Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-26
IO ELECT SENATORS
Congressman Bede Says People
Should Take Election From
the Legislature
AMENDMENT NOT NECESSARY
Practically Direct Vote Can Be Had
Without Resortins to Change in the
Federal Constitution, Which Is a
Very Difficult Position-Fewer Fire
works.
Special to Times-Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, June 26.-Congressmar
j. Adam Bede, of Minnesota, who wa:
| in the city to speak at the Midland
| Chautauqua, believes that the states
ought not to wait for the cumbersome
machinery to get to work and amend
the constitution Of the United States sc
as to allow direct vote by the people
lieves the legislatures should at once
take such action as would practically
take the matter out of the hands Of the
legislatures and put it into the hands
of the people now and let the amend
ment to the constitution come later If
it can be secured. THE people have
changed the practice of selecting pres
tidents without waiting for change in
the constitution" declared Congress
man Bede. They can as well change
the method Of electing United States
senator's. 1t is a difficult thing to
change the constitution of the United
States. 1t has been done but twice.
There are fifteen amendments to the
constitution, but most of these were
agreed to before the instrument itself
was adopted. Then there was another
amendment made to provide for a
contingency that arose in the selecting
of one of the early presidents. 1t was
amended again at the close of the civil
war, when three amendments, all per-
tanning practically to the same thing.
IL ~ IN
get the constitution amended and will
be especially difficult when the
senate, which will be affected by the
amendment, is naturally opposed to the
change and will not pass the necessary
resolution.
1.-THE thing that should be- done is
for the people to take charge Of the
matter without an amendment. We
elect presidents of the United States.
We of course elect electors who elect
the president, but who ever heard of
an elector who bolted his Instructions ?
If the people vote on United States
senators, the legislatures will proceed
without hesitation to elect the person
getting the most votes at the hands Of
the people. There need be the least
fear as to that believe thoroughly
in the people selecting the United
States senator's, but believe the short
est way to get at it is not by the con-
stitutional amendment route, but by
putting the candidates on the ballot"
Because of the agitation that was
given the Offill anti-fire cracker bill,
the trade in firecrackers has fallen off
one-half. There will be nothing like
the amount of money spent for fire
crackers this year that was spent last
year and there may be less number
of deaths and injuries as result
The agitation given the bill when it
was up before the legislature and the
fact that it passed the house, led a
large number to believe that it had be-
come law They overlooked the fact
that before becoming a law it is nee
essary for it to pass both houses. I'm
der the mistaken notion that it had
passed both and had become a law
many dealers have not bought as large
supplies and many others have bought
only the SMALL f1recrackers. Besides
this the dealers say there is not the
demand for firecrackers that there has
been in years passed. The New York
Wall Paper Company of this city,
handles goods of this kind by whole
sale. The manager says that on;v
about half as much firecracker goods
has been sold this year as usually are
sold up to this time of the year.
Whether 1t is due to the belief of the
dealers that they cannot get the goods
or the education that the public has
received that has discouraged the use
Of the things is question.
r. e. Cook Of Red Oak, will be an
independent candidate for the legis!a-
ture from Montgomery county. A Pc
tition is being circulated in that coun-
ty row asking that his name go on the
ballot this fall. He will run in OPP
position to Representative r. F. Jones,
of Villisca, in Montgomery county.
Jones is a standpatter and Cook is j.
progressive. Cooks petition was START
ed last Saturday and inside of a few
hours there were $50 signatures secu"-
ed in Red Oak and every signature was
by a republican. 1t is the claim vi
Cooks friends that there will be 1000
signatures to his petition before it is
iluIucu Lis Guilty VI
Montgomery county and that everv
signature will be by republican yos-
er. The candidacy of Cook is a DO
test against the machine methods of
Montgomery county and determine
ton On the part of the progressive
citizens there to have a man in the leg
isiature who can be depended upon TO
vote for a primary election law at the
coming session Of the legislature. The
people of Montgomery are vitality in
terested, as the standpat party officials
were able to defeat them at the pri-
maries there simply by refusing to
count their votes. Now they want
primary election law that will make it
necessary for the judges of the
primary to count the votes and will
fix a penalty for a refusal to do SO.
Representative Jones is understood to
be opposed to allowing the people to Sc
lect their own candidates at a primary
election. The people of Montgomery
Furthermore say they want man
down there who will not vote for
Blythe for United States senator nor
for any other corporation tool for
United States senator. Cook, they
claim, is man the corporations can
not dominate and so they are anxious
TO have him in the legislature as there
are two senators to be selected soon.
cANnRc crATE opIMAov