The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-22
SUTHERLAND, REACT1oNARY.

Senator sutherland, IN HioNlhS '"N
amendment to the Senate resolution
providing for the election of L. >, Sen
ators by the people. proves himself an
- away back reactionary, He moved
an amendment which would have spe'
cifically empowered the United States
TO take charge Of such popular cleo
tions of Senators whenever IN the Jndg'
ment of the National officials it might
be necessary Senator Depew S amend
meut provided absolutely for tho con
troll of such elections by the Federal
authorities. But both were defeated
In the course of the debate it was
brought out, as is well known by those
who recall the former bitterness over
what is known AS the force bill. that
the Federal Government can taes con
troll of the election of Representatives,
whenever Congress may pass bill TO
that effect The probability is that
Congress could. also. supervise the pop
ular elections provided for U. 5. Sen
ators, whenever it might see reason so
to do. Congress enacted and maintained
the force bill for good many years,
lis constitutionality was not success
fully challenged. nor could it be. BY
parity of reasoning, doubtless the pop
ular elections for choice for Senators
could also be supervised by the Ma
tional authority, in case Congress
should so desire. But Congress is not
tho loust likply IN do IT,
The amendment of Senator Suther-
land, as also that of Senator Depew,
was therefore entirely unnecessary as
"a legal or practical proposition. The
only purpose to be served by it was to
stir up strife and revive hated recol-
lections; unless, indeed. Senator Suth,
crland decided to take this means of
defeating the proposition, If he could
stick an amendment of this kind on
the resolution, ii would be altogether
improbable that enough States could
be found to ratify il, to make 1T a part
of the Federal constitution, II this
was his purpose, and this appears TO
he the only practical purpose in sight
tinctIy arrayed himself against the
idea of popular choice for Senators.
In view of tho local surroundings here,
ii is likely that this was Sutherland g
idea But he failed in it. because the
Senate did not wish to stir up that
old animosity and bring into this mod
ern question the old antagonisms.
The fact is. that the change in meth
od of electing Senators has gone into
effect in so many States that the pro.
posed amendment to the constitution
has lost very much of its impulse 1t
will be recalled that the people of Ore
gon imposed upon a Republican Lcgis-
lature in that State the duty of elect
ing Democrat for the United States
Senate, and that the Legislature per-
formed this duty manfully and cour-
ageously. Throughout the South. gen
orally, the Senators are chosen by the
State that wishes to have this method
Of selecting its Senators can adopt it
at pleasure. And so. the impelling
force of the sentiment In favor of the
people choosing their own candidate
for the L. 5. Senate has been lost in
the triumph of that idea in so many of
the States.
1T is a quiet, popular revolution in
form of choice, similar to the revolu-
tion which came much sooner in the
matter of Presidential electors, The
Federal constitution provides for the
choice by the people of electors for
President and Vice. President. The
idea was to remove the selection of
these exalted officials from the turmoil
of popular strife and party rancor, the
expectation being that the electors So
chosen would meet and calmly and ju-
diclouslv proceed with the selection OF
President and Vice-President, with
out prompting from anybody. But the
people took the matter into their own
hands. and have made the electors mere
dummies through which the popular
large number of the States have pro
vided for the election Of their u. S
Senators by popular choice, making the
| legislators the dummies through which
this choice is officially carried out AND
rs any State can at will adopt this
changed method of electing it's Sena
tors. we doubt very much if the amend
ment. even If proposed distinctly to
| the States Will attract anythinp like
the attention that has been expected
|
THE LAND BOARD INQUIRY.