The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-15

ELECTORS VIII pc ssr.~
obeyed by the new
house OF commons which viii meet
in January.
The fact that there would be gen-
eral election TO decide the fate oil
the historic and ancient upper chaln'
Der OF the British parliament was not
known until Nov. IA. Within i've
weeks after that date the last meme
Der OF the new parliament VIII have
been elected Within six weeks from
the time of the last election the new
parliament will be In session ready
10 carry out the expressed will OF ne
electors.
A hundred years ago, fifty years
ago. ten years ago. five years ago
one year ago-anybody in America
might have known that there would
be congressional election in the
United States in the autumn OF 1910
Any time in the past forty years
everybody knew that election would
take place on the first Tuesday after
the first Monday in November
True TO the course OF the calendar
the constitutional machinery and the
statutory enactments OF the United
| States government brought about
| that election in due time. No con
stitutional issue was involved, the
election was not called 10 decide any
| particular question. il was held be
cause the time had come TO hold m
election. IL is true that there were
several more or less sharply defined
national issues, and the result was
that the people generally recalled
| from the Republican party its man
date OF power, and entrusted tho
| Democratic party with majority IN
! the house OF representatives. y
session of congress began in Wash
I fngten- last week Butthe representa-
tives elected last November are no
there. Those members now sittins
in Washington were elected on tn,
first Tuesday after the first Monday
in November. 1908. Next December
a full twelve months hence. the rep
resentatives in congress elected b,
the people last November will assem-
bic in Washington for the first time
! In the campaign in England the
Liberal leaders declared emphatical
" that II they were returned TO pow
er they would in the session begin
ming in January. insist that the house
|
the command of the people to abro
gate forever its rights and powers "A
a coordinate branch of the legisla
ture.
When the American house of rep
resentatives.f elected last November
meets next December. II must reckon
with senate of contrary politica
complexion. coordinate in every leg
islative power except the initiation
OF financial measures, and that sen
ate will not for one instant feel tina
il is obligated in the slightest TO ODE,
the political mandate of the last con
gressional election.
These things are set down by way
of showing the striking difference:
between the constitution OF Grea
Britain and the constitution OF the
United States of America. The one
is unwritten and flexible. The Other
is written and infiexible. The one
not only permits. but encourages, The
immediate obedience of the govern
ing power TO the latest expression o.
the will of the voters. The other in
terposes an elaborate system o.
checks and balances between the pre-
sumably hasty and hotheaded voter
and the deliberate and deliberatins
legislator.
The British constitution is an un
written and intangible collection o.
working agreements and compromises
crystallized into political con
science. The American constitution
is written and tangible compilation
| of a series OF guarantees designed tC
protect, each from the other. the fed
eral and the state governments, and
! furthermore TO temper Democracy
with discretion and TO hamper the
aristocracy with restrictions.
The British constitution can De
and often is. amended in matcria
| fashion by an election by an agree
ment between the two houses OF par
lament, or, even. by an agreement
between the leaders of tn two parties
| in the house of commons. The
American constitution can be amend
ed only by means of two very SLOW
and complicated processes and has
! in fact. been amended but four times
| The first was when ten amendments
were attached to include the bill oil
rights, the second was to change the
character of the federal court jurls
4
I'm the mode OF electing the presiden'
was made necessary by the Jefferson
Burr incident. and the fourth was
when the results of the Civil Wan
were Incorporated in the Fundamental
! law
in practice. as far as politics Is
concerned. the difference is that II
! England there is responsible party
government and that in the United
States there Is rigid constitutions
government. sometimes controlled by
party and sometimes not. but never
! directly responsible.
The agitation for complete reform
of the house OF lords began in Eng
land four years ago. and became
acute thirteen months ago. Already
the people have had the opportllnlt!
! TO decide the question for themselves
! Serious agitation for the reform o.
the United States senate on The pro
position OF electing senator's direct
IN by the people. was begun little
more than twenty years ago. The
constitution provides that When
three fourths OF the states shall
petition congress. congress shall cal
o convention TO submit proposed
amendments to the states for ratifica
tiOn DurinP those I twenty years