The daily sentinel., 1908-08-12

purchased, even when the knowledge
comes too late to be of service, but
why should the people be kept in
darkness until the election is past?
Why should the locking of the door
be DELAYED until the horse is gone?
An Election A Public Affair.
IAN election is a public affair.
The people, exercising the right to
select their officials and to decide
upon the policies TO be pursued, pro-
ceed to their several polling places
on election day and register their
will. What excuse can be given for
secrecy as to the influences at work?
If man, pecuniarily interested in
concentrating the control of the rail-
roads in one management sub
scribes large sum to aid in carry
ing the election, why should his part
in the campaign be concealed until
he has put the officials under obliga-
tion to him? If trust magnate
contributes 100000 to elect political
friends to office, with view to pre-
venting hostile legislation, why
should that fact be concealed until
his friends are securely seated in
their official positions?
This is not a new question: it is
a question which has been agitated-
a question which the republican lead
ers fully understands question
which the republican candidate has
studied. and yet he refuses to declare
himself i'll favor of the legislation
absolutely necessary, namely, legis-
lation requiring publication before
the election.
Democratic Party Promises Publicity.
How can the people hope to rule,
if they are not able to learn until
after the election what the predatory
interests are doing? The democratic
party meets the issue honestly and
courageously. 1t says:
I've pledge the democratic party
to the enactment of a law prohibiting
any corporation from contributing
to campaign fund. and any individ-
| ual from contributing an amount
above reasonable maximum, and
providing for the publication, before
election, of all such contributions
above reasonable minimum
THE democratic national commit
tee Immediately proceeded to inter
pref and apply this plank, announc-
| ing that no contributions would be
received from corporations, that no
individual would be allowed TO con-
tribute more than $4,000, and that
all contributions above 500 would
be made public before election
| those received before October 5 to
/ be made public on or before that
day. those received afterward to be
made public on the day when receiv-
ed. and no such contributions to be
accepted within three days of the
election. The expenditures are TO be
published after the election. Here
is q Plan which is complete and eff
fective.
Popular Election of Senators.
Next to the corrupt use of money
| the preesnt method of electing Unit
| ed States senators is most responsible
! for the obstruction of reforms. For
one hundred years after the adoption
of the constitution the demand for
the popular election of senators,
while finding increased expression,
did not become dominant senti-
ment. A constitutional amend ment
had from time TO time been suggested
and the matter had been more or less
discussed in a few of the states. but
the movement had not reached a
point where il manifested itself
through congressional action. In the
| Fifty-second congress. however, a
| resolution was reported from a house
committee proposing the necessary
constitutional amendment. and this
resolution passed the House of Rep
practically unanimous. In the Fifty
third congress a similar resolution
was reported to, and adopted by, the
House of Representatives. Both the
Fifty-second and Fifty-third con
crosses were democratic. The repub-
licans gained control of the house as
result of the election of 1894 and
in the F'ifty-fourth congress the prop
osition died in committee. AS time
went on, however, the sentiment
grew among the people, until ii fore
ed republican congress to follow
the examples set by the democrats
and then another and another repub-
lican congress acted favorably. State
after state has endorsed this reform,
until nearly two-thirds of the states
have recorded themselves in its
favor. The United States senate
however, impudently and arrogantly
obstructs the passage of the resolu-
tion, Notwithstanding the fact that
the voters of the United States. by an
overwhelming majority, demand it.
And this refusal is the more signifi-
cant when il is remem bered that
number of senators owe their cleo
ton to great corporate interests.
Three democratic national platforms
the platforms of 1900, 1904 and
190S-specifically call for a change
in the constitution which will put the
election of Senators in the hands of
the voters, and the proposition has
been endorsed by a 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 1900; it was ignored |
in 1904, and the proposition WAS ex-
plicitly repudiated in 1908, for the
recent republican national conven-
ton, by a vote OF $50 to l4. . rejected |