THE ROLL CALL
The One Obstacle Removed AT LAST the one great obstacle to popular election of United States Senators—the United States Senate itself—-has been removed. Public opinion is the force that shoved it,...
...J.), Myers, Newlands, O'Gorman, Overman, Owen, Paynter, Percy, Poindexter, Pomerene, Rayner, Reed, Shively, Simmons, Smith (Md...
...One Democrat, Clarke of Arkansas, voted for it...
...Overman and Frye were paired...
...Those who felt that the popular election amendment should be submitted to the states without any added features of federal intervention opposed the Bristow amendment...
...C.) Stone, Swanson, Taylor, Terrel, Thornton, Watson, Williams, Works—44...
...This amendment was finally rejected by a vote of 43 yeas to 46 nays...
...Vice President Sherman cast the deciding vote, in favor of Bristow's amendment, and it was adopted...
...C), Stephenson, Stone, Sutherland, Swanson, Taylor, Thornton, Townsend, Warren, Watson, Works—64...
...Smith, (S...
...Crawford...
...Martine (N...
...Not voting—Dillingham, Frte, Tillman—3 Progressive Republicans voting for the Bristow amendment were Bourne, Bristow, Brown, Clapp, Crawford, Cummins, Dixon, and Kenyon...
...The debate was waged all afternoon and late into the night...
...Not voting:—Frye, Overman, Tillman—3...
...Clarke (Ark...
...A fight ensued...
...Against Bristow's Plan Bacon, Bailey, Bankhead, Borah, Bryan, Chamberlain, Chilton, Culberson, Davis, Fletcher, Foster, Gore, Gronna, Hitchcock, Johnson, Johnston, Kern, LaFollette, Lea, Martin (Va...
...But the vote of 64 to 24 in the Senate on the 12th in favor of the joint resolution to submit to the states the proposed amendment to the constitution, does not end the matter in Congress...
...Senator Bacon of Georgia, Democrat, who had previously offered an amendment to the Bristow amendment, but had later withdrawn it, again brought it forward...
...Those who felt that the amendment as presented by the Senator from Kansas would not in reality confuse the issue or lessen the effectiveness of the constitutional amendment supported it...
...Smith, (Mich...
...What will happen to it there is, of course, impossible to foretell...
...THEN the final vote was taken...
...Smith (S...
...Culberson, Cullom, Cummins, Curtis, Davis, Dixon, du Pont, Gamble, Gore, Gronna, Guggenheim, Hitchcock, Johnson, Jones, Kenyon, Kern, La Follette, Lea, McCumber, McLean, Martin (Va...
...Upon the vote rested the answer to the old question, Shall the United States Senate continue longer to stand in the way of popular election of United States Senators...
...The resolution must now go to conference...
...Crane, Crawford, Cullom, Cummins, Curtis, Dixon, du Pont, Gallinger, Gamble, Guggenheim, Heyburn, Jones, Kenyon, Lippitt, Lodge, Lorimer, McCumber, McLean, Nelson, Nixon, Oliver, Page, Penrose, Perkins, Richardson, Root, Smith (Mich...
...This led to some debate...
...The next day Senator Bacon led an attempt to recall the resolution from the House on the ground that the Vice President had exceeded his prerogative in voting on the Bristow amendment and insuring its passage by his vote alone, but this attempt failed by a tie vote of 33 to 33...
...J.), Myers, Nelson, Newlands, Nixon, O'Gormon, Owen, Paynter, Perkins, Poindexter, Pomerene, Rayner, Reed, Shively, Simmons, Smith, (Md...
...Smoot, Stephenson, Sutherland, Townsend, Warren, Wetmore—44...
...the United States Senate has at last committed itself to direct elections...
...Senators Mc-Cumber, Bristow and Bradley, Republicans, made speeches favoring the Bristow feature...
...It must now go to conference...
...Clarke, (Ark...
...The vote was as follows: For Bristow's Plan Bourne, Bradley, Brandegee, Briggs, Bristow, Brown, Burnham, Burton, Clapp, Clark, (Wyo...
...The question was: Shall the resolution, changed thus by adding the Bristow amendment for federal supervision, be adopted...
...Senator Borah of Idaho opened it in favor of the resolution in the exact form as it came from the House...
...Here is the way the Senators voted: For Direct Elections Bailey, Borah, Bourne, Bradley, Briggs, Bristow, Brown, Bryan, Burton, Chamberlain, Chilton, Clapp, Clark, (Wyo...
...Senator bristow of Kansas, Progressive, offered the amendment, retaining in the Federal Government the supervision of the elections in the various states, if so ordered...
...Whatever the result of the conference, this much at least has been achieved...
...When it was reported to the Senate in regular order, Senator Reed of Missouri, Democrat, raised the question whether or not the Vice President had the right to cast the deciding vote on the Bristow amendment...
...Martine (N...
...Opposed to it were the speeches of Senators Johnston, Bacon, Stone, Davis, Reed, Percy, Paynter, and Owen, all Democrats...
...This vote was taken by the Senate sitting as Committee of the Whole...
...Against it were Borah, Gronna, La Follette, Poindexter and Works...
...As passed by the House, the resolution did not contain a provision for federal supervision of such direct elections of Senators...
...It was a close vote—44 to 44...
...but the Congress may make or alter such regulations in any state whenever the legislature there of shall neglect or refuse to make such regulations, or from any circumstances be incapable of making the same...
...In the Senate, it was amended so as to include this feature...
...Against Direct Elections Bacon, Bankhead, Brandegee, Burn-ham, Crane, Dillingham, Fletcher, Foster, Gallinger, Heyburn, Johnston, Lippitt, Lodge, Lorimer, Oliver, Page, Penrose, Percy, Richardson, Root, Smoot, Terrell, Wetmore, Williams—24...
...It is powerless further to block the way to its own democratization...
...It read: "The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof...
...Some of the Senators who have been foremost champions of the principle of direct election of Senators, voted against the Bristow amendment, because they feared that if the Senate did not accept the resolution in the form in which it passed the House the whole proposition might fail of passage at this Congress...
...Public opinion is the force that shoved it, finally, out of the path of progress...
Vol. 3 • June 1911 • No. 25
