The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-14
Letters to the Editor.
ELECTION OF SENATORS.
The Present Plan Has Worked For
 the Good of the Country
Editor The Advertiser


 In your editorial of yesterday. replying
 to criticism of The Russell Register,
 you seem to say that if the constitutional barrier were removed, you would be in
 favor of the election of United States
 Senators by a direct popular vote This,
 indeed, seems to be the general senti-
 ment among the people at large, but I
 have always entertained a different opin-
 ion.
 take it no one will question the asser-
 ton that. upon the foundation of our Government and the creation of the Sem
 ate, 1t was contemplated that the Senate
 should be an advisory (not to say judi
 ciaD as well as a legislative body-a
 body to which the President should look
 for advice. and whose consent and sanc-
 tion he should obtain before acting in
 vital and important matters; It was in
 tended as supervisory and counselling
 body. as we'll as legislative body. some of it's duties being to ratify treaties. ap- prove and confirm the appointment of governmental offices, judges. ambassa- dors, etc.
 On account of the peculiar nature of the duties required of Senators. 1t was de- sirable then, and is now. that they should clamor, and yet not so far removed from the voice of the people that the peo- pie could not be represented in the Sen ate according to their wishes.
 It was first suggested that Senators be elected for life, or during good behavior, or for a long term of years but after ! much discussion and debate, the plan was finally evolved to. elect them for a short term of years. and divide the Sen- ate as a whole into three classes, so arr | ranged that the term of only one class would expire during the same years, thus | making the Senate, like the old Congress, | perpetual body, subject to such changes | each year as the people, through their Legislatures, saw fit to make. The wis | dom of this plan has been many times | demonstrated.
 | nr,rit fha (fnnVAnfinn nf | 17S7 when 1t became settled that Con gross should consist of two branches the Senate and the House, and that each State
 should have two Senators. the questions | then arose in that convention as to how ! the Senators should be selected and for | what term they should serve. These l questions caused a long and animated | controversy. Some said they should be
 elected by the National House of Repre- | sentatives; some that they should be ap- | pointed by the President from a list of | names submitted to him by the State | Legislatures, while others insisted that | they should be elected by direct vote of the people. Alexander Hamilton proposed | that they should be elected by certain electors chosen for that purpose by the people of the several States, It was final- | iy decided however, Sat the Senators ! should be elected by the State Legtsla- | lures, who were elected by the people
 and this rule was thought at that time | to be more in harmony with the charac- | ter and tenor of the Constitution than | any other proposition advanced:
 | Under the present system or electlng Senators. and the terms Tor wmcn they | are chosen they are not so absolutely | dependent upon the popular vote as tc | have their judgment warped by partisan | demands or coereed into acting upon q | matter of grave importance contrary to their judgment They are on the field of | action, and can better determine what Is l the best course to pursue than can their constituents, who are many miles away, | al ArHl ci n cd | upon some subject of local importance | which draws their attention from matters | before Congress. It is or vital necessity | that the Senators should not De placed | irrevoeably beyond the voice of the peo- | ple but it is almost of equal necessity | considering the peculiar functions of the I Senate, that the Senators should not he
 placed immediately at the mercy ot | uency who would seek to compel them tC | do some act which they themselves would | not ratify upon mature renecuon aho l sober consideration.
 ators are coerced by the people, and made
 to do their immediate will. are not tnt | people capable of governing themselves | To that I answer on the whole, the peo' | ple most assuredly are capable of govern | ing themselves but the American people l and every other people. Tor that matter | have made some grievous blunders IT | their history, and I suppose Will continue | to make greater or smaller mistakes un' fiji the end of time But I dare say that | the United States Senate has prevented | more national errors, or has warded then | off until the sober judgment or the people
 asserted itself, than any other govern | mental system.
 l It is necessary that the Senate be slight. | ly removed from popular clamor. l think l 1t is very likely that those few Republi- | can Senators who refused to vote foI | President Johnson's impeachment. were relying more upon the sober reflection oi | their constituents than acceding to their | clamor that the President be impeached. l The election of Senators Is one of the few things that are not left to the popu- lar vote. and it might he well for those | who advocate submitting everything to | vote of the people to consider that puoiit opinions Is sometimes unduly or errone' ously aroused and warped by deslgnlnt | persons If the Impeachment or Presl- dent Johnson had been lett to a popular | vote there is hardly d doubt that the peo | pIe of the United States, worked lnto ar | almost irresponsible frenzy by scoundrel; l and demagogues would have voted fol his impeachment by a large majority Hand would probably to this day have re Fgretted the disgrace they had brough upon their country by ousting the Chic | Executive because he was opposed to th' | measures advanced by g lot Of 'blnod' | shirt legislators But they were sANe' this shame because Of the wise constltu
 tional provisions which referred the mat
 ter to a body which was somewhat re
 moved from popular emotions and passe' l more sober judgment. IL might p