St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-20
MR.. LUTH JAEGER.
Late Editor of The North


to dilate" OH this mode of selection, it
being probably the most congenial
with the public opinion" 1T is recon-
mended," he continues, ''by the double
advantage of favoring select appoint
nent, and of giving to the state govern
ments such an agency in the formation
of the federal government as must Sc
cure the authority of the former, and
may form convenient link between
the two systems"
And Story, in his commentaries on
the Constitution. section 102. after first
stating how ''three schemes were pre-
scented in the (constitutionaD conven-
tiou-one was a choice directly by the
people of the states; another was a
choice by the national house OF repre-
sentatives. and the third was that which
now eX1stS"-proceeds to comment upon
the last in the identical language of
Hamilton quoted above, adding, by way
of summing up: 'our past experience
has fully justified the wisdom of the
choice"
This latter remark may have been
significant, but considering that it was
penned over fifty years ago. it at once
appears to US that the evils attendant
upon state legislatures of the present
day had not as yet made themselves Of
fensive in the legislative bodies of that
period.
But however that may be. the i'm
preston is growing that the wisdom of
this particular provision of the federal
constitution is very questionable. 1t is
easy to understand now the arrange
meDt must have commended itself to
the constitutional convention. Among
the three alternatives. certainly the one
adopted appealed most conyincingly
to the men of the period. In the
election OF members of the house of rep
reseutatives the popular vote had been
recognized to an extent which precluded
further application of the same prin-
ciple i'll the case of the senate. To place
the power of electing senators with the
house of representatives itself was an
idea which could not be seriously enter
tanned in view Of the fact that the
trainers of the constitution were seek
ing for some effective means by which
70 prevent the house from obtaining an
altogether dispr0portionate influence
upon the affairs of the republic.
Then there was only left the choice
between elections by the popular vote
and election by the respective legisla-
lures The same reasoning which
barred the convention from delegating
to the house the power to elect senators
naturally, also, obtained in favor of the
latter method. Stability was the need
of the hour. and between a popular vote
aud vote by both branches of a state
legislature the exigencies of the case
certainly could not leave the convention
long in doubt.
Thus the mode adopted for electlpg
United States senators appealed to
everybody as most wise one. And
everybody would likely have continued
to believe SO. but for the fact-an m
fortunate one, to be sure; but fact
nevertheless that state legis latures
must have deteriorated since the days
of Alexander Hamilton and Judge
Story. Were those bodies built upon
the same high plane that they are sup
posed to have once occupied, were
they now enjoying the confidence of
the people as much as they evidently
did once upon time. there would have
been no call for the reform now under
consideration.
But the rapid and radical chan ge
which has taken place in the social and
political conditions of the country has
brought about state of affairs which
apparently requires a different treat
ment from that which was in vogue at
an earlier period of the life of the con-
StItution. From being buIwarks of
wholesome and stable politics, the state
legislatures have become Pandora's
boxes Of mischief. which,. whenever
opened, give liberty to imps of |
evil of varied description and varied |
degree of hurtfuIness. Possibly this
picture is somewhat oyerdrawn. Still, |
there is no gainsaying the fact that in
the matter of electing United States |
senators the state legislatures are |
hourly departing further and further
from what regard for the true welfare I
of the country would demand of them. +
We're we i'll sight of a reform emanating /
from these bodies themselves, we might T
sit down quietly and wait for it to ma /
terialize. But there is nothing to sub !
Stantiate belief in such consumma-
ton.
On the other hand. the question may
properly be asked if the crying evil of
sinister influences attendant upon the
election of United States senators as at
present conducted would be lessened
were the candidates to appeal to the
entire voting body of the state instead
OF to its chosen representatives in legis-
lature assembled. Personally, l would
rather risk leaving the selection with
the people at large, even though abuses
similar TO those now existing should be
possible. But with the we'll nigh uni.
verSal demand now making itself heard
for modern ballot law reforms. it stands
to reason that the popular vote here
after will be a purer and more correct
expression of the popular will than
heretofore has been possible. And such
being the case, delegating to the people
direct the election of United States
senator's would seem preferable.
There is another argument in favor of
the innovation which is perhaps of still
more weight. The position of the
United States senate has. think, shift
ed from what it was originally. And
this shiftlng-wlrich is caused not so
much, perhaps, by any Grange in the
senate itself as bv.the altered character
of social and political conditions above
referred to-this shifting requires that
the senators come IN more direct touch
with the people than the existing mode
OF electing them makes possible. Con-
sidered i'll lis right light, there is 10
position more honorable in the Gift or
the American people than that of 4 !
senator OF tine United States. nor
any the high responsibility of which
should be more felt; the duties
of which should be more conscientious $
ly fulfilled. But it appears. to the cas-
ual observer, at least, that the modern
senator, once i'll his seat. whether in {
tentionally or by force of clrcum-