The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-28
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC .. HAsKIN. DareOanr.
WAahington, ID. O.
A NEW KIND OF SENATE.


public and achievements reflecting
honor upon the nation. a senate thru
whose portals it will be more difficult
for a politician to pass than for the
proverbial camel TO pass thru the
needles eye.
Has there ever been such a senate
Will there ever be2 Or, lis it merely
a dream of idealistic eXperimentallsts
in governmental affairs?
The answer to the first question is,
No The answer to the second ques-
ton is. Yes, perhaps. To the third
the reply must be made that obviously
it is a dream of fdealists, but it must
be added that it is far more tangible
than most dreams for it is about TO
be tried out.
The senate of the Irish Free state is
to be this unique legislative body II
peace comes to the Emerald Isle and
the Irish have an opportunity to work
out their own political deStinieS under
the new constitution of the Free state
Needless to say the experiment Will De
watched with the closest interest thru
out the world, and particularly from
this side of the Atlantic
The Irish senate, the constitution
provides, is to be composed OF two
members representative OF each ac.
credited Irish university and of SO
members representatives at large or
men of attainmentS in Ireland The SEN
ators will be elected by popular vote,
but the candidates from among whom
the people will make their choice Will
be nominated in a. most unusual fash
ion Three times as many candidates
as there are senators to be eiected
will have thu names on the bal
lot. Of these nominees two-thirds Will
be selected by the Irish chamber of
deputies, a body corresponding to the
lower house of congress in this coun-
try. and the other third will be nom
mated by the senate itself.
The term of office of a senator is
fixed at IL years. twice that OF an
United States senator One-fourth OF
the membership of the Irish senate
is to be elected every four years,
whereas in this country one-third OF
the senators are chosen every two
years.
Qualifications of Candidates.
But it is in its provisions as to the
qualifications of the candidates for
the senate that the Free State constr
tuition is of especial interest. 1t sdp-
ulates that before a man can be made
a candidate he must have done honor
to the nation by reason of useful
public service" or he must, because of
special qualifications or attainnents,
represent important aspects of the
nations life
Under such limitations it is con-
ceivable that a politician might get
into the Irish senate, but 1T would not
be by playing the game of politics.
or being a politician. He would nave
to have a record of achievement in
other fields more likely to commend
him to the consideration of the public.
Manifestly. too. the senatorial canol-
dates would owe no allegiance to
parties. nor could their nominations
be dictated or controlled by party
bosses or special interests
Men who attain to seats in the 1rlsh
upper house may be representative OF
almost every line of human endeavor
nance, education, medicine, the min
istry, the law and what not. They
may be poets. soldiers, engineers,
priests. painters, publicists. farmers,
professors, labor leaders, captains OF
industry, doctors, lawyers, merchantS,
chiefs'' but it is a fair gamble that
the percentage of men of the law VIII
not be so high as it is in the personnel
Of national legislators in these United
States.
Men will not seek the senatorial toga
in Ireland for the sake of the office
and the power it symboliZeS. They VIII
strive for pre-eminence in theu
chosen fields of endeavor in the hope
That the toEa will be conferred upon
them as n recognition of merit, carry
ing with it an opportunity for further
and greater service to the people
They will enter the senate. not to make
their careers, but to round them out.
They will not be great men because
they are senator's; they will be SEN
ators because they are great men.
1t would be interesting to read the
of such senators. and then
follow the record of the proceedings OF
such a senate!
Exberiment Might Be Tried Here.
II Isl interesting. also. to speculate
1pon the possibility of trying such a
idea in the United
States and how it might be WORKED
put. Federal and state constitutional
would first be IN oroer'
but assuming THAI they had Deen eI-
.ected, here is whist might be done;
Qualifications of senators would be
The same or substantially the same as
provided in the Irish Free state IN
order not to increase the membership
Of the senate to unwieldy proportions,
The apportionment would give one
senator to each state and forty-eight
10 the country at large, instead OF Two
10 each state as at present FIXING
he term at twelve years, thirty-two
be elected every -FOUR
rears. instead of every two years
Three candidates would be placed
n nomin ttion for each seat to be
'illed. Two of the nominees for each
senator representative of a state
would be selected by the state legis-
ature and one would be named by
he national house of representatives
Such senators would be elected by the
popular vote of the people of their
'espective states TwO-thirdS or the |
nominees for senators-at-large would |
,e selected by the national house of
and one-third by the |
senate itself. These senators would |
)e elected by a nationwide popular |
-ote.
To carry the speculation a step |
urther with a view of arriving at /
ome idea OF the kind of men who /
would find their way to the United |
states senate under such a system. it /
nay be recalled that some time ago a /
Iew York newspaper invited a large /
lumber of representative men and |
women to submit lists in answer to /
he question as to who are the twelve |
,reatest living Americans. The |
welve names included most often in,
he lists were those of an inventor, l
college president, a manufacturer. /
IN engineer. a lawyer, a general, an /
Industrial chfeftain. another LAWYER,