Gloucester County Democrat., 1900-02-01
Especial washington Letter.l


Successor scores Hit-The Rob-
erts Discussion.
Especial Washington Letterl
The contests now going on in the
senate Matthew Stanley Quay of
Pennsylvania. fighting to break in on
the commission of a governor. appoint
ing him when he had no right to do so,
and William A. Clark of Montana,
fighting to stay in, though charged
with wholesale bribery-are once more
fixing the attention of the country on
the method of electing senators Of the
United States. That the method will
be changed by constitutional amend
ment | have no doubt. 1t is slow
| process. but it will eventuate in a plan
whereby every state will always have
two senators and that they will be
elected by method which will reduce
bribery and corruption to minimum.
My own opinion is that the nearer
we get to the great body of the people
and the nearer we stay to them the
better we will be off. The people can
be trusted and ought to be trusted.
That the situation may be thorough
ly understood. it is well to restate the
fact that at present there are four va
cancies in the senate caused by dead
locks in the legislatures of Utah, Cali
fornia, Pennsylvania and Delaware. in
all cases produced by corruption. 1t is
easier to produce deadlock by Doodle
and corruption than it is to secure an
election by such practices. There is a
growing belief that the number of SEN
ators who hold their seats by purchase
is increasing and a growing determine
ton to put an end to such a travesty
upon free government.
At present there are three different
propositions pending in congress: First.
a senate proposition providing that a
plurality of a legislature instead of a
majority thereof may elect senator 4
the United States; second. the PROPOSE
ton of Hon James T. Lloyd of Mis-
souri, to submit constitutional amend
ment empowering the people to elect
senators of the United States by pop
ular vote. as governors. representatives
in congress and other state officers are
now elected; third. a proposition by Mr..
| Corliss Of Michigan to submit consti-
tutional amendment authorizing each
state to determine for itself how it will
elect its senators.
The senate proposition to authorize a
plurality of legislature to elect would,
in my Judgment. be positive premium
on corruption and further reduce the
dignity of a senatorship. 1t is too pre-
posterous to be discussed
Senator's Oppose Change.
l am unqualifedly in favor of Mr..
Lloyd's proposition. but as that of Mr.
Ccrliss is more likely to prevail here
! by give the views OF both Mr.. Lloyd
and Mr.. Coriiss just as they wrote
them. observing, as matter of justice,
that they prepared them hastily at my
request and that in the very nature of
things l had to restrict them as to
| space.
l beg my readers to remember that
this is not merely a perfunctory per
formance on the part of Lloyd and Cor
| Iiss to attract attention to themselves
and to curry favor with the people. On
the contrary, the public sentiment in
| favor of a change is overwhelming,
and these gentlemen are simply voicing
that sentiment. 1t may be proper for
the further eiucidation of the situation
to state that Lloyd is q rampant Mis-
souri, Democrat and Corliss a rampant
show that politics has nothing to do
With it. The movement is for the pur
pose of preserving free institutions on
this continent
The trouble is that nearly all the
senators are against any change of
method. especially opposed to the plan
proposed by MIR. Lloyd. as they have
demonstrated by killing just such a
proposition as Lloyd's on three or four
different occasions after it had passed
the house
People generally do not comprehend
how difficult it is to amend the consti
tuition of the United States First. a
resolution submitting the amendment
must receive a two-thirds majority of
both houses. a thing almost impossi
BILE. Then ii must be ratified by three
| fourthso of the state legislatures. Lloyd's
resolution, and Corliss pro tanto. pro
| poses to take away from the senators.
or asks them TO take away from them
selves. the easiest way of securing re
election, and. with one or two excep
tions. they are all candidates for re-
election Human nature crops out Ger
tainly in such cases.
Then the members Of the legislature
are asked TO take away from them
selves one of their chief prerogatiyes,
that of electing senators of the United
States Human nature again crops
out Love of power next to love of
fame is the strongest passion OF the
human heart. overtopping even the
love of money. which the great apostle
to the gentiles declares TO be the root
of all evil
In my Judgment, a long crusade is
ahead of those of US who would have
S6AdlOAS vi AHG Gnitea SldttS S1S-ltd
by free and untrammeled vote of the
people.
This crusade must begin in the town
ship primaries, mass meetings or con
ventions of both parties to instruct
delegates to county conventions to vote
for no man for nomination to the
legislature who will not pledge himself
to vote to ratify such an amendment
and not to vote for any man for United
States senator who Will not pledge him
self to vote to submit such an amend
ment for ratification. Beginning reso.
lutely and Systematically in this way
such constitutional amendment can
be secured in about ten years. But 1t
is well worth working for and will be
worked for and the present movement
in congress is only preliminary TO the
main battle,
Inasmueh as the committee will re-
port in favor of the CorIiss proposition.
Mr.. Lloyd will offer an amendment to
the committee resolution when it comes