The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-13

| efer' impudently and arrogantiy opstructs 1 the passage of the resolution, notwith-
 standing the fact that the voters or the 1 tinted States, by an overwhelming ma
 Jority, demand it. And this refusal IS the 1 more significant when it is remembered l that number of Senators owe their cleo
 ton to great corporate interests. Three 1 democratic national platforms-the
 platforms of 1900, 1904 and f9OS-speeihcally l call for change in the constitution
 which will put the election of Senators
 In the hands of the voters, and the prop
 osition has been indorsed by number
 of the smaller parties, but no republican national convention has been willing to
 champion the cause of the people on this subject. The subject was ignored by the republican national convention in lsOo' l 1t was ignored in 1904. and the proposition
 was explicitly repudiated in 1908, for the
 recent republican convention, by vote
 of S66 to 114, rejected the plank indorslng l the popular election of senators-and thls
 was done in the convention which nomi-
 mated Mir Taft, few delegates from his
 own state voting for the plank.
 Personal Inclination Not Sufficient. l In his notification speech, the republican 1 candidate, speaking of the election of sem
 ators by the people, says: Personally l 1 am inclined to favor if, but it is hardly
 a party question:" What is necessary to i make this a party question? when the
 democratic convention indorses proposl-
 ton by a unanimous vote, and the repub- l ucan convention rejects the proposition l by a vote of seven to one does It not 1 become an issue between the partiesY MT. | Taft cannot remove the question from the l arena of politics by expressing a personal
 inclination toward the democratic posi-
 ton. For several years he has been con
 nected with the administration What l has he ever said or done to bring this
 question before the public? What en- l thusiasm has he shown in the reforma- l ton of the Senate? What influence could | he exert in behalf of a reform which l his party has openly and notoriously con l demned in it's convention, and to wnich
 he is attached only by a belated express
 sion of personal inclination?
 The Gateway To Other Reforms.
 "Shall the people ruler" Every re-
 medal measure of a national character
 must run the gauntlet of the Senate. 1 The President may personally incline 1 toward a reform; the House may con-
 sent to it. but as long as the senate l obstructs the reform, the people must i wait. The President may heed popu-
 lar demand; the House may yield to
 public opinion; but as long as the Sen
 
 defeated The democratic platform | very properly describes the popular 1 election of senators as the gateway l to other national reforms" Shall we | open the gate, or shall we allow the exploiting interests to bar the way by l the control of this branch of the fed
 eral legislature? Through a democratic
 victory, and through democratic VIC l tory only, can the people secure the l a1a of The l CT parties are unable to secure this
 reform; the republican party, under its 1 present leadership, is resolutely op- posed to 1t; the democratic party stands l for 1t and has boldly demanded 1t. IT | am elected to the presidency, those
 who are elected upon the ticket With
 me will be, like myself, pledged to this
 reform, and I shall convene Congress | in extraordinary session immediately
 after inauguration, and ask, among l other things for the fulfllment of this platform pledge.
 House Rules Despotlc.
 The third instrumentality employed
 to defeat the will of the people is found l in the rules of the House of Repre-
 sentatives. Our platform points out that the House of Representatives was 1 designed by the fathers of the constl- | tuition to be the popular branch of our 1 government, responsive to the public will" and adds:
 "The House of Representatives, as 1 controlled in recent years by the re- 1 publican party, has ceased to be a de- 1 Lucrative and legislative body respon-
 siye to the will of a majority of the
 members but has come under the ab-
 solute domination of the speaker, who l has entire control of it's deliberations,
 and powers of legislation.
 "We have observed with amazement l the popular branch of our federal gov
 ernment helpless to obtain either the | consideration or enactment of measures
 desired by a majority of its members. This arraignment Is fully justified. The reform republicans in the House l of Representatives, when in the minor l ity in their own party, are as helpless l to obtain a hearing or to secure vote I upon a measure as are the democrats. l In the recent session of the present | Congress, there was considerable ele-
 ment in the republican party favorable l to remedial legislatio but a few lead 1 CTS in control of the organization, despotically suppressed these members, ] and thus forced real majority in the l House to submit to a well organized minority. The republican national con- vention, instead of rebuking this at | tack upon popular government, eulo giZed Congress and nominated as the republican candidate for Vice Presi- 1 dent one of the men who shared in the 1 responsibility for the coercion of the l House. Our party demands that "ths
 House of Representatives shall again become a deliberative body, controlled 1 by maj jority of the peoples represen- l tatives, and not by the speaker" and l is pledged to adopt such rules and | regulations to govern the House of i Representatives as will enable a ma 1 jority of it's memb bers to direct It's de- 1 Alterations and control legislation.
 Shall the people ruler" They cannot
 do so unless they can control the mouse 1 of Representatives, and through their | representatives in the House give eX-
 pression to their purposes and tn cir de | sires. The republican party is com
 mitted to the methods now in vogu.
 in the House of Representatives; ril
 democratic party is pledged to such
 revision of the rules as will bring tn popular branch of the federal govern
 ment into harmony with the ideas o' thos who framed our constitution ani l founded our government
 Other Issues Will Be Discussed Later. 1 Shall the people rule?" I repeat |. declared by our platform to be the l oyersh allowing question: and as the campaign progresses I shall take oc- l casion to discuss this question as
 manifests itself in other issues; fo" ] whether we consider the tariff ques question, the banking question, the | O4