The original constitution held that Senators were selected by the state legislatures, not the 17th Amendment. The 17th Amendment’s ratification destroyed the federal structure, not its repeal, since is WAS NOT repealed. The 17th was the thing mandating popular election of Senators.
Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa.
You are not only correct, but I knew you were correct BEFORE I wrote what I did, until an Alzheimers moment, during my writing, caused me to reverse the mandates of the Constitution, before and after the 17th amendment. Thanks for the correction.
On the original part, of WHY, federal senators were to be chosen by THEIR state’s legislature, I still say it was for the “federal” nature of one house of the federal legislature, to represent the states, as entities requiring their own direct representation in the federal government, and not the corollary effects that may have arisen from that method.