The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-05-31
ELECTION Of
j. S. SENATORS
BY DIRECT VOTE
SENATOR OWEN OF OKLAHOMA
GIVES REASONS FOR RESTORING
RULE OF THE PEOPLE IN Sc
LEcTlNG THEIR REPRESENTA-
TIVES.


tors:
% To make the senate more re-
sponsive to the will of the people; (2)
to prevent corruption and disturbance
of legislatures; 90 to prevent dead
locks in legislatures, and (4) to popu-
larize government, and 60 to increase
the confidence of the people in the
senate.
Mr.. Owen pointed out that the
house Of representatives had four
times passed a proposed amendment
to the constitution for the election OF
senators and the senate had always
defeated it.
He pointed out that thirty-six of the
states had expressed themselves in
one form or another favorably to the
election of senators by direct vote,
either by resolutions addressed to con-
gress or by direct primary nomina-
tons or voluntary party primaries, to-
wit:
Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colo
RADIO, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis-
sissippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wiscon-
sin, Wyoming.
He pointed out similar action along
this line in some Of the remaining
nine states.
He quoted the party platform of the
Democratic party, of the Independent
party, Of the Prohibition party, of the
New York Democratic League. all de-
direct election of senators.
He pointed out the resolutions of
the American Federation of Labor, of
the National Grange, the Society of
Equity, of the Farmers Educational
Cooperative Union, embracing over
100000 adult workers, and repre-
senting nearly half of the people of
the United States. The senator sub
mitted the resolutions passed by
Twenty-Five states, addressed to con-
gress, asking for this action.
The senator said: Mr.. President,
the greatest Of all issues, not only in
the United States, but throughout the
civilized world, Is the issue of the gov
eminent Of the people against govern
ment by the few through machine
politics."
The vital question is, Shall the peo-
pie rule? Shall they control the
mechanism of party government; shall
they have the direct power to nomi-
nate, to legislate, to veto, free from
corruption, intimidation or force?
A Valuable Speech.
The senator declared that the
speech of Honorable Jonathan Bourne,
Jr., of Oregon, of May S, 1910, was the
most valuable speech ever delivered
in congress on the art Of good govern
ment, of which the eight essential fea-
lures were:
The Australian ballot, to abate in
timidation and bribery.
The registration law, to prevent the
voting Of dead men, repeaters and non
residents.
The initiative and referendum, by
which the people can initiate and en-
act any law they want and veto any
statute they do not want.
The law of publicity pamphlets,
giving each voter at state expense au-
thoritative argument for and against
any party candidate, authoritative ar
gument for and against any party
measure.
The direct primary law, by which
party members may nominate their
own candidates and under which the
whole people may choose between can
didates SO nominated by each party.
Statement No. l, by which a candi-
date for the legislature pledges him
self to the people of Oregon to elect
the peoples choice for senator without
regard to his individual preference
The corrupt practices act, forbid
ding rascalities of any kind, such as
promises of appointment, solicitation
of expenses, of campaign contribu-
lions, distribution of anonymous let
ters, sale of editorial support, intimi-
dalton, or coercion Of voters, bet ing
on elections, attempting to vote in the
name of any other person, living, dead
or fictitious, and providing complete
publicity of campaign expenses and
strictly limiting the use of money by
candidates or in their interest, $1,000
being the maximum expenditure in the
campaign of a United States senator
The right of recall, by which any
public officer may be recalled from Of
fee by his electors on petition by spe-
cial election.
The senator declared that the secret
alliances between machine politics
and special interest was operating to
corrupt both parties in some states
and the majority party in very many
of the states, that these SINISTER in
fuences caused the raising OF the
tariff;
Prevented the control of monopoly;
Prevented the lowering Of prices;
Prevented the control of railway
rates;
Prevented the publicity of campaign
contributions;
Prevented a thorough-going corrup-
ton practices act;
Prevented the control of gambling
in agricultural products;
Prevented the control Of gambling
in stocks and bonds;
Prevented the control Of overcapital-
ization of corporations;
Prevented the physical valuation Of
railways as a basis for honest freight
and passenger rates;
Prevented parcels post;
Prevented a national development
of good roads;
Prevented the systematic develop