New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-06-17
The Oregon Plan Of
Electing U. S. Senators.

The outcome of the s'Oregon PLAN
of bringing the selection of United
States senator's close to the people
has caused some perturbation and
alarm among strong partisans, and no
doubt the fact that it will compel
Republican legislature to elect
Democratic senator or refuse to abide
by it's pledges to the people will make
Republican partisans in states like
Minnesota very reluctant to take it up.
However, there is one answer to all
the amazed protests of partisans that
is certain to silence them, at least so
far as public utterance is concerned.
That is the obvious fact that if the
Oregon legislature elects as senator
the man chosen by the people, the
people will have had their will, and
that is the object of democratic form
Of government. The fact that mem
bers of one party are required by this
process to put into high Office a man
of another party is not an argument
against it. These members of the
legislature are public servants, and it
is their duty to heed the public's
wishes when they are expressed SO
clearly as they were in this case.
While this country is not yet in a
position to do away with party
government, party government will
always lead to evil unless it is checked
by an alert and vigorous spirit of in
dependence. No party has ever yet
had inordinate power without abusing
it. It is to the abuses of parts anship
that this country owes most of the
vexing problems that beset it today,
and partisanship offers the strongest
resistance to the correction of these
evils. The fathers formed a govern
Lnent by the people, but control Of
that government fell into the hands of
the parties, and, until recent years
brought the direct nomination system,
the people had no control of parties.
They were controlled by rings, ma
chimes and bosses. These powers
needed money to run campaigns with,
and the big business interests con-
tributed it. What more natural than
that these leaders, interested in party
and personal success more than in
their country's good, should have
the government in the
interests of those who supplied the
funds?
The direct election of United States
senator's, either through constitution
al amendment Or by some suchsplan
as Oregon has adopted, is necessary
in order to get the control Of govern
ment away from party machines and
into the hands of the people. If the
of the popular wishes re-
suits in defeat to the party in power,
it is because that party has deserved
harm.
The more party machinery we de-
stroy by putting the control of cleo
lions directly into the hands of the
people, the better the nation will be
served. Destroying party machinery
means no harm to the party; it means
good to it because it involves cleaning
out the maggots of bossism that are
fattening in the cheese. People who
complain Of the destruction of parties
by direct nominations and direct
elections confuse the real party with
the corrupt nests Of parasites that get
into the party machine. Breaking
up these nests does not harm the
party; it purifes it,-Duluth Herald.
In Washington it is limited that DR..
the Swedish minister,
has become persona non grata to the
president. No wonder, for wasn't it
who dropped remark to
the effect that he considered Elihu
Root the most interesting personality
be had seen on this side of the water?