The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-02-15
In Election of United
States Senators.
HE IS IN FAVOR OF AMENDMENT
To PreSentC Constitution Also
Thinks Electoral College
Not Needed.
is FOR THE CANADIAN TREATY

Grand Rapids, Mich, Feb. il
The election of United States Sena-
tors by direct vote of the people is
favored by former President Theo.
Roosevelt. He believes the Consti-
tuition should be so amended as to
provide for popular election. In a
speech here tonight at the Lincoln
Club banquet Col. Roosevelt came
out squarely in favor of the change.
Asserting that the present meth
cd of electing Senators was relic"
of old times and should be remedied,
the Colonel also declared himself in
favor of abolishing the electoral col
lege in the election of President.
Col. Roosevelt's subject was Lin
coin and Progressive Republican
ISM" The banquet hall, seating
more than 1000 people, was crowd
ed.
Col. Roosevelt in his address also
urged the adoption of the proposed
reciprocity treaty with Canada.
Col. Roosevelt said:
zone of the progressive policies
upon which I think the great ma
jority of progressives are agreed is
that United States Senators should
be elected by popular vote. The Con-
stitution' should, in my judgment,
be so amended as to provide for this.
''The insistence upon the election
of Senators in some way which shall
not permit the people to pass direct
ly upon them, is merely a relic of
the same feeling which made the
: founders of the Constitution trust
the election of the President to the
electoral college instead of to di-
rect popular vote.
1.-THE same fears of the people ex-
pressed now by those who are
against choice of Senators by popu-
lar vote were expressed a century
and a quarter ago by good and wise
men who enormously felt that 1t was
not safe to trust the election of the
President to direct popular vote.
"a comparatively short exper-
fence convinced the nation that the
President should be voted for d.
rectly by the people. And although
the form of an electoral college has
been retained, the actual fact is that
the vote for President is a direct
vote, the electors having no func-
tion except formally to ratify the
popular decree-and if it were pos
sible even the slightest function
could with advantage be abolished.
"None of the evils prophesied
have resulted from the change in the
case of the President and the same
thing, am perfectly sure. will hap
pen when the change is made as re-
CARDS Senators. 1t will be a change
markedly for good-just as much
for good as was the change in the
case of the President.
"But the United States should un-
der no circumstances surrender one
particle of the control it now has
as regards the election of Senators.
To do so would be a mistake which
might have grave and far-reaching
consequences and absolutely no ar
gument worth needing can be adj
vanced in favor of such a change.
- For Canadian Treaty.
81 feel that we are to be congrat-
ulated as a nation upon the likeli-
hood of obtaining closer reciproc-
itv of tariff and trade relations with
Canada. Among all the powers of
the earth there is none with which
we should desire TO be upon more
Intimate footing of equal rights, to
which we should be more closely
bound in relations of mutual help
fulnessh esteem and good will, than
in the case of our great neighbor to
the North, whose prosperity and
growth should be matter of pride
to ell who dwell on the American
continent. | welcome the proposed
reciprocity as marking signal adj
vance in bringing about the closest
and most friendly relations between