The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-19
might be with as much appropriate


ness.
The present mode of electing
tors does o give any approximate Sc
curity Of selecting the choice OF the
state as its representative to the hal
Of federal ambassadors. each Of whom
should be able to speak for b state,
and not Is the agent of the corporations
doing business therein, or a small man
ipulated fraction of it's voters.
The change TO election by the people
would greatly lessen the chances for
corruption. The members of the party
convention OF the state, brought togeth-
er directly from the people and SO soon
dispersed again among them, are not
SO subject TO the subtle arts Of the cor
poration lobbyists and wire pullers
which are brought to bear on the mem
bers OF the legislature as soon as his
nomination Is possible (if. indeed. they
do not procure his Nomination. and
continued till after the elction of SEN
ator is over. when, like a squeezed
lemon, he is thrown aside. Besides the
party convention is accessible to public
opinion, being conscious that its choice
II not wisely made, is liable 10 rejec-
ton at the polls. Nc such response
bility attaches TO the deliberations Of
a legislative caucus. A mistake there
made, or a defiant disregard Of public
sentiment, is subject to no ratification
by the people and is without remedy for
six years There can be a further
check upon delegates to state party con-
ventions, in that the popular choice
for senator can be indicated by a pri-
mary election.
A senator in office may be tempted
to disregard the will OF his state il he
knows he an, by use of public patron
age, Dr. other means, secure, as above
shown, the control Of one-sixteenth OF
the voters who compose a majority in
the nominating conventions OF those
counties which send a majority of the
legislators Of the dominant party. But
he will pause, when he knows that his
denomination must command the ap-
prevail of a majority of his party con-
~vention, and that it's a ton in turn
must be ratified by a majority-or at
least a plurality (f there are more
than two parties) Of the voters Of the
entire safe at the ballot box.
The two nat are intended to rep
resent the state. They cannot truly do
, so unless CHI sen by the whole state.
At present, as already pointed out,
large sections of each state are abso-
lutely disfranchised and have no weight
whatever in the choice of its senators,
because not sending to the legislature
members belonging to the dominant
party.
The bill to moderniZe the choice of
Senators by transferring 1t from the
1o~szl4x-o ~ ~. ~04-1 - 1nah rtnt0
has passed the lower house from con-
; gress several times, and once at least
by a unanimous vote n once with
! ouly two dissneting votes, but the
measure has heretofore found its grave
. in the senate itself, which does not
wish to go on record On the question.
The legislatures in at least twenty
four states have instructed in favor of
the Measure, among them North Carolina
| Oregon, California, Iowa, Wisconsin,
Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska,
| New York, Louisiana, South Carolina,
| West Virginia and Illinois, and there
may be others. The constitution OF
Nebraska requires that the choice of
| senator shall be submitted to the peo-
pie at the ballot box the same day
members of the legislature are chosen,
but this necessarily has only a moral
force which would certainly be disre-
garded whenever Gas is not Unusually
the majority in the state on the popular
vote should be for n party while the
majority elected to the legislature
should belong to the opposite party,
In many states theUnited States senator
is nominated by the state party conven-
! tons, and the nominees of that party
for the legislature are deemed pledged
to vote for him, according to the SINH
lar custom now obtaining as to electors
for president. There are also many
states whose statutes provide for pri-
mary elections for United States SEN
ator. This expedient is the best posi-
BILE under the circumstances, perhaps
and should be resorted to till we car
amend the constitution by frankly Civ
ing the people of each state the right
| to choose the two men who are to rep
resent their state in the senate. But
to be of value the primary for a nomi-
nation should be for the whole state
and not merely by counties. If the
people are competent to choose the
members of the lower house of congress
and governors why are they not compe-
| tent to name the senator's?
WALTER CLARK,
Raleigh n O.