The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-20
HOW CONVENTIONS ARE MANIP,
ULATED
When the Choice of United States Sena'
tor is at Stake.

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Poet)
In 1857 scarcely q State elected it's
Governor and higher officials by popU.
lar vote. Now there is no State in the
forty five which elects it's Governor by
the legislature. Why should each Of
those States continue to elect its two
Senators by a method it has condemned
as to the election Of it's Governors The
interest of consolidated wealth in the
election of Senators is far greater than
it is in the choice of Governors, and
the corrective of popular choice is,
thsrefore, more needed.
A little consideration will show that
under the present system it is possible
for a skillfuI combination (and money
combinations are always skillfuD to
secure the United States Senator in
in each of the close States if it a OBJ
tain control of one sixteenth Of the
voters or even less, Let us see. Take
a close State which casts 400, 900 votes.
A majority Of the legislature is elected
from counties having 300, 900 votes, or
less, when (as is often the case) there is
a gerrymander. A majority of the
caucus, which controls the party's
choice, is therefore chosen from u
ties having 100, 900 votes. But nearly
half Of these we're of the opposite po-
lisical party, leaving the majority Of
the caucus chosen by 50, 900 voters.
These members were nominated in the
conventions in their respective coun-
ties by a m9jority only Of their party,
i. e.. by delegates representing, Say,
25, 900 voters or less, which is one
sixteen of the 400, 900 voters of the
State. The money combinations, to
| whom the choice of Senators is all i'm
p~ortant, have money and skillful man
i~pulators. They pick their counties.
With free passes to the conven lions
over the railroads and by other meth
ods, it is easy to secure the RI q1isite
delegates in the county party owen
tions, who represent these Is 600 vot-
ers, and thus name the nominees who
shall. when elected, constitute a ma
iority of the caucus which shall name
the Senator. The counties belonging
to the minority party are neglected by
the manipuIators as also are the
ties belonging to the majority party,
which are difficult to handle. The
money combinations waste no money.
SENATORS
MIL lii - -oA - RnnnSF91I cHotNF
will be recalled by many instances in
divers States in which the caucus
nominee Of the money power has re.
ceived one or two majority in the eau
Gus. It is true this great disparity
could happen only in close States, but
it demonstrates that in any State the
election of Senator can be controlled
by a small but skilltui minority under
the present system.
There is another objection to the
election of the United States Senators
by the legislature, in that the voters
OF the dominant party residing IN
|: counties in which the party is in a
minority are utterly without influence
: or voice in the election Of Senator,
whereas in the election OF Senator by
popular vote every voter, irrespective
of the county of his residence, would
have an opportunity to express his
wishes. In such an election the United
States Senator must be the expressed
. . choice at the ballot box Of more voters
: than shall cast their ballot for any
= other man, and his nomination must
= be made by the majority in the nom,
2 mating convention OF the sucCessfu
party representing, therefore, say
r one fourth of the voters, subject 20 ap
prevail by a majority Of the whole PEG
g pie at the ballot box. By this methl
Of selection a United States Senator
must be the choice Of the State he rep
resents as fully es the Governor is. II
the present mode of legislative election
the voice Of his own party is stiff
and unrepresented in all those co'ntie
= in which, being in the minority, l
p shall fail to elect the member to tn
ia legislature. Then again, the voters o
= the counties ~electiDg members OF tn
! Legislature belonging to the dominan
- party are also disfranchised if thos
members do not belong to the me jorit,
: faction of the caucus.
= COSTLY AND OFTEN sCAEDALOUs.
Another very serious objection t
! the legislative mode of choosing Sena
# tors is the frequent dead locks" o
protracted contests. which take up
large part of the Tina which should b
= devoted to the legitimate duty Of legia
lation. The expense to the public is n