The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-03-08
What Do


way to eliminate such contingencies
is for the senate to change its rules
so that a majority of it's members
can demand and get vote on any
thing they want at any time. There
is nothing unreasonable about such
a proposition unless you are not in
favor of majority rule.
1t has become apparent that some
people are not in favor of majority
rule.
What do these people want? If they
do not approve of the rule of the ma
jority through votes, of what do they
approve? Do they cherish a rule
through blood and iron such as Mus
solini, Hitler and TOTO flourished?
Hitler, Mussolini and TOTO abominat-
ed the majority rule as much as Sen
ator Tydings of Maryland.
Poll Takers Fear Majority Rule
Among the poll takers Of the South
are men who fight and fear majority
rule. They hide behind an anti-negro
bias the fact that their poll taxes dis
franchise most white people as well
as most negroes This leaves only a
small group of politicians in the poll
tax states to select all public Off
cials-which includes members of the
congress.
Thus Senator Bilbo was nominated
in the Democrat primary in 1910 by
IS per cent of the potential voters
and elected that November by II per
cent of the potential voters and per
cent of the total population of Mis-
sissippi.
Senator Johnston of South Carolina
was elected in 1914 with 8 per cent
of the potential voters and per cent
of the total population voting.
Senator Maybank of South Caro-
lima was elected in 1912 with only 2
per cent of the potential voters, which
was per cent of the total population
of that state voting.
Senator Russell of Georgia was
elected in 1912 with but s per cent
of the potential voters and 2 per cent
of the state population voting. (Geor
gia has since abolished the poll tax
and ought to do better in the future) |.
Senator Mcclellan was elected in
1910 by II per cent of the potential
voters or 10 per cent of the total pop
ulation of Tennessee.
No wonder such people are opposed
to majority rulei
Why should we people way out west
in Montana complain about it? One
reason is that we have been, can be,
and probably will be denied enactment
of legislation which we desire. An
other reason is that we are outvoted
The poll tax, cloture, denial of ma ]
jority rule all tie in together. They !
add up to bad government. Georgia
and Wisconsin, for example, have
about the same population. In 1910
272,573 people voted in Georgia and
elected one u. S. Senator while in
the same year it took 1856, $50 to elect +,
Advocates Apportionment Change
1t seems to me that it would be !,
reasonable that the law of the land be
changed so that in the future repre-
sentation in the House of Representa- !
tives of congress should be appor-
toned upon the basis of the number
of persons voting in such elections,
Such a provision would result in the =
poll-tax states remedying their archaic
voting laws. 1t seems to this writer
to be good theory that state should
not have representation in congress
for disfranchised persons.
OF course, if such proposition were
presented to the congress, we would
face our old friend, Mr.. Filibuster.
This would be followed by a demand /
for cloture. But if two-thirds of the !;
members of the senate refused to vote
for cloture it would not be possible
for that great deliberative body, the |
most powerful parliament in the
world, to take a vote on the matter. !
Even a country school board or the
board of aldermen of a hamlet have
more sense than to try to operate /
lnder such silly restrictions. But not
he U. S. Senate. Instead it ties !
tself all up in nice red tape of its
own making, whilst some of it's mem 4
)erS crate against government bureau
ed tape, or the red tape of Americas
giant corporations. It's a beautiful
mari that only an aroused public
opinion in the nation can alter I'm
ortunately the public doesn't under
tand the rules of the senate Most !
eople are blissfully unaware of their 1
xistance. 1t is a rather involved |
natter and the newspapers would I
ather print comic strips, sports news, !
tic. That keeps people from over
working brains and from probing into 4
matters that vitality effect bread and /
utter economics of which the owners
+ the Big Press in America would
ather have Americans in ignorance.
Wheeler Against Cloture
Oh yes, among those voting against
loture was Senator Burton Kendall
Wheeler, that eternal blot upon Mon
ana's escutcheon, who must run the i
auntlet of public opinion in the July !
rimary election this year. Are you !
egistered SO you can Northwestern