Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-08-13

the house os representatives by vote
 which WIS practically unanimous. In
 the Fsty-third congress a similar reso.
 lutioa was reported to, ankadopted by, the house of representatives. Both the
 Ffty-second and Fifty-third congresses
 wer, democratic. The republicans gain
 ed cSntrol 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 sentin ent grew among the people,
 until it f,rced republican congress
 to follow the example set by the dem-
 oerats, and then another and another
 republican congress acted favorably. | State after ,'tate has endorsed this re- form, until nearly two thirds of the
 states have recorded themselves in its favor. The United States senate, how
 ever, impudently and arrogantly Ob- struets the passage of the resolution, notwithstanding the fact that the vot.
 CTS of the United States, by an over
 whelming majority, demand it. And this refusal is the more significant when | it is remembered that number of sen
 ators owe their election to great cor porate interests. Three democratic na.
 tional platforms--the platforms of 1900.
 1904 and l9Os--specifcauy call for a | change in the constitution which vii
 put the election of senators in the
 hands of the voters, and the proposition
 has been endorsed by 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 repudi ated in 1908, for the recent republican national convention, by vote of S66 to IA, rejected the plank endorsing the popular election of senators--and this
 was done in the convention which nom mated MT. Taft, few delegates from
 his own state voting for the plank. In his notification speech, the repub.
 lican candidate, speaking to the cleo.
 tion of senators by the people, says:
 Personally. l am inclined to favor it,
 but 1t is hardly a party question. !" What is necessary to make this party | question: When the democratic con.
 vention endorses a proposition by a
 unanimous vote, and the republican
 convention rejects the proposition by a vote of seven to one, does it not be.
 come an issue between the partiesi MT. Taft can not 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 admin,
 istration What has he ever said or
 done to bring this question before the | publies What enthusiasm has he shown in the reformation of the senatei What influence could he exert in behalf of
 reform which his party has openly and
 notriously condemned in it's convention. | and to which he is attached only by
 belated expression of personal ineli. | nationf
 "Shall the people rulel" Every
 remedial measure of national char. | aeter must run the gauntlet of the senate The president may personally inelAe toward reform; the house may coGBsAt to it.; but as long as the sen
 ate obstructs the reform, the people
 must wait The president may heed a | popular demand; the house may yield
 to public opinion; but as long as the
 senate is defiant, the rule of the peo- pie is defeated The democratic plat. form very properly describes the pop. ular election of senators as "the gate | way to other national reforms" Shall | we open the gate. or shall we allow the | exploiting interests to bar the way by | control of this branch of the federal | legislaturef Through a democratic vie. tory, and through democratic victory | only, can the people secure the popular | election of senators The smaller par | ties are unable to secure this reform; the republican party, under its present
 leadership, is resolutely opposed to it; the democratic party stands for it and
 has boldly demanded it If l am elect
 ed to the presidency. those who are
 elected upon the ticket with me will
 be. like myself, pledged to this reforme, and l shall convene congress in extra. ordinary session immediately after. in auguration, and ask, among other things, for the fulfllmeDt of this plat form pledge
 House Rules Despotic
 The third instrumentality employed
 to defeat the will of the people is found in the rules of the house of rep.
 resentatives Our platform points out that "the house of representatives was
 designed by the fathers of the eonsti
 tuition, to be the popular branch of our government, responsive to the public
 will, v and adds:
 "The house of representatives, as controlled in recent years by the re-
 publican party, has ceased to be de
 Lucrative body, responsive to the will of majority of the members, but has come under the absolute domination of the speaker, who has entire control of
 its deliberations, and powers of legis
 lation
 "We have observed with amazement the popular branch of our federal gov
 ernment helpless to obtain either the consideration or enactment of measures desired by majority of its members
 This arraignment is fully justified
 The reform republicans in the house of representatives, wben in the minor ity In their own party, are as helpless to obtain hearing or to secure vote upon measure as are the democrats. In the recent session of the present congress, there was considerable el- emtn in the republican party favorable