The San Francisco call., 1905-01-17
PEOPLE MAY
HAVE GIVING
OF THE TOGA
Bill to Change the
Present Method
on. Schedule.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


SACRAMENTO, Jan. 16.-Frank P.
Flint of Los Angeles may be the last
of the United States Senators from
California to be elected by direct vote
of the Legislature. Tomorrow morn
ing Senator J. B. Sanford of Ukiah
will present bill placing in the hands
of the voters the right to name in gen.
eral convention the candidates for this
high Office. The bill is based on the
Oregon and Wisconsin laws and SO
worded as to avoid the provisions Of
the Congressional measure relating to
the manner in which United States
Senators shall be elected and the
articles of the constitution of Cafifor
mia bearing upon the same subject
The bill is as follows:
An act to enable the people of the State Of
California to express by ballot their preference
for some person for the office of United States
Senator. The people of the State OF California,
represented in Senate and Assembly do enact
follows:
Section 1-At all general elections next pre-
ceding the election of Senator in Congress
by the Legislature Of California there shall be
placed upon the official ballot by each of the
county clerks the names of all candidates for
the office OF Senator in Congress that have
been nominated In. any OF the methods now or
which may hereafter be provided by law for
the nomination of State officers of the State of
California. the votes for which candidates shall
be counted and certified II by the election off,
GERS in the same manner the votes for other
candidates, and records OF the votes for such
candidates shall be made out and sworn to
by the Board of Election Officers of each county
of the State and returned to the Secretary Of
State, who shall transmit duplicate copies of
such returns to the Legislature at its next en-
suing session, one of which shall be addressed
TO the Senate and the other to the Assembly of
the State OF California. copy of which
shall be delivered by him to the President of
akernf
Assembly. after the organization of such bod
les which Officers snail open and
houses when assembled to elect
Senator in Congress now required by law of
Congress. and it shall be the duty of each
house to count the votes and announce the
candidate for Senator having the highest num-
Der. and thereupon the House shall proceed to
the election of Senator required by the
State.
For many years citizens of various
States have tried to secure the consent
of Congress to change the existing law"
said Senator Sanford, but they have
failed, the Senate always objecting,
each Senator probably taking into full
consideration the potency of the sys-
tenn that enabled him to secure his
election. The bill L have prepared is
based on the laws Of Oregon and Wis
conSin that have successfully with
stood attack. and while it does not
absolutely hold each legislator to vote
for the candidate of his party certified
under its provisions to both houses 1t
does so morally and it would be a
nervy man indeed that would dare to
go behind the vote of the people and
cast 1t aside as not binding.
Under this act each political party
win nominate its candidate and the
people will vote thereon. The candi-
date receiving the highest vote will
then be elected by the Legislature. The
act will operate to bring every candi-
datesinto the field early so that the
people may look him over and deter
mine his fitness. The day of the dark
horse will have passed when this bill
becomes operative and the scandals
that have blackened the record of
many California Legislatures will be
at an end
1t is anticipated that the bill will
develop warm debate, but a majority
of those that have heard Of 1t express
themselves as favoring its adoption.