The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28

rights can be secured to wit Govern ment by the people, acting not in person, but by representa- shosen by them selves.'
 That was the idea of Jefferson, but that Is now improved upon. The representa- tives of the people are only to busy them selves initiating laws which are to be referred to the people for approval and enactment Under our system of checks and balances Delaware Is equal to New York in the United States Senate; but under the initiative and referendum one New York Is equal to one hundred Della wares. As Ben Hill expounded 1t, Mis- sissippi is the equal of Illinois in the Sen ate. Under the initiative and referen- dunn Illinois is equal to nineteen Mssis- sippis, computed on the popular votes or the two states in 1904 You might set to work all the cunning and all the knaVefy of all the most fertile and most inteilec- tual minds of all the world and they could not conceive or coneoct a scheme that would put the south more compieteiy at the mercy of the north than the inl- tiative and referendum. It lodges power with the strong and leaves the weak ab- solutely defenseless. It was to protect the weak from the strong IL was 'o check the power of the strong that the United States Senate was created, ana the check Is further rooted In our sys- tenn 0Y the DTONlSlDH lllit SNiiehNVi ''''-''t be chosen not by the people direct put by the representatives of the people.
 If has worked admirably. Where do you find the cream of American states manship? In the Senates Of HIS years. Take any state, north or soutn, east UT west. get down the list of It's senators m Congress that were chosen by the iegis- latures and show me wherein they ar" inferior to the governors of that state chosen by the people direct. Take the present Senate and wherein are its mem bers inferior to the present governors ol the states? Take the House or Represen- tatiyes chosen directly by the people wherein are its members superior to the senators? Take down Ben Hilrs mag niicent sneech of May 10. 1879, read it and see how he dispes all this bosh Of which the country is now so full from ocean to ocean.
 Tn inc Senate John w Daniel has been a studious thinker. He has delivered some great speeches in that body that caused his colleague to reflect. His speech on the rate bill of the last Congress, deliV- cred all too late in the session. ranks with Bailey's and Spooners and For aker's 1t is such men as Daniel that make of the Senate what the consttu- tion intended-an advisory council, with a veto on the House of Representatives and the President. The Lodge force bill, to restore military or negro rule at the south was beaten in a Senate that had republican majority. and beaten because inc Senate is the theater of deliberation, where men reason together. Suppose the force bill of 1890, that was initiated in the House and put to sleep in the Senate, had been referred to the people in mass? Where would the south be today if the people had voted on 1t as they did in the first race between Grover Cleveland and Ben Harrison? Is 1t possible that the south. the weaker section, will refer sa- cred rights to d popular vote in Penn slyvania or Chicago? Are those masses, thousands and thousands of them gnor- ant. corrupt. vicious, to legislate directly