The times., 1898-05-12
BY VOTE OF THE PEOPLE
A Resolution to Submit a Con-
slituti0nal Amendment.
THE ELECTION OF SENATOR'S
The LOng-Stnnding Proposition to
Elect senators by Direct Vote
Finally Passes the House Almost
Unanimously, with "a Mandatory
Amendments.

Amendments.
Consideration of what Representative
Jerry Simpson calls the "old soldier
meaning that mooted resolution to amend
the Federal Constitution so that it may
be left to the option of States to elect
United States Senators by direct vote or
the people consumed nearly the entire
session of the House yesterday. The at
tendant debate was responsible for a cy-
clonic attack upon political corruption
generally, the methods pursued by the
House majority Speaker Reed and other
things, and singularly enough the Senate
itself called forth volumes of credit as
compared to the lower house by the mem
bers thereof.
Less than seventy members were pres
ent when the House convened at noon.
Representative Danford of Ohio open
ed the days business with a motion
to take up Senate bill 112, which is an
act to amend the immigration laws OF
the United States. 1t was passed by the
Senate some time ago. and has been lying
on the Speakers table ever since.
After some contention as to the status
of the bill, Mr. Bartholdt made the point
of order that as the Senate bin differed
widely from that passed by the House, it
could not be taken from the Speakers
table. The point was overruled.
The opponents of the bill. on both sides
of the chamber then rallied and knocked
2 htra Of no
TO take it up was rejected, and when Mr..
Danford demanded the yeas and nays.
with the view of putting the Republicans
on record, hoping 10 thus coerce them into
line. he could not muster support enough
to order roll call. The enormous ma
jority against the bill assures It's defeat
at this session
The Election of Senator's.
Representative Corliss Chairman of the
Committee on the Election of President
Vice President and Representatives in Con-
gress, now demanded the regular order.
which was the roll call of committees and
thus succeeded in getting before the
House his joint resolution TO amend the
Constitution as concerns the election of
United States senators. The resolution as
presented to the House left it to the op-
ton of individual States whether they
would elect their senator's by direct popu-
lar vote or through the legislature the
power to determine between the two
methods being vested in the State Iegisla-
lures
Mr.. Corliss spoke in defense of the res
olution. He prefaced his remarks by say
ing that he would disappoint those who
expected from him an attack upon the
Senate. Further. he pointed out that the
powers Of the Constitution had failed in
their appreciation of the exigencies OF
Senate elections by State legislatures with
a national population of 10. .000 600 largely
concentrated in great cities.
in electng United States senator's by
State legislatures" declared the speaker
corruption is secure against detection.
We have gone through a veritable epi-
demic of Investigations resulting from
Senate elections and they have invaria-
bly, resulted in exoneration. BY popular
vote a source of great temptation is re-
moved and the welfare of the people is
made more secure. When YOU take from
State legislatures this power of election
YOU remove a large measure of corporate
influence and corruption. The Senate is
supposed to be the balance wheel of
Congress, but the House is the more con-
servative body and is recognized as such
by the people,.
TO Make II Imperative.
Representative Underwood of Alabama
offered an amendment to the resolution
eliminating the clause leaving the adop-
ton of the popular vote elections to the
option of State legislatures and making
the direct vote absolutely imperative.
In defense of his amendment Mr.. I'm
derwood said that it was intended TO
reach States where corruption in the leg
islatllre had reached a degree that would
defeat the will of the people did they
desire an election of senators by direct
vote.
Mr.. Corliss objected TO the amendment,
since a like bill had been defeated in the
Fifty-third Congress. and because it would
operate against a three-fourths rauhca-
ton of the entire resolution by the
States
But Mr. Underwood's amendment elicit
ed strong support from both sides of the
House Representatives Grosvenor, Pow
ers, Kirkpatrick Cummings, Simpson
and Dockery spoke in favor of the amend
ment.
Representative Cummings said: This
resolution. when amended, will correct
the foulest spot in politics. believe the
people should elect their senator's, and
then there will be men in the upper body
who represent the people instead of mo-
nopolies, trusts and money rings
The Representative Body.
Representative Simpson said: The
Senate is more representative body to-
day than the House. / have always been
in favor of electing senators by direct
vote. but even as the higher body is elect
ed now, it is more representative of the
people than this body. One reason is the
longer terms in the Senate, which pre-
cludes the frequent struggles for re-
election which, to certain extent makes
towards of US ALL In the House we have
a majority. a majority of the majority
and so on down the line to the Speaker
who is the majority over all, and the self
appointed representative of the whole
people.
Representative Dockery agreed with
Mr.. Simpson and said: THE people have
come to regard the Senate as the more
representative body of Congress. This
state of things has grown out of faulty
system of rules forced upon us by the
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