Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-10-01
A PARTY ISSU r
ELECTION OF UNITED STATES
SENATORS BY POPULAR VOTE.
The New York Democratic Committee Reiter.
ates the Declaration of the Kansas Cty
Platform on the Subject. Republicans
Disposed to Object.

The Washington Post seems to be a bi
disturbed because the New York demo-
cratic committee declared as democratic
party principle the proposition that
United States senators be elected by a
vote OF the people. The Post says:
"The Post does not believe that the
| constitution will ever be amended so as
to commit the election of senators to d.
rect popular vote, but both parties are
equally pledged to it by the action Of the
national house OF representatives and
numerous state legislatures. That being
the case, it is not and cannot be party
ISSUE"
In the same editorial in which this par.
agraph appeared, the Post, Directing to
the committees effort to state party
principle. said: "The only authority
competent for that work is a national
convention"
The democratic party, through the
Kansas City platform, declared in favor
ct this great reform. The republican
platform is silent upon the question. and
yet the Post would restrain democrats
from injecting this question into politics
because, as it says, "both parties are
equally pledged to it by the action OF the
national house of representatives and
numerous state legislatures"
1t is true that republican members, as
we'll as democratic members, in the ma.
tional house Of representatives voted for
the plan; but the reform has met with
the most powerful republican opposition
in the United States senate.
The democratic party is on record as
being in favor of this reform. The repub-
ican house of representatives and repub-
lican legislatures are Oh record in the
same way, but the powerful republican
membership Of the United States senate
is stubborn and will not yield.
What, then, are republicans, who favor
the election OF senators by the people, to
do? Are hey to content themselves with
the fact tisat some republican legislatures
and the republican lower house have
approved the plan, although the republic
can senate repeatedly rejects it?
Is it not true that the very fact that re-
publican influence can have t lis plan
Endorsed by republican legislatures and
by the republican lower house OF congress
and yet cannot get it through the senate
is it not true that these facts themselves
require every republican who sincerely
believes in this reform to insist upon its
Incorporation into the national platfol NJ
Of his party? And SO long as the repul-
lican senate stands in the way OF this re-
form and finds justification, SO far as
republicans are concerned, in the fact
that the republican national platform has
not Endorsed the plan, is it not, indeed.
entirely proper that democrats should
make a party issue OF it?
1t is true that individual republicans as
well as individual democrats believe in
this reform. But SO long as one party
incorporates the plan in its national plat
form and another party refuses to indorse
it in it's platform-while at the same time
the United States senate, representing
the latter party, openly and persistently
fights the reform-lt is a party issue; and
it will continue to be party issue until
both Of the organizations, through that
which the Post declares to be the only
competent authority, declare in favor OF
the reform?