St. Paul daily globe., 1894-07-21
SENATORIAL UsURPATION.

The constitution of the United States
vests the house of representatives with
the power of initiating all legislation
for the raising of revenue. The senate,
under guiSe of amending such bills. has
undertaken to usurp this prerogative.
Will it be permitted to do SO? The
president insists that the terms of the
constitution shall be obeyed. The
house, through the chairman of the
committee on ways and means, insists
that its privileges shall be maintained.
The logic Of the situation points to one
of two things: Either the senate must
voluntarily recede from its position. or
it must be taught to confine itself to it's
legitimate and legal province.
With an almost unanimous voice, the
people of the United States have con-
demued the British house of lords for
standing in the way of contemplated re-
forms in the laws affecting the Irish
people, and the war upon that body of
aristocrats has been waged with unre-
hitting vigor for months in British DO.
itical circles. The demand has gone
forth that the house of lords shall be
the will of The people. as expressed by
the commons, shall be destroyed. The
people of the United States find them
selves now confronted with the same
iSsue-a usurpation of the functions of
one house by the other. Will the Amer
lean people be less jealous of the privi-
leges of their representative body than
are the British?
The senate of the United States is a
in Great Britain. Its members are not
chosen by direct vote of the people,
and seem to think they owe no duty 10
the people. They are the creatures of
our ariStocracy-an ariStocracy of dol
lars, not of blood or descent-a mush.
room growth, frequently the result of
abnormal conditions and putrefying
morality. Their wealth, or the wealth
OF the corporations they serve. enables
them to purchase their seats; and, once
seated, they seem to lose no opportunity
to show their contempt for public opin
ion. A majority of them profess ad-
herence to the Democratic party, and
yet they have shown no regard for
Democratic principles, and have treated
the pledges of the party platform with
contumelv.
VIII their usurpation be endured? If
we may judge by the brave words of
the president, echoed and emphasized
by Chairman Wilson, the house will
call halt in such manner as to bring
the senators to realizing sense of their
own position and lead to a retreat, if
not dictated by an awakening to the
error of their ways, at least prompt
ed by the instinct of self-preser-
vation. For the people are in no mood
to excuse such al invasion Of their
rights as has been attempted. The
house has already taken firm stand in
defense of Its privileges and in defiance
Of senatorial usurpation, and it will not
recede The conflict may be prolonged.
and reform in the tariff may be long de-
layed in consequence: but with right
and the president on its side. and with
the support of all patriotic citizens de-
sirous of maintaining our government
on the lines contemplated by its found.
ers, the house will ultimately prevail.
In the meantime another nail has been
driven into the coffin of the United
States senate, the only unrepublican
branch Of the government of the repub-
lie.