Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-05-27

ilege of speaking, what they say has
come to be regarded as academic or per-
functory. They know that their argu-
ments cannot possibly have effect, and
all heart to engage in discussion is taken
out of them. AS well attempt to stop
the moving of piston of steam engine
bv hand as to interfere with the opera
ton of the great machine.that the house
of representatives has become.
IL legislation is to be shaped, therefore,
in a manner in which the influence of
representatives of the people shall be felt
on anything like terms of equality, it
must be done in the senate. That body
Is the only body left that is representative
of the people in the earlier sense, and in
the sense in which the opinion OF con-
stituences is felt in the nations of the
world generally that have established
representative governments. Here are
not 400 men who are dependent upon the
will of one man to be heard in debate, or
TO be allowed the introduction or meas
ure of legislation or the liberty to pro-
pose the amendment of the same. There
are less than a fourth of that number,
and the privilege Of the floor is guaran-
teed to one of them as much as to any OF
the Others. What wonder, then, that the
senate becomes the potent power In
initiating and in framing legislation? 1t
is both, 1t takes to itself all that the
constitution originally gave it, and IN
addition much that it was originally in
tended to give the house. The senate is
one important branch of the legislative
government. Even that constitutional
mower which it was thought was care
fully secured to the house of framing
revenue bills has been overcome and
transferred to the senate by the state OF
affairs we have outlined above. The
constitution is nominally complied with
bv the formal introduction of tariff bills
in that body. The senate takes the bill
that has been made by the house ma
chine process and transforms it into
bill of its own. About 500 amendments
we're made by it to the Wilson tariff bill
though a political exigency under which
it was thought expedient to waive its au'
thority prevented their adoption. 1t has
had the present war revenue bill of the
house in committee for nearly a fort
night, with a view to making it its own
bill, and is expected to devote further
weeks to its discussion until that task is
finished. 1t might do something OF this
work in any event as co ordinate power
in the government, but there can be nc
doubt that the manner in which house
bills are prepared and passed has rem
dered it less scrupulous in such action
than would be the case in bills emanating
directly from the people.
The senate has grown and become
magnified, while the house has lost
heavily in its advantage of directly re-
hecting the peoples will. 1t is of more
Importance than it ever was, therefore
that the senate should be constituted by
the people. We attribute to this cause
the remarkable change in public opinion
as to the manner in which the senate
shall be constituted. The house has
for once, acted spontaneously in con
siderng that subject. 1t has said thai
the senate is not properly elected now
with a unanimity that carries its owl
credentials of spontaneousness. There
was comparative content while the peo
pie had popular representation in the
house in something more than name
The fact of the absorption by necessity
of the senate of the representative power
of the government has opened the eye
of men of all parties in the house to thu
need of having the people directly rep
resented in the senate. We can see NJ
other method of accounting for thu
astonishing vote in the house. Its mem
bers realize their own emasculation, anC
seek to remedy 1t by providing proper
representation for the people elsewhere
Boston Herald.