The age-herald., 1898-05-26
TECHNICS FROM
 CURRENT TOPICS

tloH OI Onlleu states senator's, the JOur-
 nals which could spare the time from a
 daily discussion of exciting war matters.
 have devoted editorial space to this ques-
 tion in way that will prove helpful to the
 people at large.
 There can be no doubt that the proposed
 change Is popular measure with large
 majority of American voters, who are
 only concerned about sending the best men
 to represent them in the senate and who
 are anxious to adopt some plan that will
 force the senators to keep in closer touch
 with the people who elected them.
 
 Thus far the senators themselves, sn the
 main. are not committed to an approval of the plan proposed by the house of repre-
 sentatives The Hartford Courant, largely
 owned by Senator Hawley, is positively and
 unequivocally opposed to giving the peo-
 pie right to vote for their senators, which
 argues badly for Senator Hawley's personal
 popularity. In discussing this position
 held by the Courant the Louisville Courier-
 Journal among other good things says:
 "There is really no parallel between the
 bribery of a legislature and that of the voters of whole state. The latter Is
 impossible, though balance of power may SontliiHeS p0 puTcHdSeu. Even lillS IS
 much more difficult than the purchase of a balance of power in a legislative body.
 Even, if we admit that the election of senators by the people would not improve the personnel of the senate, there would still be ample reason for making the change. It would at least relieve our leg islatures of the burden of electing senators. which occupies much time and is often att l.l quite natural that men who have scant or no prospect of an election by the people should oppose this reform Their opposi- tion is one of the strongest arguments in it's favor If there were no other argu- ments in favor of the election of senators by the people, the political history of Con-
 necticut would be quite enough to jus- tify it."
 Just at this time, when already possible candidates for senatorial honors are being considered by Alabamians, it is eminently fitting that the public mind should be directed to this question of the election by popular vote of United States senators.
 It is measure that will eventually be demanded by an intelligent constituency, which is becoming aroused to the faultiness
 Of the present legislative system, and the disadvantages that come to the people in times of emergency by the separation of their interests from those of their sena- tors by long uninterrupted living on the part of the lattetr at the national capl- | tai.
 rms IS reform measure which will
 surely be granted eventually to a people whose experience is a convincing argument 1 in its favor.
 Alabamans are at this time more keenly alive to this issue, because the last demo- cratic state convention furnished such an unfortunate example of the lengths to which politicians will sometimes go in or- der to advance friend or destroy an enemy. The amount of 'political trading' which was indulged in by certain delega- tions at the convention became more than a public scandal-it was a dangerous man. ace to the best interests of the people In | the cooler atmosphere of the present time | it is so regarded by those persons who | feel that politics mean something more, l something higher than a bartering away of the peoples confidence and trust to the | highest bidder.
 Many of the delegates who went to that convention at Montgomery were evidently under the impression that politics signified a devotion to a scheme instead of princi- pie, and forgot that there is broader meaning to this much abused term They were indifferent to the fact that they had been chosen by a constituency to repre- sent their views and many of them simply traded their votes and their influence to the | most scheming politicians and the wlliest party managers. It became a matter of personal bartering of party principle in many instances-happily not al,-and the publicity of several of the deals" has drawn the attention of the people to the dangerous conditions which environ them. It is charged, and not always without truth, that the long continued success of any political party engenders a certain degree of dishonesty in political methods. Long-continued power has the unfortunate tendency to scar the consciences and weaken the higher sensib.lities of many party manipulators. Surely such an ac- cusation must not. stand against a sing,e democratic leader in Alabama. It would be well that the people should resent the posi- tion they were placed in at the last con- venton by leaving in the healthful security of private life the men who bartered and traded the offices of the state for messes of potage.
 A friend and an ally is expected to labor unceasngy, untiringly for the interests of political candidate, but public opinion and public morals demand that he should remember that no amount of political campaigning justifies party chicanery and the bargaining away of the official posi- tions of any commonwealth
 The democratic party must remain in power indefinitely, but this must be ac- complished by thorough honesty at state conventions, as well as at the ballot boxes. The party has long since outlived ques- tionable methods in all things. Its life must be preserved and sustained, even If 1t | requires drastic remedies to overcome dis ease.