The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-31

Washington, May 311Declaring that popular distrust of executive bodies is undermining the confidence of the people, and pleading for purifica- tion of present politics, Senator Rob- ert L. Owen yesterday addressed the Senate in support of his resolution for make Senators elective by direct vote of the people.
 'The greatest of all issues, not only in thel United States but throughout the civilized world, is the issue of pop ular government or government or the people against delegated government or government by convention, or gov ernment by machine politics. said Senator Owen.
 ..The vital question is, Shall the peo- pie rule? Shall they control the mechanism of party government? Shall they have the direct power to nominate, to legislate, to vote, free from corruption, intimidation, or force?
 E"The great evil from which the American people have suffered in re- cent years has been the secret but well-known alliance between commer- cial interests and machine politics, by which commercial interests have en- deavored and often succeeded in ob- taining legislation giving them special advantages in Nation, State, ana Tn municipalities over the body Of Amer ican people and obtained administra- tive and Judicial immunity so that the laws have not been properly enforced against them: by which means they have enriched themselves at the ex- pense of the American people; at the expense of the Democrats and Repub- licans alike; by which private indiv1d- lclu many millions of people intellectually, physically, financially, or morally weak have been reduced to poverty and to a condition of relative financial, indus trial, and moral degradation.
 ''The evils which have crept into our government have grown up naturally under the convention system not through the faults of any particular man. The system of delegated gov ernment affords too open and abundant opportunities for commerciallsm and for more self-seeking political ambi- tion
 Tn some cases delegated govern ment, even under the machine form, is perfectly upright, perfectly honest, and serves the cause of the people excel lently we'll but the mechanism of gov ernment under the delegate plan af- lords too many temptations for the alliance of comnercialism and pol1t- ical ambition. An ordinary State con- vention, under the machine-rule plan, is composed of delegates delegated from county conventions; the county conventions consist of delegates dele gated from the ward primary; the ward primary consists of a ward boss, a bouncer or two, and a crowd or strikers who do not represent the act ual membership of the party voters or that ward, so that when a Senator is nominated by a State convention he I anxvead rnT the people, and is the choice of ma chine, and does not really feel his duty to the inarticulate mass.
 "The great political need of the United States is the establishment Of a direct rule of the people, the over throw of machine politics, the over throw of corrupt or unwise use Of money, intimidation, coercion. bribery; the overthrow of the various crafty corporate and political devices which have heretofore succeeded in nullifylng the will of the people.
 ''The great issue is to restore the direct rule of the people as members of parties and within both parties, and to abate the malign influence Of machine methods.
 .sAn the people have is the power to defeat on election day a bad candl- date and thus they exercise some in- fiuence over nominations. The people do not in reality rule.
 ''I'he people appear to rule through the present machinery of party gov ernment, but they do not rule in fact. because the party machinery is so largely in the hands Of machine men, is so largely controlled in the interest of the few and against the interests of the many; because the present mech anism of party management is so con- trived as to largely exclude automat- icaliy the cooperation of the great body of the members of the party and is so contrived as to cause the party power to fall by gravity into the hands of professional manipulat- ors."
 Senator Owen advocated the adop- tion of a constitutional amendment calling for the election of Senators by direct vote as first step in political reform. He declared that the system now in vogue in Oregon was the most enlightened and urged national laws to the end of securing:
 The Australian ballot.
 Improved registration laws. Initiative and referendum.
 Publicity pamphlets-published at the governments expense. giving ar.