Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-09
r,,r pIcEON-HOLE POLICY.

The call for conference Vi
:, this city on the nth of May shouiu no'
no considered a local movement i"e'''''
l., ,nanv states Of this Union steps are
hoi,e. taken at this time TO give EXPIRES
clio, 10 the popular longing for chahse
in the method Of electinS senators III viz
United States Congress.
II is essential. first, to acquaiht '"e
Senate with The wish Of the people Anu
this wish cannot be better eXpresseu anu
conveyed than through the medium u
tho nress and conferences such as we
nropose TO hold here and district S'"V''
and national conventions and state ies'S-
laturcs.
rho situation is this: The House OF
po,,rosap atiyes asain and agein, with
practical unanimity. proposes an ahchu-
rort n the Federal Constitution ana
eends II 10 the Senate; but the Senate
makes no sign that it understands OF ap-
proves the popular will as interpreted py
tho House. It merely refers the resoiu-
uon TO q committee, and in the commit
toe the resolution languishcs and dies
If the entire responsibility for amend
inc tbe Constitution rested upon the sen
ate. possibly there might be some excuse
for its pigeon-holing policy. But such y
not the case. All that the House asks Oh
tho Senate is TO let the legislatures Oh the
several states decide whether there shdn
or ehaH NOT be such an amendment OF the
| Constitution.
| yVe think the House represents the uH-
| doubted desire of the people when IL pro-
[ noses that the several States shah DC
identified TO say whether they want the
Constitution changed or not, but UP 10
chic time the Senate has not assented TO
the Houses view. Now the question Is
Shall this deadlock continue? Does inc
Tinted States Senate or the United States
| House of Representatives. speak ior 'he
people in this matter?
orr view is that the. House truly APP
nrebeuds the desire of the people. lhou-
sands of voters in each of the states
| favor the amendment, but, as a rule theE
| haye not, taken the trouble to make
/ that fact known. In. that respect they
have been derelict. Here and there
state LEGISLATURES have passed resolutions
favoring. the change. and entire deiega-
tons from many States have voted III
| the House to propose the necessary
amendment. but the masses have been
! entirely too reserved in their utterances
upon the subject. The folly of that policy
! is yident now from the inattention the
| Senate gives to the Houses proposition
! The necessity for popular expression Is
apparent. and there is general move
mont on the part OF the. friends of the
change for such action as will make II
plain to the Senate that the House rep
resents their views.
And so the conference which is TO b.
held in Richmond on the 18th of Ma!
may be considered as a part of a nationa
movement. 1t is clear that the Senate
does not understand the sentiment 0
the public upon this subject. Obviously
it is our duty 10 inform it fully.
We cannot greatly blame the Senat
for neglecting to accept our views whe'
we do not present those views emphati
cally enough to be heard by 1t.
So we would have the Democrats o
Virginia look upon the May confcrenc
as a movement intended to utter and en-
phasize the deep-seated conviction Of tn
voters of our party in Virginia that tn
proposed amendment should be submit
! ted to the several States for ratification
and that until such a change can b
effected we should choose our party nom
nees by some popular method.