The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-04-25
HARRISBURG LETTER,
Special Correspondence.
Harrisburg, Pa, April 20, 1907.

born, prayed l.OIu save lHe lIOul
nv friends. A more modern
philosopher, with probably a keen,
er understanding of conditions,
amended the proposition by invok.
ing the protection of heaven against
his fool friends" If Senator
Penrose would work both PROPOSE
tions to the limit, he could hardly
get square within the measure of a
lite time. What his fool friends
have been doing to him lately is
more than plenty. If they haven
put him out of the political game
for all time, the signs are mislead
ng.
The instrument with which Sen
ator Penrose's fool friends" have
worked this result is their opposi-
ton to the McCord bill which pro-
vided for an expression of party
sentiment on the United States
Senatorship. Whatever the author
of that measure had i'll mind, the
result of it would have been the
endorsement of Penrose, if his
friends had supported the bill.
They had the machinery which
operates the primary elections and
easily could have made it their
policy. If that had been done their
opponents would have been without
a leg to stand on. The average
man as we'll as the machine politi
clan would have supported Penrose
in appreciation of his magnanimity,
whether he had previously been
friend or enemy.
But things are different now.
Penroses fool friends" have al
ligned him as against the popular
will and the ranks of his opponents
have been augmented by all those
who favored a square deal.
They say that he was afraid of the
popular will. They allege that he
would deny the people the right of
expressing their opinion upon
questions upon which they were
vitality interested. Those who
know Penrose thoroughly will be
slow to thus interpret recent events.
But as matter of fact the Senator
is somewhat austere, only few
know him intimately and the minds
of all others are open to any ad-
verse notion that comes along. 1t
may safely be said, therefore, that
the defeat of the McCord bill by
the friends of Penrose has dug
grave for Penrose's ambitions.
A MEANINGLESS MEASURE.
The McCord bill was the silliest
of demagogic expression, 1t meant
nothing and was incapable of
achieving anything. 1t proposed
The regulation of the Senatorial
lection by the popular vote. The
constitution of the United States
ixes another way for regulating
hat election and that instrument
the fundamental law of the land.
The trainers of that constitution
believed in the principle of State
sovereignty. They provided for a
Congress in two branches, one to
'epresent the people and the other
The States. They arranged that
hat branch which represented the
people should be chosen by the peo-
ole and the branch which repre-
.ented the States should be elected
~ the Legislatures of the States.
There was nothing incongruous
ibout that arrangement. 1t was
he logical solution of the govern
mental problem which was most
intricate and involved. 1t was
,efferson's s antidote for Hamilton's
imperialistic poison.
The strangest, not to say the
nost startling, feature of modern
,olitical development is in the fact
hat Republican statesmen are COM
)elled to defend cardinal Democrat
: doctrine against assailants of
other party faiths. For example
within few months Foraker, of
Ohio, to all intents and purposes
The most uncompromising oppon-
mt of Democracy has been obliged
to defend the principles of Demo
cracy against the attacks of Popu-
lists and Democrats led by Roose-
velt, the official head of the Re
publican party. The same anoma-
lous combination Of circumstances
had made Hartman. Hill and 9TH
er representatives of monopoly and
and plutocracy the champions of
cardinal principles OF popular gov
ernment, 1t is not so surprising,
therefort, that Penrose, who is
governed by no principle but ex-
pediency, should appear in the
arena as the champion of Demo-
cratic idea.
IL