The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-11-13

systcm-Some Peculiar Features of
>"""d ana F"ry-CaEapaigns Com
trasted John Sherman. Coreer
William l.. Wilson's Fame.
Especial Washington Letter
1t seems to me that this is y fttinr
occasion to g certain changes or
reforms il our political system.
president ought to be elected for six
years and made forever ineligible fer
reelection, Representatives in CONGRESS-
ought to be elected for a term Of three
years, senators of the United States
ought to be elected by direct vote of
the people, the election ought to be
held the lst of October. and represent
>tiyeS should begin their service on tba
1St Of November. congress conyeninr
on that day. In this way we would
have Il general election once in three
Years, as there is no doubt that tie
states would soon 50 remodel their con
>titutiOns and electoral system so as to
tit in with the general plan. A presi-
dent should have Z six yea term and
made forever Ineligible, because, as
Mark Twain "a human nature is
very strong, and we have a great deal
Of it i'll u.s." Presidents. being only hu-
man. are no exception to the rule. The
love of power is the master passion OF
the human mind. Every president ex-
rept Washington and Hayes has spent
Il large portion of his first term striving
to secure Il second. Washington,
think, Gd desire n second term. ant
Hayes knew he couldn't get y secoll,
term. vi tie rest bent their ~energie
to 50 arrange matters as to be ~re-elec:
Ell. Just WY q rational croature is nv
satisfied with Ii election II the hiSl
est Office in the world doth not appeal
but the fact remains rs stated above.
would take away from presidents IT,
temptation to play politics for thc:
own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and thus gulrlu
tee to the people that to which they az
entitIpd-the best and most exclusive,
efforts Of their chief magistrates t
serve them for the public GOOD.
vs. 10 the election Of senators Of IL,
United States by popular vote. the be-
otitS of that plan over the present sy::
tenn arc 50 apparent that it is a vast,
ol time to ever state them.
Present System Poor.
The most ridiculous feature Of or
present system is that representatives
are elected - months before they real
Is begin their services unless there i
HD extra session OF CONGRESS-. In this
electric axe issues may cllan@c and
really sometimes do change radically
in - months. That happened ONLY L"
Gently. The congressional and Eresi-
dental elections Of 1S:2 hinged entirely
ou the tariff question. That was the
only issue discussed that year. Never
tbolc2s long before the congress elected
in $50 began its lahorS the issue SHIFT
cd to finance. and the great Democratic
majority was divided into TWO warning
factions even before the representa-
UrpS were sworn in. Representatives
should begin their service within 50
days Of their election. The most dam
a@lng part Of our present plan is that
q house Of representatives utterly re-
undated by the people III November
has till the succeeding March in which
to legjslate. and q vast deal of bad leg
|jsIatton may be and frequently is fas-
tened upon the country by a repudlated
congress in that length of time.
A Peculiar Campaign.
The recent campaign was peculiar III
several respects:
lirst-In the sedateness Of mine
manifested by the voters. 1t really
took on the character of listlessness or
apparent Indifference to such an extent
that it caused the leaders Of both par
Ties to set up a lusty and warning
.1nUt Of apathy" which III the emu
bad much to do with getting out the
Vote.
&ccoud.-Another unusual feature Oh
me campaign was the fact that very
low men Of ~ationa proportions mate
rally Increased their regulations either
"5 statesmen or orators. The NUMBER
who achieved added distinction was
unusually small. OF course it was III
l'@.lih-utterly so-fOr either ME. MI
t"HI"E or Mr.. Bryan to gain much ne"
.'I"r. for their names were familiar as
"'"s"Iiold words before the
"-an. Henry Ward Beecher repre-
scented one of his characters as never
looking older for the all sufficient rea-
|' HAT she had always looked as oiu
." Size could look. BY something OF tue
.'''' logic Bryan can never increase MS
EQUATION as an orator, for since his
sounding performance in that line III
'"'oatiDg himself at Chicago IN 1880
" uaS been recognized as the greatest
ing orator, perhaps the greatest thal
'ef llyed. Even The GlObe-DenlocTit'
Iu'cl under its present management
0egeperated into n mere organ
~"ler. not long ago conceded TO bly,
'he hrst place among the
Na'ofs this year.
= rom a critical standpoint Mr.. NC
t} has never been regarded as al
SUI. lie Is a strong, clear and inter