The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-04-29
F7ENEY POINTS THE WAY TO
UPROOT OFFICIAL GRAFT BY
MEANS OF DIRECT PRIMARY

ing man president under the
scheme of the constitution, whose
name had never, up to that time,
been connected with the presidency
by any political party. Moreover,
the man in question was a bank
rupt. voluptuary, for whom no
means was too low to carry out
the adventurous plans of his dar-
ing AMI ambition, and who was
thought by many to be traitor to
the union and opposed to republi-
can institutions.
Burr never could have been
elected president by the direct vote
of the people, and there has never
been a time when such a man could
have been elected by a direct vote
of the people. There have been
times, however, when the presi-
dency might have been purchased
by the bribery of delegates to the
electoral college IL the plans of the
constitution had been followed IN
It's letter and spirit.
In fact If the theory of the franz
ers of the constitution had been
followed up to the present time it
is difficult to imagine the shocking
and shameless character and enor-
nous amount of bribery and cor
ruption which would have been in
jected into every presidential cleo
ton. Members of the electoral
college (like members of the legis-
lature) would have been bribeo
by vast payments Of money as well
as promises of appointment to i'm
portant AMI influential Offices, even
members of the cabinet.
There is no reason to suppose
that the man elected as a delegate
to the electoral college would pos
sess any more honor or strength
of character to resist temptation
than the man elected to the state
Legislature. AS matter of fact
the delegates now elected to the
electoral college are such mere
men of straw" that hardly any
voter knows who the individuals
are. And a majority of the voters
probably do not know who the
electors are at the time they vote
for them. The voters are only con-
cerned with the party nominations
for president, and the electors are
morally pledged to vote for such
party nominees.
Since 1882 all delegates to the
electoral college have been elected
by a majority vote of the people
who thus have, through the moral
pledge. elected their own president,
if by indirection, and the effect
has been to completely annihilate
the plan of the trainers of the con-
stitution.
This modern system demon
strates that the people can be trust
ed to elect their own president
without the intervention of any de-
Lucrative body, even in times OF
great public excitement. Indeed
the election of Abraham Lincoln
would probably not have been pos
sible under any other system. i
If the people of the whole United
States can be trusted to, in effect.
directly elect their own president
it would seem to require very little
argument to demonstrate that the
people of each state could well be
trusted to directly elect their own
senators.
There is very little hope. how
ever, that the senate of the United
States, composed as it is of tue
representatives of the moneyed in
terests, will ever vote to submit to
the people an amendment to the
constitution providing for the d.
rect election of senators by the
people of each state. The Oregon
direct primary law accomplishes
this result as to the election of
senators by indirection just as the
people Of the United States have
accomplished fundamental change
in the national constitution by &C
curing the power to elect their
own president by indirection.
California has the opportunity a,
the coming election to adopt an
amendment to the constitution pro-
viding for a direct primary nom-
ination law, and this ought to be
only the first step towards acQuir-
ing the right which Oregon pos
sesses to elect our own senators
by the vote of the people.
Every state in the union ought
to adopt the Oregon laws upon this
subject at the earliest date pos
sible. In this way only can the
people of each state come into
their rights once more and elect
men to the senate who will repre-
sent them instead Of representing
the corporate interests in all mat
tiers wherein the interests of the
people and the interests OF preda-
tory nnrnnra ions nninn In nn,, aint