Semi-weekly herald., 1911-06-19
ALMOST REALIZED.

Congress has decided that the peo-
pie should select their own senators.
By q majority which left no room for
doubt the senate made " possible for
the constitution to be SO amended that
the people may enjoy that privilege
accorded them by the constitution, and
President Taft will sign this measure.
Thus another long stride in the
march of progress-a reform in the
interest of THE PEOPLE-will have
been taken. And again, IL remained
for Republican administration to
bring about this possibility. Satisfied
by its insistence that the publ; ear
nestly desired popular election of sen
ators, when the conditi nis beca..'e
right the Republicans came to its aid
and made it possible so far as it lay
within their power to give the people
what they wanted. 1t is repetition
Of history.
It has remained for the Republican
party to put into effect those laws
which operated for the advancement
OF the nation and the interest of its
people.
True the action of the senate Mon
day merely puts the question up to
the legislatures Of the various states
to decide whether or not the constitu-
ton shall be so amended as to give
the people this right which properly
belongs to them. In view Of events Of
recent history there can be no doubt
of the outcome. An affirmative deci-
sion has been forecasted. 1t has been
forecasted in three decisive ways,
namely: Twenty-nine states have al
ready expressed a wish for it, con-
gress has by very decisive vote in
dicated that it is desirable, and, more
important than all else, the plain peo-
pie have been clamoring for it be-
cause they knew it was theirs by be-
quest With three such powerful
forces working to the one end, can
anyone doubt the result?
Corruption in senatorial elections Of
late years has had a powerful influ-
cnce in bringing about the promised
desired end, but all thought Of the
political scandals which have involved
the states of Illinois, Ohio and other
commonwealths is subservient to the
inalienable rights guaranteed the peo-
pie by the constitution. The privi-
lege of selecting their own senators is
simply one of the rights guaranteed
free people by that instrument
drawn up by the men who gave their
blood to make them free, and it was
or this ground that Senator Borah, a
Republican, made such a brilliant and
valiant fight for adoption Of the joint
amendment in the upper branch of
congress. To adopt this amendment is
simply to come more closely to the
foundation principles Of government
by the people. Naturally, we have
heard and will continue to hear, men
giving utterance to the statement that
to place SO much power in the hands
of the people is dangerous. Such ut
terances come only from the lips of
those jealous of their own position and
who fear just voice from the public.
After all is said and done, it is the
people who form the jury and their
verdict is the one that must govern.
Congress did the only proper thing it
could do when it adopted the amend
ment. By its action congress has en-
eouraged the people at large in their
desires and given strength to their
movement for popular elections. This
was the necessary guide. 1t will be
necessary for .hree-fourths of the
states to ratify through their legisla-
lures the amendment, and there is
every reason to believe that now con-
gress has indicated where it stands
other states will fall in line, and The
Chieftain sincerely hopes that such
will be the case, for it stands for
the people and their rights. The fol-
lowing states have already demanded
the constitutional amendment:
Arkansas, California, Minnesota,
Utah, Kansas, Texas, Illinois, Indi-
ana, South Dakota, Idaho, Washing
ton. North Carolina, Tennessee, Mon
tana, Wyoming, Nevada, Michigan,
Missouri, Iowa, Oregon, Louisiana,
Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania,
Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, New
Jersey, Wisconsin.
Total, %. Number of states neces-
sary to bring about a constitutional
amendment, 81.