Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-13
Democrats Promise Publicity

/
| How can the people hope to rule If
| they are not able to learn until after
| the election what the predatory inter
ests are doing? The Democratic party
meets the issue honestly and courage
| ously. 1T says:
I'VE pledge the Democratic party
| to the enactment of a law prohibiting
any corporation from contributing 70
| a campaign fund, and any Individual
from contributing an amount above
reasonable maximum, and providing
for the publication, before election, OF
all such contributions above reason
| able minimum"
The Democratic national committee
Immediately proceeded to interpret and
apply this plank, announcing that no
contributions would be received from
corporations, that no individual would
be allowed to contribute more tnan
$4,000, and that all contributions above
500 would be made public before the
electlon-those received before october
is to be made public on or before tnat
day, those received afterward TO. be
made public on the day when received,
and no such contributions to be ac-
c,pted within three days of the cleo
ton. The expenditures are to be pub
lished after the election. Here Is
plan which is complete and etectlVe'
Popular Election of Senators
Next to the corrupt use of money, the
present method of electing United
States senators is most responsible Tor
the obstruction of reforms. f-or ono
hundred years after the adoption or
the constitution the demand for the
popular election of senators, while
finding increased expression, did not
become a dominant sentiment. A con-
stitutional amendment had from time
to time been suggested and the mat
ter had been more or less discussed in
a few of the states, but the movement
had not reached point where 1t man
ifested itself through congressional
action. In the fifty-second congress,
however, a resolution was reported
from house committee proposing the
necessary constitutional amendment,
and this resolution passed the house OF
representatives by a vote which was
practically unanimous. In the hfty-
third congress a similar resolution was
reported to and adopted by the house
of representatives. Both the fifty-second
and fifty-third congresses were DEM
ocratic. The Republicans gained con-
troll of the house as a result of the cleo
ton of 1894 and in the fifty-fourth con-
gress the proposition died in commit
tee. AS time went on, however, the sem
tfment grew among the people until
1t forced q Republican congress to fol-
low the example set by the Democrats,
and then another and another Republic
can 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 resolution, notwtth-
standing the fact that the voters of the
United States, by an overwhelming
majority, demand it. And this refusal
is the more significant when 1t is re-
membered that number OF senators
owe their election to great corporate
interests Three Democratic national
platforms-the platforms of 1900, 1904
and 1908-specifically call for 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 ma
tional 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 explicitly repudiated
in 1908, for the recent Republican ma
tional convention, by vote of 866 to
ia rejected the plank indorsing the
popular election of senators-and this
was done in the convention which NOM
mated Mr. Taft, few delegates from his
own state voting for the plank
In his notification speech, the Rel
publican candidate, speaking Of the
election of senators by the people, says:
PERSONALLY. I am inclined to favor 1t,
but it is hardly a party question"
What is necessary to make this party
question? When the Democratic con-
vention indorses a proposition by a
unanimous vote, and the Republican
convention rejects the proposition by a
vote of 7 to 1, does 1t not become an
issue between the parties? Mr.. Taft
cannot remove the question from the
arena of politics by expressing per-
sonal inclination toward the Demo-
cratic position. For several years he
has been connected with the admins
tration. What has he ever said or done
to bring this question before the pub
lie? What enthusiasm has he shown
in the reformation of the senate
What influence could he exert in behalf
of a reform which his party has openly
and VIGOROUSLY condemned in its con-
yention, and to which he Is attached
only by 81 belated expression of per-
sonal inclination?