The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-08-12

! the present method of electlnS Jnlteo
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 find
ing increased expression, did not be-
come a dominant sentiment. A consti-
tutional amendment 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 1t
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 the resolution passed the house
of representatives by vote which was
practically unanimous. In the fifty
third congress a similar resolution
was reported to, and adopted, by the
house of representatives. Both the fiji
ty-second and fifty-third congresses
were democratic. The republicans
gained control Of the house as result
of the election of 1894 and in the fifty
fourth congress the proposition died in
committee. AS time went on, however,
the sentiment grew among the people.
until it forced a republican congress
to follow the example set by the dem
ocrats and then another and another
republican congress acted favorably.
State after state has endorsed this re-
| form, until nearly two-thirds of the
states have recorded themselves in it's
| favor The United States senate, how
ever, impudently and arrogantly OBJ
| structs the passage of the resolution,
notwithstanding the fact that the vot-
ers Of the United States by an over
! whelming majoriy. demand it. And this
| refusal is the more significant when it
| is remembered that a number of SEN
ators owe their election to great cor
| porate interests.
! "Three democratic national plat
! forms-the platforms of 1900, 1904 and
f! 190S-specifically call for a change in
! the constitution which will put the
| the voters and the proposition has been
endorsed by a number of the smaller
parties. but no republican national
convention has been willing to cham
piOn the cause of the people on this
subject was ignored by the republi-
| can national convention in 1900, it was
! ignored in 1904 and the proposition
| was explicit in reputation in 1908, for
| the recent republican national conven-
yofa 80
| the plank endorsing the popular cleo
ton Of senator's, and this was done
| in the convention which nominated Mr..
Taft, few delegates from his own state
voting for the plank.
Personal inclination Not Sufficient.
In his notification speech, the re-
publican candidate. speaking of the
| election of senators by the people,
says: Personally, 1 am inclined to ia
vor it, but it is hardly a party ques-
ton What is necessary to make this
a party question? When the democrat
| ic convention endorses a proposition
by unanimous vote and the republi-
can convention rejects the proposition
! by vote of seven to one, does it not
become an issue between the parties p?
Mr.. Taft cannot remove the question
from the arena Of politics by express
ing a personal inclination toward the
democratic position. For several
years he has been connected with the
administration What has he ever said
or done TO bring this question before
the public? What enthusiasm has he
shown in the reformation of the SEN
ate? What influence could he exert in
behalf of a reform which his party has
openly and VIGOROUSLY condemned in
its convention. and to which he is at
tached only by a belated expression of
personal inclination?
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