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Show SENATORIAL ELECTIONS. Periodically the question comes up: "Would it not be better to elect United States Senators by direct vote of the people?" The old arguments are 11 threshed over, then tho matter subsides until' something revives it again. The chief argument on the one side is that the Senators represent the States; that the Senate brings all the States on a level, the little with tho big: that Senators are only indirectly the agents of the people of their own States, but all the States, and because of them a small, sparsely settled State is safe against the aggressions of its more populous and powerful power-ful sisters. Against this is the argument that the people as a whole can be more safely trusted than any representatives they can elect, that their direct votes perfectly represent public opinion and the people's will. There are merits in both arguments, but there are other considerations upon which not enough stress is laid. For instance, when a Senatorship is for sale, it is a straight proposition that the amount paid should be used where it can do the most good. It is not fair for a few legislators to scoop the whole amount, it is manifestly unfair for one man who controls the legislature to pocket the whole sum. Again, when a gentleman makes a direct purchase pur-chase from one man It is but human nature that he should lose interest in the people at large, and it is doubtful if a gentleman so elected has a clear idea of even the gorgraphy of the state, whereas, with the business reversed, his solicitude would be as all encompassing as the state itself. For instance, in-stance, suppose San Juan were to be mentioned. The Senator would strike his forehead and say: "San Juan, San Juan, 0, yes, they call it San Wan. It was from there that tho member demanded de-manded $27.00 more for his vote than I paid the Weber man because he had to travel so much further to get to Salt Lake. I am solid on San Wan, it's down by the river and next to Colorado." Colo-rado." Or, what if Rich were under discu sion, the Senator would be interested at once. "Rich, Rich," he would say. "That's the little corner up north where Quill Nebeker rounds up the boys. It was Quill who put up Johnson to double the assessment assess-ment on me, and who suggested to Jensen to demand de-mand that I promise to make him timber agent before he would vote for me. It is mighty costly for men to get votes from members that Quill Nebeker has the steering of. I know Rich. It is up close to the Wyoming line. I wish it was over the line." Suppose the appropriation for the Logan Agricultural Agri-cultural College was under discussion and the Senator were to be asked what he knew of Cache County in Utah, would he not promptly answer: "Don't spell it Cache, but Cash, I ought to know. Most of them are Democrats up there and they come high? They are a sterling crowd. One wrote to me that their delegation always voted on principle. prin-ciple. When my secretary read the letter he laughed, and showed me that principle was spelled principal, but I could not see the joke. I saw it later." Or, suppose he were to receive a communication communica-tion from Box Elder. He would soliloquize as follows: "Box Elder, let me see. 0, I have it! Box Elder was where it was necessary to buy Jones and promise a postofflce to Smith. It is that county up north of the lake." Or suppose river and harbor improvements for Sevier river were proposed. Tho Senator would at once recognize the locality and would say: "Sevier, why certainly, Rogers came up from Sevier, It is down below Sanpete. I -had to lift, the mortgage from Roger's sheep ranch, and then who was that 'little cuss who ) 1 3; IImbbsbbbbbbI wanted the postofflce? O, yes, his-nam was Adamr '1hHH son. O, I know Sevier all right." IIbbbbbbbbbbI So it would 'go all over the State and the Sen- USHI ator would 'be thoroughly posted on how much h Jiljfl had added to the resources of each county. Thfc IIhhH plan has advantage?; then the profits are morn IIIIIbbbbbbbbbI generally distributed. Then, too, the Senator it MlliBjjjjjji brought into direct and close relations with, at ifial least, a part of the people, and if shrewd and liiBBBBBH discerning, he can more correctly estimate the real JmIbbbbbI value of his great rural constituency. The measure ,bH will never be properly understood until "it cat 'JH be discussed from a practical standpoint iJlraHI In our free country, where all citizens ilfH sovereigns, in order to adjust matters on a Prop4N basis the units of the host must be property M$iil$H suited and their higher purposes negotiated IH when necessary, and the profits of the campalgfPUHH be distributed in the name of the people by th fmHHH people and for the people, that free government may jBfflfflmBBM not perish from the earth. jumflHIH |