Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1910-12-20
Sill FER DECLARES CHOICE OF THE PEOPLE FOR
UNITED STATES SENATOR MUST BE 0BEYED
Pledges Himself For James Marine
Because Voters Want Him--Ad-
rnires Mr.. Wilson's Stand.
SPEAKS in WOODBRIDGE CHURCH

So. lie Sdlu tHC luJuIS Ol Oui WdtSf
supplies, ETC., is one that should be
determined at this time and he urged
the voters to help the legislators to
bring about feasible scheme to
provide for this. He claimed the
greatest thing to conserve is public
health and he expressed admiration
at the pretty spot for consumpt1yes
at Glen Garden and expressed his
wish that more such ground could
be secured for the care of the atfiict-
ed ones, as we'll as for the care of
feeble-minded children, such as are
housed in one of the great state in
stitutions.
United States Senatorship.
The senator then hit upon the
question which he deemed upper
most in the minds of the people at
this time, the matter of the election
of United States senator from this
state. He read the clause of the con-
stitution providing for the choosing
of United States senators and said
in connection Herewith that the
writers of that constitution were the
greatest constitution writer's that
ever lived He presented. Alexander
Hamilton's five aims of the govern
ment, and then told of the feeling
prevalent for new method of se-
1ecting senator's, which he termed as
being quite extensive.
The speaker said that in 1874
California and Ohio chose congress-
men in favor of this change and In
1875 Nebraska placed itself on rec
ord as In favor of amending the con-
stitution. In 1899 resolutions were
signed by thirty-two states, includ-
ing New Jersey, as being in favor OF
selection of United States senator's
directly by the people. Since 1898
the House of Representatives had
FIVE times voted that this question
should be submitted to the people,
but the senators, as a sort of advis-
ory board to check the people, have
never permitted the subject to arise
out of committees. A two-thirds
vote of both houses to be ratified by
three-fourths of the states is neces-
sary for the change, so it is evident
that the states must be pretty nearly
unanimous on the subject. The fact
seems, according to the senator, that
the senators are not sufficiently re-
sponsive to the will of the people
, and are lot the representatives OF
the ye~ple as they should be and
by the people.
No Case of Evasion.
As objects that might be claimed
against the new method, the speaker
said some claimed 1t was an evasion
of the constitution. He declared it
In no case an evasion. The small
vote polled, he said, had been term
ed another objection That he put
up to the people. Votes, he claimed,
show pretty substantial expression
of opinion and they should express
themselves at the primaries as we'll
as at the elections. Another objec-
tion Is that men selected have been
done SO by small vote and that
such a small vote does not proclaim
the candidate the peoples choice.
The senator argued that it did and
said: How do you determine that
one is elected over another except
that the one received more votes
than the other?" Still another op-
position Is uttered, that the candf-
date chosen directly is not often the
best. Someone has got to decide
and the senator termed 1t best that
the people do it.
The reasons for the change are
numerous and varied. One is that
the delegate system, by which one
delegates others to do his voting, Is
obsolete. The new system has not
been declared so and the general
tendency, according to the speaker,
seems to favor the direct vote. He
said 1t would overcome deadlocks,
such as have caused states to go un-
represented, for other senators
would immediately be chosen.
New Law Gives People Power.
The speaker declared the new law
gives the people the machinery with
which to do the business. He be-
lieved that legislators would be
more responsive to the will of the
people under the new law, that they
would command greater public con-
fidence. In short, the senator de-
clared the new law brings the issue
clean cut and straight. All that. Of
course, the speaker declared impossi-
BILE until the point is reached where
we can amend the constitution. But
in the meanwhile, he said, we will
have to proceed another way. The
Continued on page 2.