I am intrigued by your article. I have long believed that the balance of powers enshrined the Constitution was fundamentally upset by the passage of the 17th Amendment, relating to the direct election of Senators. The voice of the States, as one of the three parties to the Federalist compromise, was effectively silenced with this amendment.

I would like to discuss a joint project to publish a study of the history of the 17h Amendment, including the motivations behind its passage and its impact upon the federalist model.

Jim Goldsmith