The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-12
FOR POPULAR VOTE Former President FavOrs
 Election By People SPEECH AT BANQUET As. Progressive Policy Roosevelt Says Popular Election of Sen
 ators Is One That Takes
 the Lead
SPEECH AT BANQUET

ators Is One That Takes
 the Lead
 Grand Rapids, Mich, February H.
 The election of United States senator by
 direct vote of the people and the pro- posed Canadian reciprocity agreement are favored by former President Theo- dore Roosevelt. In speech here to- night at the Lincoln clubs banquet Col onel Roosevelt came out squarely In favor of the change.
 One of the progressive policies upon which think the great majority of |progressives are agreed Is that United State senators should be elected by pop ular vote" said Colonel Roosevelt. The |constltution should, in my judgment, be amended as to provide for this" Asserting that the present method of electing senators was a relic" of old times and should be remedied, the col onel also declared himself in favor of |abolishing the electoral college in the election of President.
 Yet, he said, while he believed in the selection of senators by direct vote, he did not favor any policy which would take away from the federal govern ment "one particle of the control which lit now has assregards the election of senators" &A
 Colonel Rosevelt's subject was Lin coln and Progressive Republicansm."
 Banquet Hall Crowded The banquet hall, seating more than 20oo was crowded. The cheering which greeted the former Presidents appear In hall a continuation of an ovation which began on his arrival | In the afternoon when the crowds greet ed him with cries of Teddy for Presi- dent in 1912."'
 Others at the speakers table were Hannis Taylor, former United States am bassador to Spain; Senator William To- Bradley of Kentucky, Governor Chase S. osborne of Michigan, Senator William Alden Smith of Michigan. Con- gressman Julius Kahn of California, and | Addison G.. Proctor, who vas a delegate l to the republican national convention | in 1860.
 Colonel Roosevelt said:
 Tn this region of Michigan and the immediate surrounding territory, l am
 in the birthplace of the republican lparty. It is emlnently fitting that should come here and ask the republi- can party to be true to the principles which It's founders professed. They could only be true to those pr,nciples | by applying them to the new issues of | the present day instead of by applaud ing the fact that their fathers applied them to the dead issues Of the past day. Must Be Progressive
 "The republican party must be pro gr ,sive; otherwise 1t has no warrah. | v existing at all It must show that lJ is the heir of Abraham Lincoln and r ,.ot the heir of Wings who so feared and denounced what they called ms
 radicalism. But 1t Is equally essentia to remember Abraham Lincolns coo and temperate wisdom as well as hi'
 fiery zeal for righteousness, There cal be no real progress until IL IS wiss tprogress unless 1t is wise progress. II
 other words. the republican party mus | he not only progressive but sane. 1 Abraham Lincoln won his place Tn nis' | tory because he needed the forces whlch oyerthrew the kind of conserVaueh typIfied by the followers of Buchahan and Fillmore. But he was able 10 over | throw men because he decined to oe | led aside from the path of healthy pros
 ress to follow the extrenns.s oi | Iohn Brown. and Wendell Philllps type
 These two men rendered at times gooo
 service. But If Abraham Lincoln nae followed in their steps the result wouic have been death to the nation
 eve must not be misled by mere
 names. As compared to Buchanan and l Fillmore, Lincoln was a radical ana eN treme progressive. As compared to JohI | Brown and Wendell Phillips he was
 sona conservative and he was right ir
 both positions arH | @ Popular Elections
 "One of the progressive policies upon | which I think the great majority oi progressives are agreed is that uniteo | States senators should be elected py popular vote The constitution should In my judgment be so amenoed as to pio' vide for this.
 ..rhe insistence upon election of sena- | tors in some way which shall not permit | the people to pass directly upon them l Is merely relic of the same feelins | which made the founders of the consti- tuition trust the election of the president | to the electoral college instead Of to hl- | rect popular votes. The same fears oi | the people expressed now by those Who are against choice of senators by popu- | lar vote were expressed century and a quarter ago hy the good and wise men who erroneously felt that 1t was not safe | to trust the election of the president | to direct popular vote.
 "A comparatiyely short experience con vinced the nation that the president l should be voted for directly by the peo- pde. And although the form of an cleo l toral college has been retained, the ac- | tual fact is that the vote for presi- dent Is a direct vote. the electors hay | ing no function except formally to rat fly the popular decree-and If it were possible. even this slight function could with advantage. be abolished.
 No Evil Has Resulted | "None of the .evils prophesed have resulted from the change in the case of | the president and tfe same thing, l am perfectly sure. will happen when the chonge is made as regards senators II will be change markedly for good | lust as much for good as was the change | in the case of the president.
 | But the United States should, under l no circumstances, surrender one particle | of the control it now has as regards tho election of senators. 10 do so would be a mistake which might have grave and | Ifer-reachfng consequences and absolutely
 no argument worth needing can be ad- vanced in favor of such a change. | .I feel that we are to he congratulated as a nation upon the Likelihood of ob- | taining closer reciprocity of tariff and trade relations with Canada. Among all | the powers of the earth more intimate | footing of equal rights, to which we |