Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-01-27
erIand C6IIoduY 2 "09'
az RAHrH snrrTR.

States senators, byn direct vote,aof the
ipeople.sf zzscT 0sa4 elc.t ~ A. rrf
Inaueuees inothe lsenate opposed to the
POPULAR election snnoveme nt care exerting
their best efforts tol amend the PROPOSE
lti0n- ngsuch a H&aysass to give congress
lpoWer toarcortroi thu elections an the
seteral-statesS n heir efforts are regard
ed as an insidious attempt to reach the
Acknowledgement legislation of Georgia.
AlabamE; Mississippi, - louisiana, the
kCarUiinas ande &dRgiRfa. -r-1 sTr
If they cans1endanger thesea southern
EsuffrGgat laws 1the ybfeeE certain that they
can prevents Decentralization OF the pro-
posed constitutional amendment for
tpopuIarS elections. Three-fourths of the
states. would have to ratify the amend
ment before 1t lbscame a law, and with
their disfrAnchiseme measures In Jeop-
ardy. there Is no doubling how the
southern .statesTwould vote.
Even should the constitutional amend
ment .for4'the direct elections Of senators
| be submitted for ratification just as II
was reported by the senate judiciary
committee, stripped of all Objectionable
amendments, there is danger to the
south an such an amendment. Many sem
ators see this danger ahead, but they
fear to speak their minds in view OF
the great popular elamor for direct
elections. sins
With such organizations as the Farm
ers' Educational and Cooperative union
demanding the popular election of sena-
tors and with legislatures of southern
states going on record unanimously in
favor Of the proposition, what Is sem
ator from the south ITO do, even II ne
does scent danger2 sHis political life is
dependent more or less upon his respect
for the views of ahis Legislature unani-
lnously. expressed, rand there is certain
trouble In storesfor him IL he disregards
the Farmers union. .
sf.g.A GRAVE DANGER. az
The danger " tos the southern states
lies In the, fact that the. senate, in the
event of direct elections, will have the
right to Investigate our elections in the
south. No amendment to 1.-THE pending
resolution will sbes required to give the
senate this authority It may investigate
the, elections In the event of contests.
just as sitsenow investigates elections by
| legislatures sawunJ ESQ sdc tc aIe
The face OF the returns would sundoubt-
eddy show the election OF the Democrat
by an overwhelming majorlty,rbut whaf
of a contest by. the defeated candidate
He would prgbabiy : claim that several
hundred thousauds legal voters he'd sbeer
Illegally ,danled n hersrights lor suffrage,
Ereferring. OF course to- the dfsfFanchis-
ed negroes.gnag ut ass-rS cs3iw SIX a.,
MIGHT JJNSEAT DEMOCRAT. r.
s-The gaolittoals complexion of the sem
ate ntxht-eand,~pnobahly would Der Re-
lpublfcanli bysl al ,aaall7 margin A partisan
/ committee Of Republicans would hear the
l,oontest from s6eergte31 and, the chances
are, would reRort IN favor Of seating the
ontestant-sthese Repahltca go
900 negroes had not been allowed to par
ttotpatesins the e1ectolsa ~
| The ACKNOWLEDGEMENT lawsot Of the
4 southernAstates wauida be knocked high
err than Gokites under asuch circumstances,
and the negrS1wpuld become all powerful
4 In our eInrfi0ns5r ,Bgr5 q ~ syls X
4 This Aaadg erywsu be present whether
the 4DepewF or Sutherland amendments
carry. These AMENDMENTS refer to the
manner of holding the elections OF SEN
ators, and provide that the qualinca-
,tions. Of electors shall be the same al
! over the lcountry. That would mean. OF
course, that the negroes would vote.
But this other view is the alarming
one. There is small chance for either
the Sutherland or Depew amendment to
win, but there Is a strong probability OF
direct elections Of senators.
The danger suggested is not lesseneo
| by the defeat ofsthe objectionable amend
ments. The senate will be the judge OF
| its own membership in any event. and In
! case of alleged fraud in elections the
senate would go back to the origina
returns, the. ballet boxes. They would
discover Officially what they know un-
! officially, that the millions OF negroes II
the south do not vote,
AS the matter now stands the senate
cannot go behind the returns Of a leg
/ stature in Investigating the election OF
a senator. It cannot concern Itself as
to how the legislature, was chosen.
| 49, DEBATE IN SENATE
The following rcolloquy is taken from
the congressional directory and relates
| between Senators Bacon and Sutherland
| concerning the direct election Of sera'
tors. 1t Is german to this story and
| interesting. because it reflects the true
status. OF the matter as 1t now Is In ths
senate, y rs
Mr.. Bacon. Very well. Now. II tht
senator will pardon me moment.
want to suggest a thought to him. Under
the present law. our present constitution
! al provision, congress has no supervision
over the original elections. or the cleo
lions by the people which lead subse-
sauently to, the election of senators, be-
| cause those elections are distinctly the
| state elections in the election OF mem.
bers of the legislatures of the. severa'
/ st ates.. The constitutional provision II
I, at the states shall, as to that fun
damentaI proceeding in the election Of
the electors Of senator's, have the alb
.solute control OF it In. providing thai
! they. shall control, outside of the 14tf
| and 18th amendments. the question Of
1Io shall be the voters, and thus whS
shall be the. electors s-ef legislators who
j are themselves the electors of senators
j In other words. there Is no governments.
| supervision now of those original fun
damental elections which choose the leg;
islators who afterwards elect the sena,
tors. 80
But passing from that, I want to asl
the senator from Utah the question, II
| in his opinion, this amendment SHOULD
be adopted, would it be within thu
province of the federal government t.
prescribe that. the federal government
/ should have agents at elections to super
4 wise those elections at which SENATOR
would be- chosen. to see the manner II
which the votes swere cast and to en-
force what might be thought to be tn,
rights of electors IN such elections.
Mr.. Sutherland: I have no doubt, Mr.
President, that that would be within thu
authority of congress IL 1t chose to ex
ercise the power utt
Mr. Bacon. \ Yes. The senator from
Utah win remember that that was
speaking generally, the general contem
platoon of what was known as the fore
bill, which related to the election o