Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-06-01
THE ELECTION
OF SENATORS
Congressman Sulzer, Author
of the Reform, Writes on
the Subject
WOULD TRUST EPOPLE
Demand for This Reform is
General, Not Partisan
or Sectional

The election Of United States
Senators by he direct vote Of the
people is a live question, and vii!
never be- settled until the people win
the night. favor this change in the
Federal Constitution. as will every
other change that viii restore the Gov
| eminent to the control OF the people.
/ want the people, in fact as well as
! in theory, to rule this great Republic
and the Government at az times TO be
directly responsible TO their just and
| reasonable demands.
In my opinion, the people can and
ought TO be trusted. They have dem
cnstrated their ability for seii-govern-
ment. II the people can NOT be trust
ed, then our Government is a failure,
ana the free institutions OF the faith.
or doomed. We must rely on the wis
dom and the judgment Of The people,
and we must legislate Ia the interests
OF all the people and not tor the bene
fit of the few.
We witness today IN the personnel
of the United States Senate the sup
planting OF representative democracy
| by representative plutOcracy. Here
Mammon is intrencLed Here the
criminal trusts take their stand and
defy the people. Here is the citadel
, of the INSCRIPTIONS monopoies. And
more and more the special interests
OF the country. realizing the import
ance of the Senate, are combining
their forces to control in state legis
| latures. Forty-six United States Sen
atOrs can prevent the enactment of
good law or the repeal of a bad law
The United States Senate is the mos
powerful legislative body in the Word
and its members should be electo
by the people of the country just til
same as the Representatives in Con
eress are elected. This is Of the III
most importance to the rank and file
because when the senate is directl.
responsible to the people. they vii
control it; and then, and not until ther
Will the senate respond to tie will OF
the people.
The plain people of the country fav.
or this reform and demand this much
needed change in the Federal Con
sttution, so that they can vote direct
ly for Senators in Congress, and they
appeal TO Congress to enact this law
to give them that right It is not
partisan question; neither Is it a sec
tional issue. The demand reaches
us from all parts of the land and from
men in all political parties with a
degree of unanimity that is as sur
prising as it is reassuring. 1t is the
duty of Congress to respect the wishes
of the people and to give them a uni
form law allowing them to vote di-
rectly for United States senators.
This is government of the people.
The people seldom err. The people
can be trusted. | am opposed to del
egating away the rights of the people
and where they have been delegated
away | would restore them to the peo-
pie. | believe that governments de-
rive their just powers from the con
sent of the governed, and hence
want to restore to the people the
right now delegated to the legisla-
lures by the trainers of the COnstitu-
tion so that the senate as we'll as
the House will be directly responsible
to the people and the Government be
come more and more representative
democracy, where brains, fitness. hon
esty, ability, experience and capacity
and not ostentatious wealth and cor
porate subserViency shall be the true
qualifications for the upper branch
of the Federal legislature.
| Let me say that ever since | have
been a member OF congress-goinS
on seventeen years. have advOcat-
ed and worked faithfully TO bring
about the election of senators in con-
gress by the direct vote OF the people.
| | am the author of this reform. In
every Congress in which | have serv-
ed have introduced joint resolution
! to amend the Constitution to enact
into law this most desirable reform
and the record will show that have
done everything in my power, in Con-
sress and out of Congress. to secure
its accomplishment. On five occasions
my joint resolution has passed the
House, only to fail in the Senate, but
ii will pass the Senate in this Con.
gress. AT the beginning OF this SEES
sion of Congress | reintroduced my
Joint resolution to elect United States
senators by the direct vote of the
people. 1t is similar to the resolution
| introduced in all previous Congresses
and am glad to say it has just recent
ly passed the House by an almost
unanimous vote trust it will soor
be the law and TO the accomplishment
OF that end | shall continue to relax
no effort.
The right to elect United State;
senators by a direct vote of the
people is a step in advance and il
the interest of the general welfare
II is the right kind OF reform, and
hope it will be succeeded by others
until this government becomes indeed
the greatest and the best and the free
est government the world has eve
seen. where the will of the people
shall, as it ought to be, the suprem
law of the land.
WILLIAM SULSER,