Show BY THE PEOPLES VOTE it will soon tie be time for the two political parties of the state to hold I 1 their conventions we hope that both will decide in favor of an amendment to the constitution of the united states providing for the election of senators by a direct vote of the people the same as other officers are elected while the theory of the fathers was all right and the selection jofh of thase ese officials boffl bials by the votes of members of the ac legislature I slature ought to be correct the practice of late has been accompanied by scandal by crookedness and it is high time it was abolished the question for a time was quasi political to the credit of the democratic party be it said it was the first to advocate it in so far as we are able to ascertain but republicans are taking up the matter now and we note that a conference called by the republican governor of the state ot of iowa Is to be held at des moines in september for the purpose of devising means to secure such an amendment as has been mentioned it is the hope of governor cummings that every state in the union will send a delegate for lie he wants the movement to be a popular one several of the states have already expressed an intention of having representation although up to date we have not heard of any action on the part of the executive of utah As has been suggested by one authority tho rity the matter becomes especially interesting and important because of the action of the house of representatives during the recent session in refusing to propose the desired amendment to the several states for ad adoption op the measure required a two thirds vote but bat only received eighty nine votes sixty six votes being cast against it A majority of the members were either absent or dodged the question this Is said to be the first time that the lower house of congress has tailed failed to approve such an amendment when put to a vote and several times it has obtained more than the required two thirds but in every instance the senate has refusal refused to take favorable action thus defying public sentiment and there is small prospect that the senate will ever pass such an amendment unless forced in some way to do so against inclination anil and personal interest of a large proportion I 1 of its members that body is composed largely of millionaires whose election by legislatures is due to bribery or some other form of 0 corruption or to corporate influence and who could never be chosen by popular 4 vote of course there is no senator to be elected here this winter but at the same time it would not be a bad idea to formulate some plan for the nomination of senators by the people themselves so that legislatures may be guided thereby pending a change in the present system As we have said we hope this will not be confined to any particular party but indulge in the hope that both will take the matter up and sive give it strong endor endorsement serpent utah state journal |