Jim Breen <jimbreen@gmail.com> wrote:
> CL wrote:
> > Jim Breen wrote:
> >>Direct election of US senators became nation-wide in 1913 with the
> >>17th amendment. Before then it varied, with many states having their
> >>legislature selecting the senators. The framers of the Australian
> >>constitution considered the (then) US-style indirect election (still
> >>used in Germany, etc.) in the 1890s, but went for direct election.
> > 
> > 1913???  

> Yep. That's when the 17th was ratified by enough states.

> > Apparently, you've never heard of the State of Louisiana (the
> > only US state whose laws are not based on the British legal system --
> > and, some would argue, no one else's either) or The Kingfish (Huey
> > Long), and neither has the person who wrote the above into Wikipaedia.
> > Thanks for the quote, though ...

> Read the amendment:
> http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxvii.html

> Where does it mention Louisiana is different from the rest?

> (Of course, the constitution doesn't stop state politicians from
> corrupting the process. But who am I to argue - I'm not a US citizen
> and Mike Fester thinks the US system needs no "tweaking" or outside
> advice.)

Got a quote on that?

Mike