The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-28
THE ELECTION OF SENATOR'S.

y S was TO have been expected the Senatorial
! deadlocks in so many States have revived public
Ainterest in the problem OF effectlng some bene-
fetal change in the system OF electing Senator's The
favorite plan IS the familiar OF 50 amending the
constitution as to provide for election by direct vote
OF the people but that change will require years
Tor its accomplishment other proposals have been
made and in some quarters strongly advocated.
We directed attention few days ago to the plan
proposed by Senator Hoar which provides after the
seventh ballot ior election by plurality OF the Legis
lature instead OF by majority. Now comes the San
lose Mercury with another plan. 1t says
Let every political organization at its regular
State convention nominate the party candidate for
Senator This would obvate all uncertainty or
guesswork X The legislative campaign would
then be in fact Senatorial contest and for the
electors it would be simple matter OF choosing be-
tween the Republican nominee Smith, the Demo-
cratic nominee Brown or the Populist nominee Jones,
and the party that should elect majority OF the
Legislature would know soon as the ballots were
counted Just who the next Senator would be- There
would be no doubts no subsequent wire-pulling no
deadocks, no Senatorial scandals The Senatorial
candidate whose party controlled the Legislature
would be elected on the first ballot and the Legsla
ture would be free to proceed with the business OF
legislation and perhaps do some good for the people
OF the State
The objections to this plan obvious. The
nomination OF a Senator by State convention would
put that office in the pools along with State Offices
and the preierment would go by bargain and log
rolling as do State offices When accomplished it
would subordinate State issues involved the cleo
ton of legislators the rivalry OF Senatorial cand
dates Voters who desired the election OF particular
candidate for United States Senator would have to
vote for his legislative ticket whether it were COM
posed of good men or not Moreover the additional
factor introduced into campaign by the nomina
ton OF a candidate for the United States Senate
would increase the danger OF dividing party into fac
tons, if the candidate happened to be unpopular in
some localities and would that compromise
the rest OF the ticket
It is in every way desirable to have national politics
as separate from State politics possible, that
parties will not be able to carry weak State ticket
into office by linking it strong national ticket
For that reason no satisfactory solution of the prob
lem Of eecting United States Senators can be reached
short OF their election by direct vote of the people
without reference to the Legislature.
In the meantime, since that consummation is likely
TO be long delayed would be worth while expert
r7ent with the plan of the Mercury It's defects
clear upon the surface that they be guarded
against to some extent, and at any rate they not
greater than those OF the present system. In fact
hardly anything in the way OF change could produce
results worse than the deadlocks and the scandals
that now prevail at Senatorial in all parts Of
the Union