Arizona republican., 1912-06-18
WHY THE SENATE
 SHOULD PASS AWAY
Statement in Favor of Abolition Held
 By Its Author.
CA. A. WORSLEY.)

S' D. No, proposal amendment
 to the constitution, whose object it
 IS To submit to the voters of the
 commonwealth of Arizona the ques-
 uoh as 10 whether the legiSlatiV
 branch of the state government shall
 ne vested i'll two houses or one. has
 been the subject of much comment by lhe press and people of the state. some highly intelligent and very sin
 cere and conscientious persons view the proposed amendment with much
 alarm and seem to feel that through the measure the ship of state is about to be foundered. Others less intelli- gent and sincere treat the matter in spirit of derision. Not few look upon it with the clear vision of the typical Arizonian and feel that it's adoption would be a great stride for ward toward that perfected state, which it is every true citizen of Ari- zonas ambition to help to create. If all could see through the latter's eyes this article would be unneces- sary.
 Every commonwealth has in it's midst a class of good people who have never given the subject of gov ernmental organization much, if any, serious thought, who have simply accepted governmental institutions as other things just as they have found them, somehow forming the concept that any change in existing conditions and institutions would be little short of sacrilige. While the people of Arizona are more independ-
 ent in their thinking; and the average
 intelligence is perhaps higher than
 in some states, the struggle for eX- istence is so intense that many have no time to study economic problems
 other than domestic. Many are either uninformed or misinformed along these lines.
 In this article the authors of the proposed amendment wish to submit
 to the voters and readers both sides of the question. In order to be fair, we shall first consider those argu
 ments advanced by the opponents of the measure. First they say we need
 the senate to act as q check" upon
 the '1oWer' house Is the house of representatives in Arizona in reality a flower" branch of the government? If not should the senate act as a check upon it? Let us consider it together. The theory of a two house system of legislation had it's incep
 tion in the mOnarchial forms of gov ernment when the common people demanded a voice in the making of the laws by which they were gov erned The upper house was already
 in existence and it's members were
 not elected That body was cOmpos el of the first born of certain SO called noble" families. the theory
 being and still existing, that such persons are superior to the common people who made up the lower house Under our republican form of gov ernment where the members of both houses are elected by the common people, can it and should it be said the house of representatives (either in state or nation) is a lower branch of the legislative body? In this state they are both chosen from the people according to population. Their juris- dictiOn is practically the same. There is no distinction in the class of men with respect to ability and judgment. Their term of office is the same. This being true why should the senate act as q "check' upon the house? The present legislative body in Arizona consists of 35 members in the house and 19 in the senate. Granting that the members of the senate are In no sense superior to the members ot the l house, is it just that 10 men Tn the