Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-24
O.H.BERRY & CO.,
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exercise an influence in the same pro-
portion as their respective representation
| in Congress. the two senators being added
in the case of all the States.
'As a compensation for this inequality
Of representation i'm the lower house, 1t
was agreed that in the upper house, or
| Senate, the states should stand upon a
perfect equality, and thus the antagonism
between the larger and smaller States
was settled In favor of the latter. But
il was not without prOtracted and acri-
monious contest that this equality i'm the
Senate was accorded TO the smaller
! States. 1t was a repetition of the old
contest In the Congress that adopted the
Articles of Confederation over the vote
| by the States, and the equality of the
States in this vote.
"When the resolution was originally in
troduced In the Fifty-first Congress for
! an amendment of the Constitution, so a5
| to make the United States senators cleo
tive by the people, the author OF that
measure, Mr.. Tucker, OF Virginia, whom
we all regard with just pride, in his
| speech Of July IL. 1892 pointed with eXul-
tatiOn to the fact that James Wilson, OF
| Pennsylvania, and George Mason. OF Nir-
| gina. advocated In the convention the
| principle for which we contend, the cleo
! ton Of senators by the people But Mr..
! Tucker did not think IL would be likely
| TO promote his object to remind the House
| that these two eminent patriots joined
! Alexander Hamilton in advocating pro-
| portiOnal representation In the Senate,
and opposing equality OF the States in
that body. Mr.. Wilson went so far as
to declare that the larger States would
never confederate on the plan OF an
equality of States in the Senate. Mr..
Madison, who was strongly inclined TO
election Of senator's by the people, was
a strenuous advocate of proportional
representation Virginia was at that
time the largest Of the States, and her
leading members in the convention mani
tested the same desire for superior IN
fiuence in the National Senate when
characterized the members from the other
'NIr. President, the 10 years that have
ELAPSED since Mr.. Madison favored the
election of senators by the people as the
surest plan Of giving proportional
representation" instead of equality among
the States, has witnessed the sad decline
in Virginia from the position Of the first
State in population TO that or the
fifteenth, according to the census OF 1920
Now. let me ask, could the father of the
Constitution If he were alive to-day,
Justify an election by the people upon
the ground on which he rested that mea-
sure in 17S7-namely that 1t would give
superior influence in the senate 10 tne
larger States?"
SOME DANGERS POINTED OUT.
After pointing out the danger Of pro
portional representation" from the cleo
ton Of senators by the people, he went
o.;
'The danger l have endeavored to point
out does not indeed rest upon mere con-
lecture or upon argument or upon re-
search into the historical past 1t has
already put in an actual palpable appear
ance. One of the most influential of the
New York papers a few weeks since cha
racterized as a great-a gross injustice
the fact that the Teller resolution had
received IN the Senate twelve votes from
six Western States, whose united popu-
lation was less than half the population
,FN IA IL ,..fs
bitterly deprecated and denounced the
wrong and outrage, as IL characterized.
it, of the Empire state exercising only
one sixth as much influence in the Sen
ate as was exercised by these six trans
Mississippi States, when, in proportion 10
population. it should exert twice as much
influence as these six States taken col
lectively.
at is no answer to this palpable dan
ger we would incur from a transfer of |
the election OF senators from the legisla-
lures 10 the people of the States that |
Article " Of the Constitution provides |
that no state, without its consent, shall |
be deprived of an equal suffrage in the |
Senate That IS the provision Of the |
Constitution as il now stands. But three |
fourths Of the States can by an amend |
ment wipe this safeguard out of that in |
strument. The articles of confederation |
contained a similar provision against a |
change i'm said articles without the unani- |
nous consent of each State. The thir-
teenth Article contained the following
Z 'The articles Of this confederation
shall be inviolably observed by every
State, and the Union shall be perpetual; |
nor shall any alteration at any time
be made in any of them, unless such al
terationI be agreed TO I'm a Congress OF the
United States. and be afterwards confirm
ed by the Legislatures of every State
And yet the convention of 1851. which,
only ten years afterwards framed the
pp1ar which We live dqpIaTn |
that the new system of a national gov
should be valid and go into ope-
ration when nine of the thirteen States
should ratify IT,
thing whatever-no security-for the pre-
servation Of State equality I'm tina Senate
in the provision i'm the fifth Article 81
the Federal Constitution, that mo state
SHALL without it's consent. be deprived
of its equal suffrage in the Senate.
THE SENATE Is CONSERVATIVE
II do not hesitate" the speaker went
on, "to say that the United States Senate
has been more conservative body than
the House of Representatives, and, as
we Of the South have no cause
to quarrel with il. l cannot forget that
when sectional hate and the mad ami
mostly OF northern Republicans sought
TO impeach Andrew Johnson, because OF
his efforts to throw over the defenceless |
South the protecting aegls of the Con-
1t was the Senate which re-
sisted this attempt of the lower house,
In which the impeachment proceedings |
originated. This blow at the South was
defeated by a majority Of one. and IL Il
notablei coincidence that twenty-five
years later Il was by the same majority
Il one that the Senate defeated the in
famous force bil the most dangerous
hreat against the liberties of the people
yet conceived in the history of this gov |
the most dire blow that sec
iOnai hate ever aimed at the South
ION the 2Sth of December, 1895. a bin
passed the lower house by 4 vote of III
% 1856. authorizing the Secretary OF the
Treasury TO sell bonds to meet temporary
deficiencies OF the revenue The Houss
.rease OF our public debt. but desired 70
lllow the Secretary of the Treasury 10
increase It $50,0oOO00 more.
A FREE-COINAGE BILL
con February !, 1896, the Senate struck
,ut the provisions OF the bill authorizing
he sale Of bonds. and passed an net pro
'iding for the free and unlimited coinage
IF silver AT the ratio OF l6 to l. This bin
vent back 10 the House and was re-
ected on February IL, 1896, by vote of
rs 10 80.
ut was but yesterday that we witness
"a another incident of such benehcent
in the passage by the Senate OF
he Teller resoutOn-a resolution thai
ounded the keynote of the next pres-
lcntiai campaign for free silver and tho
ellef of the people. Mr.. President. the
nemies OF silver are not found among
he ranks OF the people. who. az the Sena-
or from Halifax would have you be-