Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-23
Senator Lodge Addresses Law
School Graduates.
ELECTION OF SENATORS
WOULD MEAN A REVOLUTION IN
GOVERNMENT.
he Outlined the Work Of Oliver Ellis
worth in the Constitutional
Convention.

NEW HAVEN. Conn. June 23-The
commencement exercises of Yale University
were begun today with the class day GER
enonies of the academic and Sheffield
scientific departments and the anniversary
exercises of the law school. Beautiful
weather prevailed. and all the exercises
were attesded by large crowds.
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massa-
chusetts delivered an address to the grad
uating class of the law school
Senator Lodges Address
After sketching briefly the carly career
and training of Oliver Ellsworth and his
selection as a delegate from Connecticut
to the Philadelphia convention of 1877, Sem
ator Lodge referred to the problems which
faced the convention and continued: Now
exactly what was it that Ellsworth did :?
He won his victory for equality of state
representation in one branch of Congress
but did far more even than this, for he
saved the Constitution itself and made il
possible just now there is a movement on
foot to bring about the election of senator's
by direct popular vote. If successful Il
VIII inevitably be followed by proportional
repreSen tation in the Senate and the most
radical revolution conceivable will take
place in our form of government We
alone among the nations possessing repre-
s'htetbiNe SoNtIH1nentS nave solved the
problem OF an upper house resting upon an
independent basis and effective in legisIa-
ton III the Senate is placed upon the
same basis as the House. and is chosen in
the same way by the same constituency
Its character and meaning depart the
states will be hOpelessly weakened the bal
ance OF the Constitution will be DESTROYED
Capitalization will advance with giant
strides. and we shall enter upon a period
of constitutional revolution of which the
end cannot be foretold. When We contem-
plate what the equality of the state Senate
meant at the time of the PhiIadeIDhia CON
Fention. what 1t has meant throughout our
national life and what it's overthrow would
mean today, We realize the great service
of Ellsworth and how large and enduring
q place he holds In our history"
Old Charge Refuted
In speaking of a charge made by on, of
Ellsworths contemporaries in the Senate.
William Maclay of Pennsylvania, that Ellis
worth was a tool of Alexander Hamilton,
whom Maclay regarded as totally corrupt
Senator Lodge exclaimed: How false it all
is What a lesson, too Is here If we will
Out take the trouble to learn. / never re-
member the time when | have not heard
the Senate of the moment described as at
us lowest point, as having fallen far from
the high level of the earlier and better
days. Then | read Maclay and take heart
Tor II he is right and our Senate and our
government were such as he described and
II the bitter critics of the moment are also
right, and if we are worse now than in
Garner and better days. then. indeed, has
the Impossible come to pass, for the repub-
He still survives greater and more power
Iul. more honored at home and abroad than
ever before. Then / feel sure that the
critic of this kind, past and present, must
be wrong. for if they were not the republic
would have died The Maclays like the
poor. are always with us. sole proprietors
OF righteousness. undisturbed by any out
cry against their self-imposed monopoly"