Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1906-05-17

UuE bLhUo COnbutuJlOuS ~ uuJ
everything that all the voters Of Il
- state could do II they were assemble
to make law, except the things tht
are prohibited by the state constit'
ton, or that would violate the nation
al constitution. 30 that the constitu
ton Of the United States is a gran
n Of power to the Executive and to tn
/ congress, and we can exercise only tn
power which is expressly granted :
us, but the constitution Of state !
q only Limitation Of power upon tn
legislature. want you to rememoe
these two distinctions.
In the next place, the national hous
Of representatives Is the representa-
. tive of the people. We are choseI
every two years for the reason tina
In our hands is the power Of taxation
We must provide the means of revenue
. for the national government, and say
how 1t shall be raised. We must make
the appropriation for carrying on the
government and the senate may only
offer amendments to our appropria-
lions, and together we say how 1t shall
DO disbursed. And, II at any time we
should make system Of taxation that
was injurious to the people, you have
the opportunity every two years to re-
tire us and elect men in our places
who will do the things which ought to
be done for you.
The senators, on the other hand,
are the representatives of the states,
and they were made the representa-
tives Of the states in the making Of
the constitution. This was part of the
compromises by which the constitu-
ton came into existence. There were
men who demanded that votes in the
senate should be in proportion to the
population, and Immediately 1t was
answered that the great colony Of New
York would have more votes in con-
gress than several small colonies. New
York argued that, because Of her great
population and greater property in
tOrests. she would pay more than
small state for support of the govern
ment The small states answered that
they were Independent states and must
preserve themselves from the power
OF the great state. It was by compro-
misses Of this kind that the separate
states came into the union with equal
power In the senate. These questions
OF the manner Of choosing senator's,
were all debated out in the making of
the constitution and 1t was written in
words that, after one hundred and
eighteen years Of operation, have not |
had to DO rewritten in any instance. |
Not one single word that they wrote
IN that constitution has had to be sub
sdtuted by another word in order that
the world might know its meaning.
Election of U. s. Senators.
BY this constitution the law-mak.
ing power was granted to two houses:
the senate and house of representa-
hves, and the states should be repre-
Sented by two votes, two heads, the
representatives Of the state, and that
the representatives in the house should
depend upon the citizenship-the pop-
niation-and 1t is for that reason that,
from that time to this, little Delaware,
with 1850 square miles, has two sena-
tors, and little Rhode Island, with 1880
square miles, has two senators, while
my congressional district, 1920 square
miles, is big enough to make three and
one half like Delaware and seven states
like Rhode Island, has but one repre- {
sentative, and my state, which II It |
was spread like a blanket over New !
would cover 1t from the Allie
snany Mountains to the border of {
Maine, has two senators, and all of {
ne SIX little states of New England {
zach have their two senator's. This I
constitution of our government pre-
'erves the equal power of the states so
nat no state shall ever grow so rich, /
II 80 populous that 1t will have more q
lower as state than our state has J
rhis is an elemental foundation of our i
lational government and l do not t
want you to forget 1t. t
The constitution provides that the q
enators to represent the state shall
e chosen by the legislature of the Q
tate Recently there have been some 7
fforts to lead the people to evade tho I
constitution, indirectly violate It, SO
s to elect senators by direct vote Of
ne people. This is upon the theory
nat the senators are to represent the a
eople directly But this teaching =
eads In the wrong direction. For :
men senators are chosen by direct :,
ote OF the people to represent the pec -
le directly, the next step is easy To =.
emand that senators be in proportion =
population which they are to repre-. =
emit, When the great state of New =,
ork' with 81 representatives in the =
ouse, and Pennsylvania, with 80, and :,
ther great states with great popula- q,
on and great property interests NAV =
lsiiy contend for representation ac. :,
'rding to population and interests, and =,
rapidly Increasing people may easily :,
nange the form Of our government :,
I'd make both houses to represent the q
eople directly know that no state "
IN be deprived Of It's equal represent. :,
lion In the senate without its own %