common people had their
representatives to check the legislation
of the men in the Senate, who repre-
sented Che land and landlords. But
David S. Reid came along with his free
suffrage campaign and knocked all
this up, and in demolishing the prop.
erty qualification destroyed the very
foundation upon which the Senate was
established. Thus we see that the idea
which gave it birth having been rem
dered nugatory, there remained no
proper function for the State Senate.
any more than there is for the National
Senate, except as check upon the
House, and except for this function it
might as well be abolished as the Ma
tional Senate since, except for the DUR.
pose Of confirming executive appoint
ments or sitting as court of impeach-
ment, it is body of no more dignity
or Importance than the House.
AS touching the abolishment of the
Senate, either Federal or Sta g this.
discussion is not of the slightest prac-
tical concern, for neither of them will
ever be abolished, but recurrence to
past history is sometimes rather inter
esting, as recurrence to first principles
is often very profitable StotesUiHe
Landmark.
Wheat should be soWn earlv. but
like many other things, it is betterlates
than never Sow 90TOo vvhoo%