Bisbee daily review., 1908-08-13

sonable 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
than $4,000, and that all contribu-
tons above 800 would be made pub
lie before the election-those re-
ceiyed before October Is to be made
public on or before that date, those
received afterward TO be made public
on the day when received, and no
such contributions TO be accepted with
in three days of the election. fhe
expenditures are to be published after
the election. Here is plan which is
complete and effective.
Popular Election of Senators.
Next TO the corrupt use of money,
the present method of electing United
States senator is moft responsive
for the obstruction of reforms For
one hundred years after the adoption
of the constitution, the demand for
the popular election of senators, while
finding increased expression, did not
become a dominant sentiment. A
constitutional amendment had from
time to time been suggested and the
matter had been more or less dis
cussed in a few of the states, but the
movement had not reached point
where it manifested itself through
congregational action, In the fifty
second congress, however, a resolu-
ton was reported from house com
mittee proposing the necessary con-
stitutional amendment, and this reso-
luton passed the house Of representa-
tives by vote which was practically
unanimous. In the fifty-third congress
similar resolution was reported to,
and adopted by, the house of represen-
tatives. Both the fifty-second and fifty
third congresses we're democratic,
The republicans gained control of the
house as a 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 il forced
a republican congress to follow the
example set by the democrats, and
| then another and another republican
congress acted fayorably. 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, impu-
( IDENTIFY and arrogantly obstructs the
| passage of the resolution notwith-
| standing the fact that the voters OF
/ the United States, by an oVerwhelm
| ing majority, demand IT, And this re
! fusal is the more significant when il
is remembered that a number of sen
| ators owe their election to great cor
| porate interests. Three democratic
| piatforms-the platforms of 1900
| 1904 and 190S-specifically call for a
| change in the constitution which will
| put the election of senators in the
hands of the voters, and the PROPOSE
ton has been endorsed by number
1 CT the smaller parties, but no republi-
| can national convention has been will
/ ing 10 champion the cause of the peo
| pie on this subject. The subject was
| ignored by the republican national
| convention in 1900; it was ignored N
| 1904, and the proposition was explicit
| " repudiated in 1908. for the recent
/ republican national convention, by a
I vote of $50 TO ia, rejected the plank
( endorsing the popular election of sen
ators-and this was done in the con
| vention which nominated Mr.. Taft
| few delegates from his own state yot
I ing for the plank.
1 personal inClindAiO1
In his notification speech, the re
! publican candidate speaking of the
I election of senators by the people
says: Personally, l am inclined tc
I favor II, but il is hardly a party
question" What is necessary to make
/ this a party question? When the dem
ocratic convention endorses propo
sition BY a unanimous vote. and the
republican convention rejects the
| proposition by vote of seven to one
does it not become an issue between
the parties? Mr. Taft cannot remove
the question from the arena of poll
tics by expressing a personal inclina
/ ton toward the democratic position
For several years he has been con
nected with the administration What
/ has he ever said or done to bring this
question before the public? What en-
thusiasm has he shown in the reforma
ton of the senator What influence
could he exert in behalf of a reform
which his party has openly and motor
iously condemned in its convention
and to which he is attached only b.
a belated expression of personal in
cIination?
The Gateway TO Other Reforms.
Shall the people ruler" Ever re
medal measure of a national charac
ter must run the gauntlet Of he sen
ate. The president may personally in
feline toward a REFORM the house ma!
consent to it: but as long as the sen
ate obstructs the reform, the people
I must wait The president heeds a pop
I ular demand; the house may yield t
public opinion; but as long as th'
senate is defiant, the rule of the PEG
4 pie is defeated. The democratic plat
. form very properly describes the pop
ular election of senators as "the gate
way TO other national reforms" Shal
we open the gate, or shall We allow
|, the exploiting interests TO bar the wa,
by the control of this branch of th'
federal legisIature2 Through a demo
cratic victory. and through a demo
cratic victory onfy, can the people Sc
. cure the popular election of sena
tors. The smaller parties are unable
to secure this reform; the republican
party, under its present leadership, ],
resoluteIy opposed to it; the democrat
ic party stands for it and has boidil
demar4ed 1t. If / am elected to tbs
n presidency. those who are elected up
on the ticket with me, like myself
pIedged TO this REFORM and I shall
II convene congress in extraordinary ses
|. sion Immediately after inauguration
, sod ask. among other things. for tbs
Iulfiiment Of this platform pledge.
house Rule Despotic.
The third instrumentality empioye.
! to defeat the viii of the people 1
j found in the rules OF the house OF rep
| resentatiVes. Our platform point
out that Atle house Of representative
was designed by the fathers Of th'
constitution. TO be the popular 5rancl
II of our government. responsive to til,