New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-26
KILLED BY ITS FRIENDS.

Washington dispatches say that inc
action of the Senate in modifying the
Borah amendment has greatly discour'
aged the leaders in the movement 70
bring about the popular election ol
United States Senators. 1t seems rather
paradoxicaJ TO admit that the forces be-
bind the demand for direct election nave
been weakened because the Issue when
they have raised is 10 be presented TO the
Senate squarely and on its own merits
! Tbo srlnportels Of the Borah amendment
/ have argued that change is desired IN
/ tho method Of choosing Senators ana
I have given the country the impression
/ that they were trying To amend the
| Constitution so as 10 substitute choice
/ Nv the voters for choice ny the ieSis'
lature>. As matter Of fact. they have
( been irving 70 amend the Constitution az
! two points and while taking the power
to elect away from the legislatures have
also ATTEMPTED 10 take from the federal
government the essential reserved right
Of regulating the processes by winch
members Of the national legislature are
20 be chosen.
Debate on the amendment exposed the
Joker concealed in It. aud the Senate
has stricken ont the Joker by vote Of
20 10 81. Now many Of Mr.. Borah 5
followers have turned against him.
showing that they were more concerned
about aunulling federal control of Sen
ate elections than about making such
elections popular Tho whole case has
been mishaHdled by the advocates or
direct elections. They could have
brought in an amendment confined in
its effect to transferring the right OF
choice from the legislatures to the
voters. but t.ry preferred TO accom-
plish a different and unrelated result ny
drawing an amendment which aimed in
cidentaJly at crjpplinC one Of the essen
tial powers Of the federal government
for thc benefit of state; which are anN-
ions 10 escape any federal supervision
whatever or their elections.
II will bc the Idaho Senator's own
fault if his amendment fails 10 receive
Il tvo-thirdS majority next Tuesday. BY
crn Senators be has alienated their sup
port. Had the amendment been offered
in tho form In which II has been offered
several times in tho House Of Repre-
Sentatives IL might have secured the
necessary majority in tbe Senate. since
most Of the Southern states are on rec.
ord 9s favorinc the change from the in
direct To- The direct process and their
representatives in the Senate could
hardly have excused themselves for not
approving for general use method
which they have almost universally ap-
Piled at home But by permitting them
10 claim that the Sutherland amendment
vitiateS the true principle Of direct
choice and accomplishes something
which they consider against the South's
interests Mr.. Borah converted them from
supporters into opponents The indi-
cations are that the amendment will
fail when il comes 80 a vote The coun.
try will he Indifferent Ia IFS fate, for
in the last ten years conditions have SO
changed that any state can use the di-
rect system Of election il it sees tit to
do 50 and there is obviously no need
for general legislation compelling states
to do what they already have the power
70 do of their own choice.