New-York tribune., 1906-06-25
POPULAR CONTROL OF CONGRESS-.

The House Of Representatives rejected on
Thursday a joint resolution submitting TO the
state legislatures a constitutional amendment
lengthening the term of Representatives 10 four
years and requiring the direct election of
Senators. The defeat of this measure was due
10 the fact that ii coupled two propositions
which have no logical connection. Indeed. it
may be plausibly argued that the two changes
proposed conflict in theory, for while the sec
ond seeks to bring the upper house into closer
touch with the voter. the first aims at weaken
ing the bond of dependence which holds the
lower house 10 a very rigid sense of accOunta
bility to the people. 1t cannot be denied that
as a nation we have grown away from the
ideas of check and counter check originally
written into the Constitution Our system at
the beginning was only mildly democratic. for
the trainers of the Constitution had natural
dstr1lst of the average voters capacity for self
government. They were more bent on deviSing
safeguards against hasty popular action than
on giving a free rein 10 the will of a temporary
majority. But the democratic feIment has
worked a gradual revolution in our ideals of
government. and have found way to cir
cumvent the restrictions of the Constitution.
The Electoral College long ago became n fiction,
and in recent years we have gone a long way
toward abolishng the indirect method of elect
ing Senators. But if the voters have gradually
succeeded in asserting their right to chose
President and Vice-President without the inter
vention of a go-between Electoral College. and
their right to dispense with intermediate agen-
cies in the choice of Senator's it is not logical
to suppose that they will consent to waive that
hard-and-fast control of the popular branch of
Congress which has been assured TO them from
the outset by the biennial system of elections.
Something may be said. undoubtedly, in favor
of four-year term for Representatives. FIRE.
quent changes in membership lessen the eff
cheney of legislative body. member of the
House is hardly warm in his seat before he
finds it necessary to stand for reelection. and
much OF his time and care is absorbed in
mending his fences and counting popularity
with his constituency. But, on the other hand.
the knowledge that he must ask a fresh in
dOrsement every two years acts as a wholesome
restraint and forces him TO realize that he holds
commission not in his own right. but as the
responsible agent of the voters who elected him.
The House itself must have felt that in sug-
geSting a lengthening of the Representatives
term il would he reversing popular tendencies
and flying in the face Of public sentiment and
this accounts for the paucity of votes in favor
of the joint resolution. Moreover il would
scarcely he reasonable 10 add two years TO a
Representatives. term without adding two years
10 the terms of the President and Senator's
As for the second section of the resolution
its defeat has no significance The House has
repeatedly voted To submit amendment pro-
viding for the direct election of Senator'S But
such an amendment is no longer needed. for
any state can by indrection commit the choice
of Senators TO the people. The voters of Ore
gOn practically elected a Senator three weeks
ago and in fourteen other states the legislatures
now merely record a selection already deter
mined in party primaries.