The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-25
would be a heavy and ungrateful task
for the United States |
AN IMPRACTICAL STRIFE.

HpAitlOn oI .lnOec senators VINO luSlSJ
on retaining. in the resolution for The
popular election of Senators, the con
troll of Congress over that election. The
preteDsc IS that il is necessary TO
retain this control in order to yindi,
cate the fifteenth amendment. and en-.
force the right of the negroes of
the South To vote. But. as fhe
negroes IN the South arc not now al
lowed To vote, and us Congress has the
uudoubtcd right 70 control the elections
for Representatives in Congress and
fails TO do SO. ii is hard to sec why
tins sticking point should be raised as
10 the election OF t. = Senators.
IT there wcrc any real purpose on
the part of Congress to control tho clec-
tion of Senators or Representatives.
there would he some point 10 the in.
slstcncc OF retaining the right of con
troll IN the matter of Senatorial cleo
tlons. But, as Congress has practically
given up all idea of supervising the
elections Of Representatives in order
To enforce the right of the negro TO
vote, and as there is no effort making
anywhere 10 enforce that right, the in
sistcnce upon retaining il as TO the elec.
tion of Senators is clearly "a political
dodge meant to defeat the move for the
election of Senators by the people.
II is clear case that if Congress
wishes to enforce the fifteenth amend
mcnt in any sort of an election over
which ii has control it ought To en-.
force ii now in the election of Repre-.
scntativeS 10 Congress. When this
National supervision over election of
Representatives TO Congress was in
effect, the Southern States made an i'm.
mcnsc uproar about il. But tho en-
iorccmeDt OF National control I'm Repre-.
sentative elections did not restore tho
voting privilege TO tho negroes. The
Southern whites were determined that
the negro should moi vote. and they
have kept them from voting most OF
the time since tho fifteenth amend
ment was adopted, that nominally con.
ferrcd upon the negroes the voting
franchise But the negroes arc not
able 10 exercise that franchise in the
face Of the white opposition. Many
years ago the so-callcd "force bill
which gave the Federal authorities the
of the elections for Repre-.
scntatives TO Congress. was repealed.
That showed a rather waning interest
on the part of the people of the North
in the enforcement Of the fifteenth
amendment in tho Southern States.
Ever since that time the interest IN
this question has diminished, until
now there is practically no scnti-
mcnt anywhere in the Nation demand
ing the enforcement Of the fifteenth
amendment as against the local lcgls-
latiou and tho local sentiment which
the whites have built ny to prevent
the negroes voting.
But. since Congress has abandoned
tho supervision of elections for Repre-
scntstives to Congress, why should ~
insist upon retaining barren right IN
the matter Of the election Of Senators!
IL is not in the least likely that the
Senators who vote 10 retain this right
of control. insisting upon putting II III
the constitutional amendment which
would allow Of the election OF Senators
by popular vote, would favor the pas
sage of a law assuming the controi
of Senatorial elections in case their
amendment prevailed and was ratified
by sufficient number of states to put
IL in the constitution. If they would
jf they think that sort OF super
vision right and needed, why have
tbov not for wears past been inslstent
in urpinp the control Of the election
of REPRESENTATIVE 10 Congress by the
Federal authority9 Since they do not
insist upon this, why should they insist
upon injecting in this proposed amend
mont the contentious idea that they IN
sist upon injecting, and that they
show no disposition TO use where they
now have the power,
But there is good reason for saying
that although the right to control the
elections for representatives, In Con
aress is properly in the hands OF Con
aress, that the election of Senators
from tho States by no means belongs IN
the same class. Tho Senators sent
by the States TO form the Upper House
in Congress represent the States. LogI-
cally it is the right of the States
to send those Senators in any way that
they choose The provisions in the
constitution as IL is, establish the
supervisory power Of Congress, but this
is illogical from the general standpoint
of the constitution. On tho general
principles involved, it would seem that
the States should have had the right
TO select their Senators in any way that
they chose. either by popular vote,
by Legislative choice. OF by a guberna-
torial appointment We are aware,
Of course, that in tho constitution as
il is the supervision of Congress over
this matter is granted and is ample.
We speak, however, az to the logic of