The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-10-06

Among those which the victors will
most earnestly insf3t upon are the fol-
lowing:
L. The election of United Senators
6y the people. This will not change
in any wise the representation and
equality of the States in the Senate,
but provides for the change in the
mode of eIecting the two Senators
of each State by the people thereof in
stead of by the legislature. The force
Of corporate wealth is much more east
y brought to bear upou the limited
number of men composing a State
legislature than upon the people at
large, hence a change to the broader
consistency will be a distinctive gain
for the masses. 1t will be & guar
antee that corporation power will
lose a large number Of seats IN the
Senate, which it has heretofore filed
or controlled. The proposed amend
ment has already three times passed
the lower House Of Congress, but has
hitherto found it's grave in the Senate
itself, too many of whose members felt
that the proposed change would de
stroy their own chances of re election.
2 The election Of oil United States
Judges by the people On the same
line and for the same reason the Fed
erai Judges must be made elective and
for a term of years. When the Federal
Constitution was adopted in none OF
the States were the Judges elected by
the people and it would therefore have
been strange if they had been made so
in that instrument. Now, in nearly
every State the judges have been
made elective by the people and it is
strange that the Federal Judges should
not be made elective in the same mode.
Indeed for stronger reasons than have
caused the States to make their Judges
elective, should the same change be
adopted as to the Federal Judges.
Many Of them appointed by corporate
Influences and holding their positions
for life and thrown in constant contact
with the courtesies extended to them
by the weather. classes, the Federal
judges are under no obligations to the
people and under every obligation to
the classes. While there are honorable
exceptions, it is known to all men that
the Federal bench is the strong hold of
the money power. That power may be
dislodged from the House and Senate,
ever from the Presidency, but the care
1t has shown III procuring the appoint
ment of judges naturally biased by
their experience as corporation lawyers
or by the influence exerted for their
appointment, and the life tenure of
their Offices, secures the money power
in its intrenchments in the Judiciary.
The power that branch of the govern
menJ claims IN increasing extent to
nullify acts Of the other two branches
Of government is making it essential
that the masses shall obtain a guarantee |
Of their victory by making this branch !
of the government dependent upon
their sovereignty. The government
by injunction" and the late reversal of
ri hundred years unbroken decisions
to secure exemption from taxation to
the millionaire element has rudely !
broken public conf fence in the Feder-
al Judiciary and call for its reconstitu- |
ton On modern lines by making the
tenure Of Judicial cfice for a term in !
stead Of life, and elective instead of
appointive. Without this change in a
body of men who claim the power to
~aOrogate Legislative acts, and to re-
Strain executive action any popular
triumph ct the polls would be iilusory.
The election Of district and circuit
judges could be made by the people of
their respective districts ard circuits
at the same time and manner members
Of Congress are elected, for a term say
OF eight Or twelve years. The Chief
Justice Of the Supreme Court should
be elected in the same manne as the
President but the Unicn should be di
vided by law into the same number OF
divisions as there are associate Judges
Of the Supreme court and one Judge
chosen by each division, but in such
a manner that only a part of the seats
should be filled at any one election. No
can be made to the election
Federal Judges by the people which
would not apply with the same force
that mode OF selecting State Judges
"a method which has been almost I'm.
iversally adopted and seeing that the
matters affecting the interests of con-