The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-07
DIRECT VOTE DEFEATED.

eral Constitution for the election OF
I. s. Senators by direct vote of the
people. has probably done nothing that
will retard the ratification Of that
amendment A number of the Senators
who spoke their minds freely against
the principle Of the amendment, admit.
ted that probably their opposition
would be vain. that the amendment
was practically certain OF adoption; and
yet they were not ready TO vote for it
for reasons stnted. These reasons seem
to be wholly invalid; the chief, in fact
the only one plainly stated, being that
there was danger in case this amond-
mcnt were ratified that there would fol
low another amendment designed to ap-
| portion representation in the Senate
upon population rather than equally
among the States. as now. This we are
compelled TO regard as wholly fanci-
ful proposition. First. because the Con
stitution secures to every State its
equality OF representation in the Sen
ate. Although tho number Of Senators
from the States might be changed, the
changed. This we regard as n fixed
point in tho Constitution, impossible to
overcome for any reason whatever Nor
would it be possible TO overcome that
point except by revolutionizing the Gov
ernment; for the Senate is and was ey-
pressly designed to be body represent.
ing the States. as such, as equal fac.
tors. The Senate represents the States,
as States. without any regard to the
population or wealth Of any State. The
inequality which is manifest now as be
tween the different States was equally
manifest at the time Of the adoption
of the Constitution: and It was this
clause guaranteeing the equality Of rep
resentation Of States in the Senate that
caused the weaker States 10 agree to
the Constitution, and come into the
Union, But for that clause number OF
the present States might never have
come into the Union at ALL II was
close thing as to some of them, even as
it was, But the guarantee of this
equality was held to be not only GER
tain but permanent, and undoubtedly
it viii remain so.
The manner in which the States shall
select their Senators might fairly have
been left to the States themselves; but
ii was not so expressly done. The Con-
stitution undertook to provide the man.
ner in which the States should send
their Senators 10 Congress. There is,
homeyer oe a p,otter nc 1o NJ onl NJ pr;n
ciple, no special force in the procedure
as laid down. Any State even now can
select its Senators by popular vote If it
SO chooses. 4 great many of the States
already do so. And this is in direct
line with the change which has been
President and Vice-President. II is
known TO all that these electors were,
in the first place, expected to be men
who would exercise a free choice as
among themselves in the selection OF
President and Nice-President 1t was
Republic that the people should give
what amounts practically to a mandate
to these electors to elect certain men
President and Vice President. The elec.
! tors were supposed TO be men Of high
ability, Of wide experience and of broad
craftsmanship, competent in a measure
unknown to the people as mass, to
make choice of the best men for Pres.
| ident and Vice President Of the United
States. But all that has been changed
by popular movement, and the Elec
| toral College. so far from being the
body that chooses the President and
| Yice-President, is merely registering
agency through which the popular will
! is executed. In like manner any State
can, and, as said large number OF
States do, elect their Senators by popu-
lar vote at primaries. and the legisla
tors. in going through the motions pre-
scribed in the Constitution of electng
the Senators, are merely registering
body precisely as the Electoral College
is, to give effect to the will of the peo.
| pie as expressed at a previous primary
or election
The reasons given by members Of the
( ttath Senate for opposing the rstiiica-
ton OF the amendment providing for
the election OF Senators direct by the
! people, are thus seen to he entirely in
valid But since this State. or auy 9th.
er State, can in fact elect the Senators
! by popular vote, there is no reason why
the proposed amendment should be rat
ihed ut all. IT is always a good priu-
! ciple TO avoid cUmbering either Consti-
tuition or statute book with unnecessary
| provisions, rules, or restrictions: aud
! since the proposition TO elect Senators
I by popular vote is entirely needless, us
any state can so select now If il viii,
| the Utah Senate was quite justified iu
refusing TO ratify the proposed Consti-
/ tutional amendment. But it was not
! justified in rejecting that amendment
FOR the reasons gwen against it,
As to the further proposition, that
the Senators are bound by party plat
forms, that rs a personal question with
the legislators themselves. Our own
/ opinion as TO this is that a nominee
running on party platform, should an