Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-08-30
THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
w. M. BOLE. Edisey
o. 8. WARDEN. Manage,

to peace if a Democratic president is elected. He
says in effect that the senators would continue
to reject any treaty of peace negotiated by
Democratic president by refusing two-thirds
majority to ratify such a treaty, and that there
fore those who want peace had better bow to the
senate Republicans and let them have their way
by eecting Mr. Harding president
Mr. Taft probably knows the present senatorial
oligarchy as well as any man. He has had ex-
perience of their hard boiled activities. But what
he really wants the voters to do is to surrender
the whole country to their dictation. 1t is true
that minority of one-third of the senators can
defeat any treaty they see fit to defeat But
rather than surrender the government to the die
tation of minority as has been done in Russia
we would prefer to tell the senator's who thus
disregard public opinion to do their worst.
President Wilson has asked for a great and
solemn referendum of the people on the action
of the senate in defeating the treaty Of peace.
The Republican platform on which Mr.. Harding
stands specifically endorses and praises the &C
ton Of the Republican senators-all Of them
on the treaty Of peace. The Democratic plat
form specifically condemns the action Of those
Republican senators responsible for the defeat
of the treaty and denounces a separate peace.
Both candidates declare that they stand by the
utterances Of their respective platforms on this
subject and both are agreed that this issue is
the paramount one in the campaign. The issues
are fairly well Joined. Each side has appealed
to the people and the election will disclose the
answer of the people to that appeal 1t is true
that other issues will more or less enter into the
campaign and will have more or less influence
on the result but we can hardly conceive Of the
upper branch Of congress ignoring that result,
whatever it may be- A sweeping Republican VIC
tory would be good and sufficient evidence to US
that we had mistaken the temper of the people,
and that the majority approved Of the action OF
the senate in defeating the treaty and refusing
to join in the League OF Nations or that they
were Indifferent to the issue so raised by Presl-
dent Wilson and the Democratic platform On
the other hand a sweeping Democratic victory
next November would convince US that the con-
trary Of these propositions were true we pc
lieve the senators would draw conclusions ana
govern themselves accordingly A small group
of hard boiled ants might hold out against sucn
a popular verdict, but we believe tWo-thlrds
vote could be mustered to make good the major
itv will as registered at the election. Even II
this were not true it would be far better 70 put
the issue up to the hard boiled senators ana
compel them to go on record At the most none
of the holdovers can have more than four years
lease Of political life before he will have TO go
before his constituents for new endorsement
and election. These constituents would know
how to get even with public representative VINO |
defied the will Of the lorlty of the voters ne
reDresents Of course the senate is not so rep |
resentative body as the house, which repre- |
sents certain number of voters, while the sem /
ators represent states without reference to their
population. It is conceivable that large major
itv of the voters of the country might wish some
policy carried out while majority of the states |
were opposed to that policy. However we hardly
expect such variation to occur in the present IN
stance.
Gov Mccall Of Massachusetts in a thoughtful |
article which appears in the September issue Of
the Atlantic Monthly magazine takes note both |
Of the determination of the senate and it's grow
ing usurpation Of the prerogatives of the house /
and the presidency, and suggests by way of
remedy that the function Of ratifyng treaties
be taken from the senate and given to the house
which must answer to the people each two years
for its acts, and which is based on majority will
instead Of state rights. He says:
"In governments which are really popular the
final arbiter upon questions of policy is the peo-
pie, and it is for them to break up deadocks and
settle differences between their agencies Of gov
eminent Last winter the president proposed
a great solemn referendum on the treaty of
occasion would indeed be most solemn. 1t would