"'Tis Sixty Years Since": Address of Charles Francis Adams; Founders' Day, January 16, 1913Adams, Charles Francis
Philosophy
"'Tis Sixty Years Since": Address of Charles Francis Adams; Founders' Day, January 16, 1913
Adams, Charles Francis
Philosophy, Modern
None the less, so far as our national parliamentary system is concerned,
could I have my way in a revision of the Constitution, I would increase
the senatorial term to ten years, and I would, were such a thing within
the range of possibility, break down the system of the necessary
senatorial selection by a State of an inhabitant of the State. If I
could, I would introduce the British system. For example, though I never
voted for Mr. Bryan and have not been in general sympathy with Mr.
Roosevelt, yet few things would give me greater political satisfaction
than to see Mr. Bryan, we will say, elected a Senator from Arizona or
Oregon, Mr. Roosevelt elected from Illinois or Pennsylvania, President
Taft from Utah or Vermont. They apparently best represent existing
feelings and the ideals prevailing in those communities; why, then,
should they not voice those feelings and ideals in our highest
parliamentary chamber?
As respects our House of Representatives, it would in principle be the
same. I do not care to go into the rationale of what is known as
proportional representation, nor have I time so to do; but, were it in
my power, I would prescribe to-morrow that hereafter the national House
of Representatives should be constituted on the proportional basis,--the
choice of representatives to be by States, but, as respects the
nomination of candidates, irrespective of district lines. Like many
others, I am very weary of provincial nobodies, "good men" locally known
to be such!
As I have already said, in parliamentary government all depends in the
end on the truly representative character of the legislative body. If
that is as it should be, the rest surely follows. The objective of
Aristotle is attained.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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