The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-06-14
away and formed the Progressive par
No Certainty Of a Convention.


No Certainty Of a Convention.
There seems to have been a very
wide misunderstanding about what
was done by the executive committee
of the Republican national committee
when it met in Washington. This mis-
understanding has grown with the
days since the committee departed, for
certain words of the leading commit
teemen were misinterpreted at the
start and 1t was taken for granted that
the national committee would be GER
tain to call a convention. The TACT
is that all that was done by the execu-
tive committee in Washington was TO
call a meeting OF the national commit
tee and to ask it to decide certain
questions.
II is known definitely that the ma
jority of the members Of the national
committee do not want to call con-
vention and that all they want to do
is to change on their own authority
the apportionment of southern repre-
sentation in Republican conventions.
to declare for the principle of the pres
idential primaries and then to ad-
journ.
progressives Are Content.
The Progressives in Washington say
that they are entirely content with the
action of the Republican party's execu-
tive committee. BY Progressives are
meant the members of the new party
and not the progressive-Republic
The new party men say that thefreely
expressed belief of old line Repub-
licans that the results Of Democratic
law making alone will be sufficient to
return the old party to power is in
itself enough to hold the Progressives
together as a party and to further
ALLEVIATE from the old party the affec-
lions of Observation-Disclosures.
The ProgressIves, and the progress
ive-Republicans. too, for that matter,
say that unless the Republican party
declares for the advanced policies for
which progressivism. both with the
small p and a capital P has stood. the
Progressive party will have many ad-
ditional members drawn from the
ranks of progressive Republicanism
Immediately after it is made plain that
the old line Republicans will not stand
for the platform of advanced princi-
pies.
Senate Is Changing.
Hereafter members of the congress
sional committees of the three parties
that is provided the Progressive
party shall decide that congressional
committee is necessary-will have the
additional duty of directing the cam
paign for the election of United States
senators. The coming change in the
method of the election of senators Is
affecting the proceedings in the up
per house. Realizing that they are
now directly responsible to the peo-
pie rather than to the legislatures,
some of the senators are showing q
change of manner and method.
For years numerously signed peti.
tons praying for or against legisla'
ton have been received daily by the
senators of the United States. These
petitions have been duly and with
proper formality presented to the SEN
ate. but only rarely has there been q
word said at presentation time con-
corning the nature of the petition or
the standing of the persons or organ.
izations who had given 1t their sig
natures. Today some of the senators
are presenting these petitions with
spoken words enough to let the peo-
pie back home who are interested
know that their upper house repre-
sentative Is on duty and will give
their cause all proper consideration.
and support il 1t seems best"
New Methods For Old Timers.
Some of the old time senators
seeking reelection will have to learn
new lessons in politics, or else must
restudy those which they learned
when they were members Of the low
err house or of the home states legis-
latures. 1t is one thing to prepare
! for a campaign before a legislature.
and 1t is another thing to prepare for
one in which some hundreds of thou
sands of voters will have a direct
shot at the target. Time after time
the direct election of senators pro-
position was voted down in the sen
ate of the United States. II finally
was given to the states to decide by
the votes of upper house men who
stammered with reluctance when
they voted AYE" The dreaded thing
is to come and hereafter the honor
ables and more or less ancients not
to put it the other way. will be com.
PEELED to make a plain case before the
| people
Washington wants to know what
| effect the direct election of senators
is going to have on the rules and the
general nature of the proceedings in
the upper house. Prior to tn, time
| that direct election was assured
there were occasional threats that
the rules OF the upper house would
be changed in order that debate
might be shut off and the passage of
legislation expedited
| Some OF the senators today fear that
| the result g direct elections Is to be
| the making of a second house out OF
| the senate other senators say that
this tear is groundless because the
"deliberative character" of the senate
is the thing which makes for proper
consideration Of legislation passed
| hurriedly by the representatives. and
that the country realizes the necessity
of adequate discussion of all bills be-
fore their final adoption.