The Irish standard., 1904-11-19
BY POPULAR VOTE
In the Rarly Days Of the Repub.
lie Scarcely q State.
Elected Its Governor and High.
or Officials in This Way,

In 1887 scarcely state elected it's
governor and higher officials by popu-
lar vote, says The Commoner. Now
there is no state in the forty-ive
which elects it's governor by the legis-
lature. Why should each of these
states continue to elect it's two sena-
tors by method it has condemned as
to the election Of it's governor? The
interest of consolidated wealth in the
election Of senators is far greater than
it is in the choice Of governors. and
the corrective Of popular choice is
therefore more needed.
A little consideration will show that
under the present system it is possible
for skilful combination and money
combinations are always skilfuD to Sc
cure the United States senator in each
of the close states if it can obtain con-
troll of one-sixteenth of the voters or
even less. Let us see. Take a close
state which casts 100000 votes. A ma
jority of the legislature is elected from
counties having 100000 votes, or less
when las is often the case) there is a
gerrymander. A majority in the eau
Gus, which controls the party's choice,
is therefore chosen from counties hav-
ing 100000 votes. But nearly half of
these were of the opposite political
party, leaving the majority of the eau
Gus chosen by $4,000 voters. These
members were nominated in the con-
! ventions in their respective counties
by majority only Of their party, l. e.,
by delegates representing say $4,000
voters or less, which is one-sixteenth
of the 100000 voters of the state. The
money combinations to whom the
choice of senators is all important,
have money and skilful manipulators.
They pick their counties. With free
passes to the conventions over rail-
roads and by other methods it is easy
to secure the requisite delegates in the
county party conventions who repre-
sent these $4,000 voters and thus name
the nominees who shall, when elected,
constitute a majority of the caucus
which shall name the senator. The
counties belonging to the minority
party are neglected by the manipula-
tors, as also are the counties belong
ing to the majority party which are
difficult to handle. The money COM
bination wastes no money. That this
is not fanciful sketch will be recalled
by the many instances in divers states
in which the caucus nominee of the
money power has received one or two
majority in the caucus. 1t is true this
great disparity could happen only in
close states, but it demonstrates that
in any state the election of senators
can be controlled by small but skill
full minority under the present system.
There is another objection to the
election of the United States senator
by the legislature in that the voters
Of the dominant party residing in
counties in which that party is in a
minority are utterly without influence
or voice in the selection of senator,
whereas in the election of senator by
popular vote every voter, irrespective
Of the county of his residence, would
have an opportunity to express bis
inI T~, ~
States senator must be the expressed
choice at the ballot box of more voters
than shall cast their ballots for any
other man, and his nomination must be
made by the majority in the nominat-
ing convention Of the successful party
representing, say one-fourth of the
voters, subject to approval by ma
jority of the whole people at the bal
lot box. BY this method of election a
United States senator must be the
choice Of the state he represents as
fully as the governor is. In the pres
ent mode Of legislative election, the
voice of his own party is stifled and
| uu1 CSCAICu III ull tuOS6 COuullcS Ill
which, being in the minority, it shall
fail to elect the member of the legis-
lature. Then again the voters of the
counties electing members to the legis-
lature belonging to the dominant party
are also disfranchised if those men,
bers do not belong to the majority fac
ton of the caucus.
Another very serious objection to
the legislative mode of choosing SEN
ators is the frequent "deadlocks" of
protracted contests, which take up a
large part of the time which should
be devoted to the legitimate duty of
legislation. The expense to the pub
lie is no small item, and the frequent
attendant scandals are not edifying,
and all this could be avoided by choos-
ing the United States senators the
same day and by the same method
the members of the lower house Of
congress are chosen. The selection of