Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-01-05

and a single chamber be depended upon
| for legislation The New York Sun pro-
poses that senator's be apportioned among
the States according to their population
in order that the present inequality of
representation may be remedicd Neither
suggestion seems to be made very scri-
ously except In so far as a hope is en-
tertalned that a back fire may be started
against the movement for the election
of senators directly BY the people. Vet
in these attacks upon q popular agitation
for more democratic control Of our
powerful second chamber one may find
perhaps the beginning Of a Formidable
movement in the future to make over
the Senate on a basis more truly demo-
cratic.
| Vt must be admitted that tie Senate
! would not become a body esta olished in
| accordance with democratic principles
| simply because the State Legislatures
! mad been deprived of their constitutional
| right TO choose the members thereof A
| body that has two senators from each
state, no more and no less, and thus dis
| regards the distribution OF the COUNTRIES
population Is not so far as the British
| House of Lords from being n democratic
chamber; but it would be difficult to make
the inequality in representation more
| pronounced than it is in the second
chamber at Washington. Tho statistical
! facts are thoroughly familiar and need
not be presented with any elaboration
since every one knows that States like
Rhode Island. Delaware, Idaho and Noy-
! ada exercise a political power in the
Senate as great as that exercised by such
| States as New York, Pennsylvania. Ohio
and Massachusetts. The time might
come when It would he easy for the poo
! pie In the more thiclly populated States
or sections to believe that They had a
grievance in this condition Of affairs.
We can think of three influences that
in the future might create popular
sentiment in the larger States against
| the present constitutional structure Of
| the United States Senate. One is the
gradual weakening of the federal idea
rs coutrasted with the national idea
Much in reality depends upon whether
the United States ARE" or whether The
United States is" If the republic
should be- ONE more and more central
lied. If The Washington government
should absorb moro and more the func-
tons hitherto belonging to the separate
| "'''" "N'P d" w"
stronger tendency than one sees TO-DAY
to forget the federal principle upon
which the United states government wa
originally founded and which Is most
conspicuous perhaps in the equal repre-
sentation of the states in the upper
House of Congress.
\ second influence is an increasing
rather than a diminishing ineuualitv IL,
'"' "''' .'''o" VI inc Popu'fuph or me
'."9 "'''""! "eeh pointed
NV '.r "ITec''' "' ''e census OF
'"' ''' E''"'" 'l P"p'"''h III
7'''r "'.'"I '"' l''' &c
ma "'' 'e." 'N'F H'Ncn -rcaler
!" i'i ~ Se''io'S %. inc West ana
''' '"I Ian. i' ''l' '9'"'ANoH
' Wv ''"",' - 'o.""f "l"'" more i'"-
E'"'' .""' ~ wa !" '''V OF .''' Con
''''' -NcN i'4N anu ''""' N' Oh" nav
- SAN" e'"' "'''''''S oi I''H'p'ahtS
'"9' 'en-''' ''1 va. "dN'"E
wang ''', ',''''"' .'i,' vi ''.''i"iF' lie
'"' az "i'o'e W.T." ''e "o7' az "hoIo;
"'' e''"e"' '"a' ''' r-"S' At pres
,"' 80 N"''''"S P"i"'"''"" '"' i'Ster ana
Is CONSEQUENTLY more ana NOR" sacri-
nee" III 'ne consul "uohaI distribution OF
Po".'"' i""'' /" '"' '"''eI safes sen
'''
'""" '""uch'' ono may rerer 10
I'"'" ''SS 'oH''uri'''E' perhaps and tnat
~ the possible waning Of the prestige Of
'he second chamher principle. 1t Is by
no means settled mat as democracy ad-
VahceS IL Will tolerate second chambers
N an! legislative bodies Whatever. We
kho" from experience" mat they are now
universally condemned in the government
or municipalities as hoth superiluous and
injurious 10 good government In the
IA'eSt d"Ntl opment of the commission
ld"A IN CITY EoT'rnm'nt we see the old
Legislative council, whether bicameral or
not, cast out entirely AS the idea OF
Government; b. experts develops this ten |
denoN may grow much stronger and find |
increasing application I'm political emit |
ties larger than municipalities. Already, |
however IN several countries abroad
whore parliamentary institution are well
established there is virtual single cham |
Der government Canada's Senate is
merely q name and IT may be fairly
said that the single chamber government
so Is eminently successful If now the !
British House of Lords SHOULD be per- |
manently deprived OF its absolute veto
in accordance with the fninis,ry's pro- |
gram, and what amounts to single cham |
Der government should prove satisfactory |