The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-09-10
CONCERNING A BILL TO REGULATE THE El4fc'
TIoN OF UNITED STATES SENATORS.


which we find in one of our exchanges, reminds us
of our duty to call public attention to this subject,
and Of the necessity which exists of devising some
uniform law to regulate the election OF United States
senators by the State legislatures. These contests
have of late years. become alarmingly frequent and
inconveniont. Factous minorities have gotin tho
habit Of defeating the viii of the majority Whenever
ii suits their purposes to do Owing to the want
of uniformity in the manner and time oil electing
senators by the several State legislatures, vacancies
are not filed, or purposely and factousy suffered to
continue, to the great detriment Of the public scr
vice and the inconvenience Of the State in which
they exist. 1t is greatly important and desirable to
correct this evil, as far as it can be done by ths
legislation of Congress The Senate, at its last SEES
sion, was earnestly engaged in an effort to remedy
these Inconvenience, but adjourned without pass
ing the bill for this purpose, which they had before
them This was bill introduced by Senator Pugh,
Of Ohio, on tho 10th February, and, as the whole
country is so deeply interested in its becoming
law, it is presumed that it will be one of the first
matters Of unfinished business which will be taken
mp
It is entitled bill to prescribe the time and
form of their credentials" 1t proposes that Oh the
I'd Monday Of January next preceding the expiration
Of the regular term of any senator the Legislature
OF his State shall convene at the seat of government
to elect his SUCCESSOR and continue in session from
day to day till the election is made that the pre-
siding officer of each house of the Legislature shall
direct the of each member to be called and his
choice for senator ascertained and recorded that
each house shall appoint delegate, and the delegates
shall meet and compare the votes, and report the
suit and if each house shall have made choice of the
same person TO be senator, he shall be proclaimed
duly elected ; but, il the same person is not the
choice of majority of aquorum of each house, the
two houses shall convene and the presiding officer of
the least numerous house shall preside the con-
venton and the said delegates shall act tecrs and
each delegate shall call the names ofthe members of the
house for which he appointed and thereupon the
person having majority of the whole number of
members of the Legislature shall be proclaimed elect
ed but if no person have such majority then of the
two persons having the highest number of votes an
election of senator shall be forthwith made, and
the result proclaimed. 1t further provided, that
whenever a vacancy shall occur in the representa-
ton of any State in the United States Senate, the
President Of the Senate shall give notice thereof inn
mediatey to the governor of that State who shall
issue writ of election to fill said vacancy, directed
to the presiding officer of each house of the legsla
tlre if in session, who shall, on the second Monday
after his receipt Of such writ, require the mem
bers thereof to proceed to elect senator to fl
said vacancy, in the manner prescribed in this
- L.
session the governor shall issue proclamation
converting the legislature at such time mot less than
30 nor moro than 90 days from the date Of his proc
lamation) as he may deem cxpedient and the cleo
ton shall BIO made in the manner herein prescribed
II further provided the form of credentials and de-
clared it unlawful to disband indefinitely adjourn
till an election be made, and misdemeanor in any
member to absent himself refuse to vote with in
tent to defeat election of senator punishable by
fine of 81 OOO and disability to hold any federal Of
ice upon conviction, before any circuit or district
court Of the United States.
One of tho main purposes of the bill seems to be
to nsure elections of senator's before the expiration
of any regular term; prevent vacancies in the SEN
ate arising from the neglect refusal legislatures
to elect in due time and prevent contested elections
resulting from the want of federal law directing
when and how senators Of the United States shall be
elected, and the form of certifying such elections
If Congress- possess the power to pass such law,
it will scarcely be questioned that it has become al
most an imperative duty that ii should exercise it
while the Importance of such Legislation is made
manifest by the many vacancies and contested
seats in the United States Senate within the two
last Congresses At the opening of the last Con-
gress, on the Sd of December, 1865, the States of
Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, and California each
had but senator to represent it. At the meeting
Of the preceding Congress, on the 9th December,
1858, there were four vacancies in the Senate--cne
in the representation Of each of the States of
Maine, Vermont North Carolina, and AIississp-
pi. At the session beginning Sd December 1851
there wcro two vacancies in the Senatc--onc in
the representation of California, and one in that
of Connecticut. Thus there have been ten vacan
cies in the Senate in the three last Congresses
all resulting from the failure Of legislatures 10 elect
before The aspiration Of regular Term, and in most
of the cited the vacancies continued for two or
more years The failure of the legislatures to elect
resulted from the faetious opposition Of minority
party which controlled of the houses or of a few
members Of the dominant party who would not sup
port tho choice Of their party and threw away their