Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-11-25
entered at the Postoffice at Staunton,
Va. as second class mail matter.
Friday, November Is, 1910
WORK FOR THE HOUSE
OF GOVERNORS

WORK FOR THE HOUSE
OF GOVERNORS
The House of Governors, when it
meets in Frankfort, KY, week after
next will have before it, as one of the
most important subjects to be consid-
cred, the election of United States
Senators by popular vote. This is
a change that has been demanded for
years, yet one that is hardly possible
to secure by action of congress. The
various states have been working with
the problem with their legislatures for
more than fifteen years. Twenty-Five
legislatures have passed resolutions
and applications to congress. Fifteen
others have shown their sympathy
with the movement, by directly nomi-
mating senators under the law, by
directly advising their Legislatures by
nominating by party submission or by
favoring popular election in the
platforms of one or both parties for
1910. The only two states that have
not expressed themselves on this sub
jeet are Delaware and West Virginia.
In spite of this showing the Senate
has persistently refused to act on the
matter Notwithstanding the fact that
the House, in the last sexteen years
has on four separate occasions adopted
an amendment for the popular election
of senrtors. On July p, 1894 the vote
for it was 14I for and so against, on
May IL, 1898, it was 1856 to IL, April 13,
1900, it was PAP to Is, and on February
10, 1902, the vote was unanimous.
But this didn't move the Senate.
1t is generally understood that if
three OF tour more states act on the
matter the required two-thirds will
+ have been secured and congress will
call the convention. There is much
doubt about this however. OF the
twenty-nine legislatures that passed
resolutions, the applications of twelve
will probably be thrown out on the
ground that the legislatures did not
apply to congress, and four applica-
tons do not seem to be on file in con-
gress This reduces the number to
thirteen states which seem safe, and
which is not two-thirds, but less than
one-thirc.
This is not party question. Presi-
dent Taft made this point in his mes
sage accepting the nomination for the
presidency, when he said he was in
clined to favor the proposition.
ga resolution in its favor has passed
Republican House of Representatives
several times" he said sand has been
rejected in a Republican Senate by the
votes of senators of both parties. 1t
has been approved by the legislatures
of many republican states. In num-
Der of states, both democratic and
republican, substantially such sys-
tenn prevails"
With the Governors of the 46 States
meeting in the frank, full interchange
of views in the Conference, where
nearly all of them, or the States they
represent, are not merely converted,
but anxious, there would be little dis
cussion except as to the best way of
formulating their united wisdom in
uniform expression. A form of Reso-
luton and Application could be pre-
pared that would be absolutely attack
proof by Congress and this one form
might be adopted by all. Those States
that may have lost by disqualification,
or those that acted years ago, or in fact
all that so desired, ignoring their prior
application, could use this form, and
inasmuch as AZ legislatures meet in
1911, it would seem especially oppor-
tune. In the Resolutions, many of
the legislatures urge their Congress
sional Representatives to ''try and
induce favorable action,n etc., SEEM
ingly forgetting that even if every
member of both houses of the Congress
were bitterly opposed, the call made
by two-thirds of the States is mandat
tory on Congress to call the Constitu-
tional Convention to consider the
framing of an amendment.
OF course all the arguments in favor
Of the popular election of senators have
been gone over many times, but the
most potent of these is that it would
make the Senate more responsive to
the will of the people. There would
be no such carless disregard of the
peoples wishes such as we have all
seen manifested in the recent session
of congress, and no such lordly and
Contemptuous attitude would be as
sumed by senators, as has been taken
by those who maintain that they
represent the State" as if the State
was something apart from the people.
1t is to be hoped that the matter will
be taken up seriously and earnestly by
the House of Governors, an agreement
$ satisfactory to all reached, and tina
the Governors will press the matter
upon thu legislatures of their states.
Ii, by this means a uniform, attack
proof application be submitted to con-
gress by the necessary number of states
1t will be but short time before we
will elect our senators by pc pular vote
and by this one thing, the House of
Governo1- will have given a good
reason for its existence.