The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-30
AnoLIsm1NG. TIE SENATE.

4 -toOiAtsIIlNN< TIE StsNATlG. s5i
! Ii was reported several days ago that
i CONGRESSMAN Berger, the Socialist
| member from Wisconsin. had given Of
: tense 10 some of the sticklers for sena-
torlal proprietics by introducing Il
| joint resolution In the House providing
lor an amendment TO the United
States Constitution abolishng the
United States Senate. 1t is argued that
under the rules OF the House it is not
proper to criticize the other branch OF
the legislative establishment and that
II Is utterly vain TO hope thatt the Sem
ate Itself Will vote for It's own undo
ms. There is a good deal OF hard
horse-sense in the Berger resolution,
however. The member from Wiscon-
sin has worked into his resolution the
very things that have been charged
against the Senate By all sorts OF crit
les of high and low degree, TO the ef-
feet that THE Senate has become an
obstructive and useless body, menace
to the liberties of the people, and an
obstacle TO social growth; body many
Of the members OF which are the rep
rcsentntivcs neither OF the State nor
Of its people. but solely of certain pre-
da,ory combinations" etc
That's what they all say, but they
have not said 1t exactly in the way the
gentleman from Wisconsin has ex-
pressed il We do not see why there
should be any objection to the aboli-
ton of the Senate If the Senate is to
be made, as the proposed amendment
TO the Constitution provides that
ii shall be. representative of the poo
pie and not of the States. Mr.. Berger
does not propose, as we understand, 10
from the several States at Washing
ton but only that the Senate as a
| separate and independent body shall
lose It's existence. The idea has a
great deal of merit In it. II there is
10 be no difference in the methods of
election of representatives In the two
Iio,Hes now existing, ii the states as
such are not to be represented as
such, we do not see why there should
| be two Houses when one Will be am
pie for all the necessities of the coun-
| try. I M
! We really do not think. however. the
Senate Of the United States in the abil-
! ity, character and service or its mem
| bers elected by the method now pro-
vided IN the Constitution will suffer
by comparison with tho House, whose
members are elected by direct vote OF
the people. There is Berger, for example,
an undisputed representative of the
people In their most hopeless moments,
and who is there who would think of
cstcemng him 10 be as great a man as
the Hon. Robert NJ. I.aF'ollette. for cx-
ample, not to speak of the Hon. Isaac
Stephenson? There were John C.
Spooncr. and William T. Villas and Matt
| Carpenter, all OF whom represented
| Wisconsin in the Senate. elected by
the Legislature of that State anu all
Of them as straight in their morality
as any OF the Congressman from that
state who we're elected by direct vote
| of the people" If the people would
only think about the matter just a lit
tie bit for themselves and on their own
responsibility, they would probably
reach the conclusion that nothing is Ia
| he gained for themselves or for their
| states by changing the method of
clcctlng Senators. Count them over
one By one, compare the Senator'S with
tho Representatives point for point.
service BY service. achievement for
achievement. and the people would see
for themselves the utter dcmagogy of
The appeal that is now made that the
Constitution shah be changed in the
interest of dcmagogues.