The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-28
NO POLITICAL pANAcEA.

NO POLITICAL PANACEA.
 One of the recent stories of Rudyard Kipiins is a forceful bit of imagina- tion, in which the present system of society was fully overthrown and so- cialisni was established so far as the various schools of Socialists could agree. And when the crash of the new order came the leaders said to the poor victims of the catastrophe. You see 1t didn't turn out like We expected"
 There are many political doctrinaires and economic dreamers who might take another look at their schemes to banish all governmental and political ills in the light of the moral of this tale. For some years past 1t has been of political reformers to advance a scheme in which all governmental and political questions are to be put direct to a vote-being admitted as it were to the people in one gathering after the born orators had had chance at them. This, however, is not exactly a new French Revolution. Like Kipling's So- cialsts, the leaders of the revolution did not find matters to turn out ex- actly as they expected. Quite a num- Der of people more or less innocent of any crime lost their lives and sev- eral worthy gentlemen who were lead CTS of the people one day and directed the execution of others at the guillo- tine were themselves victims the next.
 This only, incidentally, points the moral of the argument that the Ameri- can government Is essentially a gov ernment of representation. Let us not forget that. Jefferson's ideas prevailed in the formation of the government, and even the dreamers and theorists are willing to admit that Jefferson was a Democrat.
 The squabbles in Wisconsin and Illi- nois over the selection of United States Senators, where their selection was put into direct party primary is an ad- ditional evidence of Jenerson's wisdom if such were needed. One of the politl- cal "cure alls' for governmental ills has been the direct lection of United States Senators, In opposition to the teachings of Jefferson and the plan of the constitution. Wisconsin and Ini- nois decided to take course of this treatment.
 In Wisconsin Isaac Stephenson had financed the various campaigns for Re- former Robert La Toilette. Being him. self safely in the Senate La Toilette decided that he would have somebody sent as his colleague other than steph- enson. But Stephenson was as ready to spend money for himself as he was for La Toilette. After putting consid- erably more than a hundred thousand dollars in the primary Stephenson won his race. La Toilette and his friends, the promoters and sponsors for the Senatorial primary, started a fight in the Legislature and very nearly suc- ceeded in beating Stephenson out of the fruits of his victory.
 Much the same is true of Illinois. The reformers forced sort of a pri- mary, as near as Illinois has had. Sen- ator Albert J. Hopkins being one of the old guaSd of Republicans was not in favor of such a primary. but he threw bis chances into 1t when 1t was ordered. He won the fight. but the reformers. with characteristic obstinacy, were not satisfied with any Hopkins victory. A primary in which Hopkins would be beaten would have been an excellent thing, but a primary in which Hop kins was victor was altogether repre- hensible. And again the reformers rushed to the Legislature and with better results for Hopkins has not yet been elected.
 We may draw the conclusion from all these broils and bickerings that a direct vote on United States Senator is only satisfactory when your man wins. No, the political panacea Is yet to be