The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1903-09-04

Ills \iNiil, DIS lIlC Recently ulSCoNClSll
facts disclosed that conditions exist
ing Ill that department extended to
other branches of the Government
service and that ifany political moral
is to be drawn from the disclosures
made, it is that Il national policy of
extravaganza, favoritism and stimu-
lation of greed is reflected in lax adj
ministration and get.rich-quick pro-
clivities in the public service, and
that the fame that the President
might get from the efforts to cure the
evil, through the discovery and pros
ccution ofthe evil doors, must be at the
expense of the system of politics for
which his party stands. Wherever
Mr. Roosevelt tends to be a reformcr
he is confronted with the fact that it
is his own party to be reformed for
the dishonest tariffs, monoliStic trusts
or whatever way he may turn his
hand he finds that the remedial legis-
lation will be directed against those
who are most near and dear to the
Republican party.
4 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
For many wears there has been a
strong sentiment in various States of
the Union i'll favor of 4 change i'll the
method of electing Federal Senators.
The Constitution requires that they
be elected by the Legislatures, but
there is and has long been a move
ment to change the Constitution and
have the Senator's elected by the peo-
pie. The idea of the trainers of the
Constitution was that the Sena-
tors should represent the States
i'll their sovereign capacity rather
than represent the. people. When
Mr!~alhoun was Vice President it
was Ills theory that the Senators
were to be regarded somewhat as
ambassadors from the States, and as
presiding officer of the Senate he
treated them as such.
"But in the process of time, as the
country has developed, changes have
taken place, which, i'll the opinion OF
a great body of people, render a
change in the manner of selecting
Senators desirable. Fit is essential
to carry out the ideas of the trainers
of the Constitution and have Sena-
tors as representatives ofthe govern
ments of the States, there is no Just
reason why the sovereign people can
not select the representatives oftheir
States just as truly as the Legisla-
ture can.
"There are two methods of chang
ing the Constitution prescribed i'll
that instrument. Congress may
propose an amendment which shall
become part of the Constitution
when ratified by three-fourths of the
States. y bill or resolution propos-
ing an amendment must receive the
assent of two-thirds of both Houses.
The House of Representatives has
! more than once passed a resolution
! by the necessary vote submitting an
amendment providing for the election
of Senators by the people. But in
this action the Senate has never con-
Cured, and it is too much to hope
that it ever will The members hay
ing been elected by the Legislature
naturally prefer that method.
"The other way to amend the Con-
stitution is as follows: Congress is
required on the application Of the
Legislatures of two-thirds of the
several States to call convention for
proposing amendments which shall
become effective when ratified by the
Legislatures of three-fourths of the
several States or by conventions in
three-fourths thereof Recognizing
that it is hopeless to expect any
amendment of this character by the
voluntary act of Congress, many of
the States have taken the initiative
for a convention. The Legislatures
Of twelve Of them, we believe, have
made application to Congress to call
n convention, and those i'll nine other
States have adopted resolutions favor
ing the popular election Of Senators.
1t will require the action of30 States
to compel Congress to call the con-
vention, and with the prevailing senti-
ment in its favor there should be no
difficulty iii securing action for the
reform in SO many States. After such
an amendment has been proposed by
a convention, there is little doubt of
its ratification by the necessary three
fourths of the States. The obstacle
which stands in the way of State in
itiative in calling a convention is the
personal and political influence of
Senators over the Legislatures ofthe
several States. The Federal Senator
owes his election to his influence over
the Legislature, and in late years
the Senator, when he belongs to the
party of the national Administra-
ton, is the dispenser of Federal
patronage, and that, as rule, makes
his power over his Legislature abso-
Lutte"
"The great reason why the people
desire the popular election of Sena
tors is that the United States Senate
is no longer amenable to public senti-
ment. The Senators represent politi-
4