The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-19
LODGES FANCIFUL MENACE.

hOD16 . fNIN SlI " ~ AVE.
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Mas
sachusctts seems to be greatly CON
cerned about what he calls the "gravc
menace 10 the Nation in the election
Of L. =. Senators by the people. He
seems to forget that a large number of
the Senators are already chosen by the
people at primaries, and that the
Legislature is simply the recording in
strument TO officially certify the result
in States where that practice prevails
If there were any possible menace to
the Nation in the choice of U. S. Sena
tors by the people, that menace is al
ready practically in effect, and the Ma
tion is by that much destroyed, if its
destruction is involved in this change
But to hold that there is any destruc
ton due or upon US by reason of the
taking of the election Of Z. S. Senators
into the hands of the people is absurd.
There is not the slightest essential
change in the foundations of the gov
ernment by any such proposition. AS
it is, the people elect the Legislature,
and the Legislature elects the Senators.
AS it is proposed, the people will elect
they do now in many States, as in Ore.
gon, where a Republican Legislature
was compelled 20 elect Democrat TO
the Senate, because such was the peo-
pie s will. And Senator Chamberlain s
presence in the Senate, with warrant
direct from the people, is no moro a
menace than senator Lodge S presence,
with warrant from the Legislature.
In The Independent for March End
Mr.. Lodge opens his wall on this ques.
tion by stating:
or the men who framed the Consttu-
tion OF the United States it is tho fashion
now To speak ms worthy. able. pa
triotc persons. whom we proud TO
have embalmed in our history but toward
whom no enlightened man would now
think of turning seriously FOR either guild
ance or instruction. so thoroughly has
everything been altered. II is commonly
said that they dealt wisely and we'll with
the problems of their day, but that. OF
course. they knew nothing of the prob
lens which confront u.s. and that VI
would he worse than folly 10 be In any
degree governed by the opinions of men
who lived under such wholly different
conditions.
Now there is no such sighting opin-
ion felt of the fathers of the Republic.
No one in the least minipizes the
mighty work that they did, nor the
magnificent ability which they demon
stratcd in their formation of this
Government, There is no one who
would he in the least disposed to deny
the high abilities, the sterling char
acter, the constructive skill of the
Fathers of the Republic There is no
one but is quite willing to admit that
those men, could they reappear among
us, would be men of the highest pos
sible standing and of the greatest in
huence. II Senator Lodge has heard
any depreciation of the lllustrous
merits Of the Fathers of the Republic.
if he has heard anyone say that such
men as they would not be iIIustrious
even in our day, he has heard some
thing that is foreign to the great cur
rent Of American opinion.
The change of method of election Of
q. S. Senators is no more a blow at the
foundation of the Republic, or a men
ace to the Nation, than the change
from the actual choosing of the Presi-
dent and Vice-President by the elec-
toral college to election by the peo-
ple--not so much, in fact, as prima
facie case. And as the electoral col
lege now merely officially records the
popular WILL so the Legislatures in
many States record the popular choice
for Senators; and there are no dead
locks in those States. But whether by
making the Legislatures merely the Off
cial recorder, or by direct popular vote,
the proposed change in the means
of electing U. S. Senators is merely one
of method, and affects no principle of
the Government of the Fathers. Nor
does this proposed change as to the
election of Senators argue against the
work of the Fathers any more than did