Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-02-10
entered at the Postoffice at Staunton,
Va, as second class mail matter.
Friday, February 10, 1911
the VOICE OF PRIVILEGE

the VOICE OF PRIVILEGE
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts
thinks the election Of United State'
Senators by the people is q viciou'
thing. Naturally. Had the people
OF Massach usetts been electing theil
senators its safe to say that tnt
Honorable Lodge would never havt
had . look in. The plan he sssss'
strikes 1t the very foundations OF the
National Government, it violates the
plans of the trainers Of the constitu'
tion.
How solicitious of the plans OF the
trainers Of the constitution gentlemen
of the Lodge type become when 8
proposition looking the placing Of
more power in the hands Of the people
is made; yet how compliment they
are when it 10 proposed to warp, and
twist and stretch the constitution BY
judicial or executive Interpretation,
TO the end that power may be taken
from the people, and the government
more strongly centralized than the
trainers of the constitution ever
d4eamed of having it. lit is now
proposed " he says. with an air OF
horror, "to put the United States
government, 10 far as the election OF
United States Senators is concerned,
Mt the mercy of the States. If this
amendment should become law. %
states, including perhaps only min
orisy of the population could at any
moment arrest the movement of the
government and stop all its operations
What . frightful situation. What
the states might do, if they had the
power is q great bug-a-boo to such
statesm en- as Lodge. These self same
states are only waiting for an oppor-
tunity, according to their way OF
thinking, to overthrow the nation.
10 "stop the operations Of the govern
ment," and to set themselves mp q
free and independent sovereignties,
free of all restraint whatsoever. When
stats's rights are mentioned they SEE
the horrors of another rebellion.
It would never de-, of course to lei
the people Of the states choose theil
senators by popular vote. They can
not be trusted.
But it is all right to allow bosl
ridden and corrupt legislature to sent
10 the senate such men as Lorimer O.
Illinois, Guggenheim Of Colorado
Gallinger of New Hampshire, Penros'
of Pennsylvania and Oliver and AL
drich of Rhode Island. Does anyon
suppose the legislatures which cen
those men there, that the Legislature
Of New York, which is trying to SEM
Sheehan there, represented or repre-
sent the people Of their states? .
course it's safer, from the Lodge poin
Of view to have % corrupt rings o
even % political diotators in tina
number of states, with the power t
arrest the movement Of the govern
ment and stop all its operations thai
that all the people Of those state
should have it.
Disaster il predicted in solemn
tones should this resolution pass "N
matter how we may decide the ques
ton of the methods by which Sena
tors should be elected" he says eth
reservation of the power Of thu
United States to control those cleo
tions. if need be, is essential to tn
governments safe and continued exis
tsnce. It is amazing that it should
be suggested at a time like this
when the government Of the United
States is Of necessity taking up new
duties and new obligations, as de-
mandsd by the conditions of the
time, to. strengthen it's authority.
And yet it is proposed here to take
from it the one power which in the
time of stress will assure its exis-
te1ce."
1t is the voice of privilege and
special interest which has ever come
from the mouth Of Lodge. Of course,
if Senators are chosen by the people
direct we may choose our Penroses,
our Lorimers, our Sheehans, our
Guggenheims our Aldriches and even
our Lodges, but it is not likely. Yet
even if we, do they will be more re-
sponsive to the public will than they
now are and that will ha a epYaaf