The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1896-03-27
ELEL TTON OF UNITED STATES
SENIBORS


The resolution was accompanied by IL
strong plea for the passage of such an
amendment, setting forth the adVan
tages the popular election of United
States Senators would have over the
present system of election by the Leg
islatures OF the respective States.
The numerous scandals in Senator
ial elections in recent years have no
doubt suggested the advisability of
such all amendment. The election of
"a Senator in Delaware last year, the
failure of an election III Kentucky
last week, and the violation of the
statute law of!the State of Maryland in
January by the very body that en-
acted the law, are a few of the
many cases of the failure of the pre-
sent system of election.
Furthermore, the present system
puts the election of Senator into the
hands of a small body of men, and the
temptation as well as the opportunity
and possibility of the purchase of a
Senatorship is much greater than it
would be if the Senators were elected
by the direct vote of the people.
The Senate Committee, III its re-
port declares that the demand fol
popular election of Senators lis loud
and emphatic; pronounced as it is
Imperative; earnest as it scenes to be
almost unanimous among the great
masses of the people,
The contemplated change would i'll
no way affect the Senate, so far as the
exercises of its powers under the Con
stitutiou is concerned, it is merely Il
change in the mOdHS OperGndi in the
election of its members.
The provision in the Constition with
reference to the choosing of electors,
who shall exercise their individual
choice in the choosing of a President,
has long since become practically OBJ
selete, and the electors are mere vot
ing machines; they are not expected
and in fact, never do exercise individ
ual Judgment in the selection of &
President. This makes the election oil
the President Il popular election, the
ELECTORAL college being II mere matter
of form. In like manner in some OF
western States. the election of ii Uni
ted States Senator has been made
practically popular election. with
the Legislature nothing more than Il
transparent screen. At times the
sole question before the people oil
some of these States in their elections
for their State Legislature has been
whom will the Legislator vote fol-
as United States Senator?' The mem.
bers are pledged before election to
vote for certain candidate for the
Senate, and thus, us in the case oil
electors for President, the popular
election determines definitely the finaI
result.
1t is also claimed by those who favor
the proposed change, that the United
States senate, as it is at present consti
tuted, is not a representative body
that it is elected on issues which pass
away and that new issues have arisen
long before the people can have an
opportunity by their ballots to voice
their opinions on the question; and as
an illustration of this they cite the
present situation at Washington
The question before the country to,
day, the one important question, is
that of sound money, yet two-thirds
of the members of the Senate were
elected on the tariff issue, and they
were not pledged, nor do they repre-
sent the Views of the people on the
sound money question. 1t is further
claimed by many that to make the
Senate body more representative, the
term of Senator should be four years
instead of six.
There is, however, another side of
the question. In the Constitutional
Convention which framed the Con
stitution in 1899, the scheme of two
Senators from each State irrespective
of the size of the State, and also the
term of six years was adopted for the
purpose of making the United States
Senate deliberative body, Il body
that would be semi judicial in its ma
ture, and to which, in fact, the Con
stitution by express terms grants GER
tain judicial functions, among those
being thetrial of the President him
self, in case of impeachment. The
election of members of the Senate by
the State Legislatures was thought to
be wise provision; the idea being to
place the Senators in va position oil
comparative independence, so that
they would not consider themselves
as the particular representative oil
any section or portion of the country
but that they would act for the best
interests of the nation at large, and
that sectionalism would not control
their actions. The experience of a
century has not brought about com
plete realization of these anticipations
although, no doubt, the desired re
suit has been approXimated, and the
Senate has, with few exceptions, acted
as the balance wheel of Congress; al
example of which is seen at present in
its action as to Cuban belligerency