The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-01-02
THE sENArE-pAsr AND PRESENT.

THE sFNATE-pAsT AND PRESENT.
Occasionally we hear su old-timer oemoan
the alleged fact that the United states senate
today la not composed OF as able body Of
rnen as in the old days.
In orstory in brillaney, IN executive ability,
in culture. IN law and IN statesmsnship. re are
told the present senate will not stand COM
parison with those OF the days Of the Bisnes
and Conklings and I.amars and Hamptons.
Invariably In searching for reason the critics
tells Us that It Ia due to the change In the
manner of eleotlng the senators. They make
use OF the post hoe proptsr no method OF
argument The senate was composed Of greater
men when the members we're elected by state
legislatures without direction by the people
and, therefore. the direct primary plan Is the
cause Of the deterioration
In this there IS some truth, IN the old
days the men of ability went into law and
politics. today they 60 into business. Herein
lies one cause Of the change. Business offers
more emoluments aud as much fame poll
tics We had cheap politicians and dema-
gogues then, bur they had more competition
from statesmen Today politics is left more
largely to them and the brains OF the country
Is engaged In making money Moreover. the
average ability OF The present senators Is not
SO far below that OF those OF the past The
big men OF years gone by in retrospect.
Their faults, rather than their virtues were
writ In sand. and the virtues loom larger now.
The big men are remembered for their bigness
and brilIiancy and not for their weakness
Their contemporaries saw their faults, exag
sAsatsa them AZ Ia a-eastara- aaw--and- puh=
llshed them 10 the world, but history has
dealt more gently with them II is natural
TO think the men OF the past greater than
those with whom we mingie and It is equally
natural fer the cid man iR his coy corner 10
compare the past With the present, to the
detriment of the latter
IT Is true however. that the personnel Of
the present senate is inferior In some respects
60 the personnel OF those OF other times and
II is true also that the direct plan of nomi-
mating candidates for the senate is partially,
responsible for the difference even though we
deny that it is altogether to blame and
though we deny that the deterioration is
great as the old gentlemen OF the press and
rostrum would have us believe.
That these things are true, is no cause for
opposition TO the direct election OF senators
and need bring It's advocates uneasiness
In the first place commanding ability is not
the only qualification desired in our senators
and ability bereft of sympathy for the hopes
and aspirations OF the people of the country
does not make for the kind OF senator desired.
IN short, It is representative senate and not
senate OF brains that is wanted The two
together would make the ideal. but get the
combination we must wait patiently. The de-
mand for direct primaries and for the direct
election OF senators the outgrowth OF the
knowledge that the senate dd not represent
the people. To secure this representation in
the upper chamber OF congress the people hit
unon the expedIent OF electing It's members
as nearly directly as possible under the con-
sttution, pending a change in that document
With this new power in their hands they
chose their senators. making mistakes att
times. it Is true, and some times falling prey
to- schsminG deEpagoguea, but, elect{ng> thetr
cWsn senators ~1Shsl Thes kusw the.ae@d or
snators representing them rather than sena-
tors representing special interests and they set
about the task. At 1rst they were TOO intent
upon selecting men who would represent them
rather than special interests 20 pick and choose
between candidates. but in the course OF time
representatives OF special interests Will not be
so numerous and the people will be able to
choose the best and most able Of those who /
are Of the people !
Now We have more nearly representative
senate. composed of able and mediocre men,
then will have a representative senate COM |
posed OF men as able as any Of the past
MAN oy pacr sru