Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-08-15
CHOOSING OF "
- u. s. SENATOR'S.



requires the Constitution to be
amended. No one. from its found
crs to its most jealous admirers of
I the present day, has ever claimed
absolute perfection for it. 1t Is
an instrument expressing the Wis
dom Of body of men. y COM
position of the whole and not
meeting fully the approval OF any
one of them. 1t has been said by
an eminent authority that 'To
/ balance Il large State on general
laws is IL work of so great difficult
/ ~ that no human genius, however
comprehensive, is able by mere
dnt of reason and reflection to eff
/ feet it. Tn" Judgment of many
must unite in the work; expert
/ rucr must guide their labOrs; time
must bring it to perfection and
/ the feeling of inconvenience must
correct mistakes which they inev-
/ itably fall into in their first trials
and experiments. Inconvenience
Is have arisen and in Il number OF
instances have been corrected. y
Bill of Rights was added. The
method of choosing the President
and Nirc.prcsidcnt was changed
and still other changes were found
necessary. But wish here to say
that whatever the imperfections of
our Constitution may be it is hard
~ possible for the people of the
United States to regard it with too
great reverence. 1t is the lnstiu-
mcnt which may be said to set
forth our conception of the equl-
librium that should be maintained
between the individual and the
organized body Of society. 1t is
possible for us to fully express our
gratitude and apprccition of the
toll and sacrifices endured by our
fathers in the accomplishment of
our government only by placing,
as they did, upon the altar of our
country, when need be, our lives,
our fortunes and our sacred honor,
and yield them up freely to defend
and maintain what they so ably
wrought and handed down to us as
our most priceless heritage. The
Constitution is only a few pages
of well condensed and well written
matter. vet in those few pages
rests n treasure which thrills with
loyal pride the heart of every true
American; for it smiles upon home,
is the constant friend Of liberty, II
check to injustice, and the I'M
tiinching foe of tyranny, and we
who stand in our fathers stead as
the Jealous guardians of this our
Charter of Liberties, should know
we'll the reasons that prompt him
who would put forth the hand Of
innovation to blur with theory
that which time has shown to be
the gl'andest monumentyet erected
to the genius of craftsmanship.
But it is because we love it and
would render more certain its I'M
mortality, that we discover its de-
fccts and address To reason our
plea to have it here and there
touched with the hand of wisdom
and presented to the world II more
perfect thing by experience,
The Senate, by the Constitution,
is composed of two senators from
each State, chosen by the leglstat-
uues thereof for six years. If va
cancics happen 10y death, rcSlgna-
tion or otherwise during the recess
of the legislature of amy State the
Executive thereof may make tenn
porarv appoiutmcnt until the next
meeting of the legislature, which
shall then fill such vacancy. In
addition to these provisions OF the
Constitution Congress has by law
directed that the two branches of
the State legislatures, after organ
ization and when II Senator is to
be elected, shall, while sitting IN
their respective places, proceed to
vote for such senator. If no one
receives majority of votes IN
each separate branch of the legls-
lature by the first vote then they
shall sit jointly and vote ut least
once daily until an election is eff
fected, or until adjournment If
there is an adjournment without
an election then there is II vacancy,
but, as the Senate itself has deter
mined, not such vacancy rs the
Constitution authorizes the Cover