The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1912-10-24

he had some property qualification. and
at that time the legislature elected
many OF the officers. It selected the
governor; 1t selected the members of
the supreme court In many instances.
and the state officers, and SO the faith
ers conceived the idea Of having them
select candidates for the United States
senate. and / do not criticize the plan
or policy Of the fathers as they or
ganized 1t at that time, but in after
years a different condition Of affairs
arose in this government: some new
forces and powers came into American
politics--influences and interests which
had for their purpose the object of
controlling the law-making body of the
| nation became active in American poll
tics to the extent of controlling the
| legislatures OF many of the eastern
states, where these great combines ex-
| list, and they entered into politics so
actively as In many instances to say
who should be chosen for the highest
! legislative body in the world, and
think | am perfectly justified in saying
that In the last thirty years there has
been more than one United States sena
tor chosen not by the people Of his
state but chosen by those special in
terests which have special purpose in
controlling the legislation of the halls
of congress at Washington. and by rea
son of this influence coming into Ameri-
can politics, Of which the fathers never
dreamed, it became necessary in the
minds of the American people to change
the method and manner of selecting
| United States senators, and since IS
years ago, or 86-in 1826-there began
an agitation for change SO that the
people might elect the United States
senator by direct vote. The first reso-
luton upon this subject was introduce
ed in the house OF congress In 1926
1t passed the house. the lower house
of congress, many times: 1t went to
the senate OF the United States and
died In the committee which had charge
of 1t. And from that time until four
years ago, and I am now simply re-
/ peating history which anyone may veri-
fy--there had been an agitation spread
ing wider and wider and taking greater
hold upon the minds OF the American
people that there ought to be a change
In this system, and some late things
led to that belief more and more, some
late conditions revealed as to the man
ner in which legislatures were con-
trolled gave stronger sentiment and
accentuated more and more the public
feeling. / am going to call your atten-
tion to one or two Over here upon
the Pacific coast q few years ago
they had . primary law. but the lead
ers Of the party said I'VE will not
nominate a United States senator at
the primary have heard of other
states doing that--failing to use the
primary; and SO they did not nominate
a senator at the primary. They said.
\ I'VE will let the legislature elect the
senator; the people 1t is true may Sc
lect at the primary, but we think the
legislature perhaps can do better" and
they therefore passed 1t over to the
legislature, and when the name Of the
senator came out OF the box he was
the attorney for the Southern Pacific
Railroad. Take another case, over in
Illinois, four and one-half years ago
the people selected their senator at the
primary. Their legislature met for the
purpose of selecting a United States
senator in compliance, supposedly with
the primary vote, but a powerful COM
bine at Chicago centering around the
beef trust and other combinations In
sympathy with 1t conceived the idea
of going down to Springfield and pur-
chasing the Illinois legislature. 1t was
bold thing to conceive. 1t was still
more bold to undertake to carry 1t out,
but they proceeded with a fund OF
some $1,000 down to Springfield. in
J the shadow OF the tomb where rests
the truest child of democracy ever born
under the American flag, and there
they proceeded to purchase the men,
bers of the Illinois legislature as you
!. would purchase sheep and cattle for
the shambles. II some one had said
J before 1t happened that they could &c
, out and purchase one-half of the MEM
bers of the state legislature he would
|, have been charged with being a dema-
gogue. with impeaching the integrity OF
, his fellow citizens with impeaching the
integrity Of the fathers who framed
, the constitution, but nevertheless II
took place. / have never read before
/ hope may never read again. have
J never heard before and I hope shall
never hear again such a story Of ven
] atty, corruption, and of broken and
depraved manhood as was revealed by
the second investigation with reference
J to the purchase of the Illinois legisla-
ture for the purpose of selecting q
United States senator. l remember one
} or two incidents in 1t which I think
ought to narrate. One young lawyer
was a member of that legislature, q
! young man with a bright future. with
; out blemish on his past career with
} a wife and young child holding the
! confidence of his neighbors and friends
} and yet so persistent. so powerful. and
-encompassing was the corrupting in
fluence which surrounded that legisla-
ture for ninety days. that he finally
, sold It all-his future. his standing In
the community, and his vote. for the
} pitiable sum of a thousand dollars. and
t he came before the senate and confess
ed to the crime. Another elderly gen.
, tleman, some seventy years of age, the
: president OF bank and stakeholder
, In two banks. the leader Of the Sunday
school In his community who had rear
ed about him a large family and held
. the respect of his neighbours came be-
. fore the senate committee In his grey
. hairs and broken In spirit as well as
In body, and confessed that he had
I sold that which he had been building
. up for sixty years, for the pitiable sun
of S2500 And So I might go nm anf