File:How we are governed in Tennessee and the nation (1915) (14596447258).jpg

Identifier: howwearegovern00mcba (find matches)
Title: How we are governed in Tennessee and the nation
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: McBain, Howard Lee, 1880-1936 Mynders, Seymour Allen, 1861- (from old catalog) joint author
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Publisher: New York city, H. L. McBain
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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the same representation in theSenate as the State of New York with a population of morethan nine millions. The Constitution did not provide for the election ofSenators by a vote of the people. It provided that theyshould be chosen by the legislatures of the various States.There were many disadvantages in choosing senators bythis method. The position of senator is usually muchsought after, for it carries with it great dignity and influ-ence. In consequence the members of our State legislatureswere often chosen solely with reference to how theywould vote on the choice of a United States senator. OurState law-makers ought to be chosen wholly with referenceto their ability to make proper laws for the State. More-over, it not infrequently happened that the members of aState legislature were unable for many days to agree onthe choice of a United States Senator. The result wasthat the business of making laws for the State was seriouslydelayed and much bitter feeling was enkindled. On several
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z •O n fc ° u — ■r. -*rr ■s. cd ■— M o C & tL h .Et„ < J- •- H - «- fc A, H c -n tc Cfl ° 4= 210 HOW WE ARE GOVERNED IN THE NATION occasions in this or that state it was even disclosed that thefriends of certain candidates had corrupted certain mem-bers of the legislature by buying their votes. For many years efforts were made to change this methodof electing United States senators. This necessitated, how-ever, an amendment to the national Constitution, and aswe have seen, such amendments can be passed only withgreat difficulty. (See page 184.) Finally, on May 12, 1912,an amendment providing that Senators should be electedby a vote of the people of the several States passed bothhouses of Congress by the necessary two-thirds vote. Thisamendment was forthwith sent to the State legislatures.Within one year it had been ratified by the legislatures inthree-fourths of the States; and in May, 1913, it

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