The Washington herald., 1911-02-19
BY FRANK PARKER sTocKBRIDGE

, Probably no new idea in politics Is or
more widespread popular interest at the
present time than the proposal to amend
the United States Constitution so as to
provide for the election of United States
Senators by the direct vote of the people
of the several States, instead of by legis-
latures. as at present provided. The pro-
posal to submit the question of such
constitutional amendment to the States
for ratification is pending in the present
session of Congress, having been. intro
duced in the Senate by the Judiciary
Committee. and as this article Is writ
ten seems to have a fair prospect of
Passage,
No single political reform received the
Endorsement of so many party platforms
In 1910 as this one. Both Republicans and
Democrats made the demand a part of
their platforms in Iowa, Wisconsin.
Idaho, California Illinois, Kansas Okla
homa, Montana, Nevada, and North Da-
kota. while the Democratic party in
Maine, Indiana. Ohio. Minnesota, Con-
necticut. New Hampshire, Massachusetts,,
New Jersey, Utah, South Dakota, Yer
mont, New Mexico. New York, Rhode
Island, Wyoming, and Michigan also in
dorsed the proposal 10 elect Senators by
popular vote, The National Progressive
Republican League makes the direct elec-
ton of Senators. the first article OF its
programme of party reform, and since
the beginning of 1911 many State legis-
Iatures have adopted resolutions calling on
Congress TO submit the amendment to
the States, in some instances by unan-
imouS vote. as in the case of Ohio, where
the Republican members Of the general
assembly, although not committed to the
proposal by their party platform, yielded
to what they recognized as an over
whelming popular demand.
variety of causes, have operated to
make the issue of change in the estab-
Iished method OF electing Senators a live
one at this particular time. The wide
spread belief that the present method
gives too great an opportunity for the
choice to be dictated by what are some
times referred to as the interests" is
undoubtedly at the bottom OF the desire
for d change. For more than two
decades the impression that a consider
able and dominant proportion of Sena-
tors were actuated by a desire TO serve
not the people of their respective States
as such. but rather the financial, in
dustrial, and commercial powers whose
irkfests have come 10 be regarded as
opposed to the best welfare of the people
as 2 whole. has been steadily growing
in the popular mind. Added to this have
been numerous scandals in connection
with the election of Senator's by meth
DDS which have been, at least. open TO
suspicion, and which have served to add
to the growing distrust of representative
government, which is evidenced by the
popular demand for the extension of the
initiative and referendum in State gov
ernment
The question whether Senators should
be elected by popular vote or by the
State legislatures was thrashed out
pretty thoroughly in the convention OF
ton of the United States. as detailed in
Madison's Notes The whole theory on
which the present method was based is
entirely contrary to modern notions of
democracy. The trainers of the Consti-
tuition did not hesitate. many Of them.
to express themselves repeatedly as being
of the electorate, even in those
days, when only a small proportion of
the citizens had the right TO vote. and
such thing as universal suffrage, with
out property qualification, was unhead
of. They feared mob rule" that would
tear down the fortunes which they and
their friends were building in the new
Commemorative. and said so frankly.
That the legislatures would be domi-
mated by the men of wealth and position.
and would select Senators who would
serve as a check on radical notions
which the House of Representative
might reflect, was the prevailing belief.
There are those who now accord TO
these fathers of their country the gift
Of prophecy.
Viewed from the angle from which
these trainers of the Constitution sur
veyed the government they were estao-
fishing, nothing more revolutionary has
been seriously proposed in the history of
the United States than the idea OF max
ing the Senate as responsive to the pop
alar will as is the House. 1t draws the !
issue squarely between those who follow
the Jeffersonian theory of the right OF
the people to alter or abolish their |
government whenever they desire and |
those who maintain that the people are
as yet incapable of complete self-govern-
ment. |
While an amendment to the Federal !
Constitution is necessary before the peo- |
Pile can legally vote effectively on the |
election of United States Senators, there
have been numerous attempts in differ
ent States to go as far as the present |
will permit. The primary |
avs OF several States, concerning which |
shall have more to say in my next
article. provide for the submission of |
the names of Senatorial candidates at |
Statewide primaries at which candidates |
Tor various offices or delegates to con-
ventions are nominated. In but one of
the States, however. has there been any
,fficient method adopted of making these !
expressions of the popular will binding
Ipon the members OF the legislature, who
alone are charged with the duty, under
Senator's.
Oregon, which has led the way in ex-
with so many new ideas in
politics, has in effective operation a plan
which amounts substantially to the cleo
ion OF its Senators by the direct vote of
he people Candidates for the legisla-
ure. who must be nominated at the pri-
naries, are permitted to declare them
elves, when seeking nomination. either
o the effect that they will be bound by
he choice OF the people of the State. as