Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-04-20
SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS
NUMBER 81

''Teddy Is the chief priest, apostle and
prophet of the civil service reform.
Whether he would enforce it if presi-
dent, this deponent saith not, but the
chances of bis enforcing if would prob
ably give the general something akin to
heart failure. For if Roosevelt took it
into his head to enforce it he would
enforce it, and he would wage war Of
determination against al those in his
own party who are opposed to it-easily
chief of whom is General Grosvenor
So, perhaps, the very last Republican
on this continent that he would desire
to see in the presidential chair is the
hero of San Juan Hill, the Knicker book
er governor Of New York, and this
same hero and governor is one Of the
three men who would be nominated by
the Republicans if any disaster should
happen to President Mckinley, the 9th
er two being Hon. Thomas Bracket
Reed and General Nelson A. Miles
either of whom General Grosvenor
would greatly prefer to Governor Roose-
welt.
Senators by Popular Vote.
The surface indications are that the
proposition to elect senators of the
United States by popular vote instead
Of by the legislature is not only gain
ing strength, but is gaining it rapidly.
As a proof of this the Republican
lower house Of the Pennsylvania legis-
lature on the Sd of April adopted a
resolution authorizing the appointment
of a committee of two senators and
three members to confer with the Iegis-
latures of other states with the view Of
bringing about the submission of an
amendment to the constitution of the
United States whereby they may elect
president, vice president and United
States senators by direct popular vote,
this committee to report to the legisla-
ture in 1900. This is progress in the
right direction. sure enough for when
the Republicans of Pennsylvania begin
to coddie any reform in politics or leg
islatiye machinery it may be taken for
granted that reform has taken deep root
among the people. So far as | know,
this is the first systematic attempt on
the part of any state legislature to Sc
.ure the election of United States sena-
tors by the people a constitutional
amendment to that effect has passed the
national house of representatives more
than once by the necessary two-thirds
majority, but so far ii has never made
much headway in the senate of the
United States. But if these Republican
statesmen from Pennsylvania are in
dead earnest, they have hit upon a plan
by which the senate of the United
States will be compelled to give heed
to the wishes of the people in this mat
ter.
have no doubt that if that PROPOSE
tion were submitted TO the popular vote
of the United States it would carry
by nine-tenths majority.
Another straw which shows which
way the wind is blowing is a recent ar
ticle in the New York Journal on this
subject by the Hon. John James In
gals of Kansas. He is one of the most
brilliant and popular writer's in the
United States He served ] 5 years in
the senate himself He knows as much
about how senators are elected as most
any other man you viii meet in a
months journey. and the fact that be
has taken up the cudgels in favor Of
election of senators by popular vote
means a great deal in that regard. If
he ever gets his dander up thoroughly
on the subject, he might write stuff
that would make mighty interesting
reading for certain gentlemen who are
still members Of that august body.