The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-05
BUYING SENATE SEATS
ingalls, Finds Fault With the
Wisdom of the Fathers,
ELECTION BY LEGISLATURE
Puts a Premium on Dollars
and InCompetency.

| political liberty and popular self-goYern-
ment. No doubt they deserve reverence
and sulogy. Among the builder of nations
they stand pre-eminent; but the fact re-
mains that they were monarchists and
| aristocrats at heart, and had little faith
either in the intelligence of the common
| people or their capacity to govern them
| selves. They believed that wealth, edu-
cation and brains, rather than numbers
and majorities, should select the rulers
and direct the energies of the nations,
and so they committed the choice Of Presi-
dent and Vice-Presdent to a college of
electors. to be appointed by the states,
/ and provided that senators should be
| chosen by the legislatures rather than
! directly by the people.
In theory the electoai college was 10 as
semble on a given day at the different
| capitals, and, in secret session, choose a
! President and Vice-President, as the con-
| clave of Cardinals selects a pope. The
, people were to be entirely excluded. They
were to have no part, nor lot, nor voice in
| the matter. This was the consent of the
| governed. The electorate were to have
nothing more to do with the election of
the Chief Magistrate than the laity of
the Roman Catholic Church in choice OF
their Pontiff
But democracy soon demolished this
| clumsy device, and since 1925 it has been
| absolute. Through the successive stages
of a private caucus, legislative caucus,
! a Congressional caucus, and the perfected
organization of township, county, state
and national nominating conventions the
people have abolished the electoral col
Iege The machinery remains, but the
electors are the servants and not the mas
tiers. They meet and vote, but their func-
tons are a diverting anachronism. The
elector who should now do what the franz
ers Of the Constitution intended he should
do-eXercise his own judgement-and in so
doing vote for any other man than the
candidate named by the party of which he
is a member, would outclass Judas Is
CARROT in the execratio of mankind. Had
Bryan elector cast his vote for Mc-Kin-
ley, or a Mckinley elector cast his vote
for Richard roker as each had the con-
sttutional clear right to do, it is diff
cult to estimate the measure of the pen
atty which popular Indignation would have
inflicted
This is one of the many unwritten
amendments to the institution, which
have so changed that venerable instru-
ment that George Washington and the
other deputies would with difficulty rec
ognize their work
The Senate is undoubtedly the most i'm
pressive and dignified body in our poll
teal system. Sharing executive power in
the ratification Of treaties and the con-
firmation of the appointments OF ambas
sailors, judges and other officers, it has
gradually encroached upon the preroga-
tives of the President, and dictates the
policy of the Administration, in our dual
$scheme the Senate represents the states
as political entities, and as the states
have increased in population, wealth and
power, the Senate mas assumed a su-
premacy and pre-eminence not contem-
plated by its inventors.
The length of the term and the condi-
tons of service have made its member
ship the object of supreme desire. and
as it is easier to manipulate a legisla-
ture than to convince a constituency. the
tendency Of bribery, corruption, intrigue
plots and conspiracies has increased, till
Senatorial elections have become the scan
dal and reproach of republican govern
ment. The whole purpose and design of
the constitution is thwarted. The popular
Will is disregarded. States are misrepre-
scented or deprived of their lawful repre-
sentation by loathsome and disgusting
struggles that lack the dignity of a dog
fight in the gutter. and are surpassed in
immortality only to the contests of Monte
Carlo. Delaware represents d typical il
lustration of these malign and insupport-
able evils. The Legislators for a few
years past has been Republican. The state
has many eminent citizens of that politi-
cal faith, qualified by attainments, eX-
perience and service OF the Senate, but
J. Edward Addicks has for the first time
deadlocked the Legislature. Thet first time
he prevented an election. The second time
he caused a Democrat to be elected, and
now he has deprived the state of repub-
lean successor TO Gray, and announces
that two years hence he Will be a candi-
date again.
J. Edward Addicks,
PhoehuS what a name,
To fu the speaking trump of future
fame,
poses only. lie has made his money and
won his previous triumphs elsewhere. He
is a perip8tet-c statesman who has hith-
erto operated in gas stocks in Philadelphia.
Having bought franchises and correlIed
Aldermen, his fancy took a broader fight.
ana he concluded TO purchase a Senator
ship in Delaware. So he contributed 10 the
campaign fund and announced his purpose.
Does any one suppose that J. Edward
Addicks was the choice of The people OF
Delaware for this position? Is there any
citizen of the United States who does not
know thar The only r.ason why he is a
candidate Is his bank accounJ2 Has ever
with voice or pea. or counsel advocated
Republican doctrines Has he any claim
20 craftsmanship. knowledge Of public al
fairs, capacity for speech, that renders
aim indispensable 70 the public serv5ce2
OF course such an assumption WOULD be
preposteroUs. and Yet this unspeakable
creature, with Ms Se.nsh. .mpudent pre-
tensions, deprjves the party OF which ne
asserts his membership. Of a vote in the
Senate for TWO years. As he mas the right
and the power 20 co under the Constitu-
lon
In Montanna the legislature was Demo
cratic. In the course OF the contest thirty
one hous3nd-dolIar bills were exhibited a.
Jhe alleged compensation offered for three
votes by Clarke. who was finally elected
He is 3 mine Owner ana Speculato-. IF
immense wealth. who lives IN New York