, 1874-05-27

oA@4A "o oloot NuHEfess A4l0 Hals goaf to
have 1t ? That Is the question. II the practice
was, as It should bo, to oloct Congress- and
have it ut once, how absurd would Heem tho
proposition to elect Congress- and whit a year.
And yet it is just that absurd thing which we
do. The custom, indeed, has descended to us
from the Fathers Of the Republic, aud this year,
aH in other years, We enter upon canvass for
elections to Congross with the certainty that our
CongroaB-electiB ia to have no active existence for
a year! We elect Congress, on tho Congress
sional Issues Of tho day, and-wait year. Wo
olect new Congress, while an old ono Is yet to
have the busiest aud most important session Of
its torn. We so into the canvass blind,
upon the half-mado rccorda OF Con-
greaamen; NO presumably ro-elect the good
aud do not (except sometimes) re-clect
tho bad; and then, having elected ,,e.o Con-
gress, the old Congress- comes together again,
tho good and the bad, the ro-electel and the 70
jccted, nnd-we wait year. II this people was
not already aud had not been all along doing
this, would any Fathers Of the Republic now pro-
pose that we do it? Would any modern states-
man propose it,
The question, therefore, is: Shall no continue
to elect a Congress and to wait ycar2 This
question properly comes up at the threshold of
Congreeaional canvass. aud It deservea such
influential confederation that It need never come
up again. We arc 40,00o,000 Of people, COM
municating now by telegraph and travelling by
steam q people With vast national interests
centeroa in Congress; and yet, in tho
election and assembling Of Congress-, wo purauo
tho slow-going path first trod III the Htage-coach
days Of the Republic, whom Baltimore WAS prao-
tica1ly farther from the National Capital than
San francisco now is. 1t is surprising enough
that We havo followed this slow proceHs SO long,
It will be surprising, indeed, Il, having once
aroused the peoples attention to 1t, tAis custom
should survive the present year. Wo therefore
urge that the people givo thought to this matter,
and, in this years election Of congressman, in
atruct their representatives that the uoxt eleo-
ton must DO followed by possession. Thero Ia
no politics about this, in tho senge Of an issue
between nepublicanH, Democrats, and Indc-
pondonts, but only tho suggestion OF what
should be @ common purpose. Tlloro ia, indeed,
manifest reason why that purpose ought to be
cordially Endorsed and forwarded by all.
It soomH to ua that tie year 1916 will bo an
exceptionally good year for the new plan to 60
into effect In November, 1876 as now provided
by d law Of Congress to which! several Staten
{pennsylvania, oto.) have conformed their local
elections, tho people In all tho states will, for
tho first time On one day, elect members Of tho
House in tho Forty-lfth Congress. That Noye1n-
ber election il also to be tho Presidential elcc-
tion. Lot tho Forty-fourtL Congress. whoso
mombers We are now about to oloot and whose
tarm extends from 1876 to 1877, DO formally in
structed, by resolutions Of nominating conyon-
tions, that ltB term must DO shortened to bring
Ia tho succeeding Oong1eBa whon elected. This
can only be dono by constitutional amendment.
The shortening would, however, full alouo
and at once Oh the members Of tho Houae
in tie Forty-fourth Congress-. Thereafter
Congressional periods would begin and
ond with Congressional elections, in November
each Hecoud year. The Senate being (eo-
called) permanent body, In which comparatively
Tow personal changes OCCUR ut any ono time, tho
term Of Senators ueed not be disturbed, aui tho
Presidential term might properly continue to
dato. AZ new, from tho Fourth Of AIarch. We
6hould, indeed, rcgret to soe this Himplo pyoeo-
alt1on hurdeued with an attompt to do too much.
Ii the interest OF Congressional reform, whicl.
'a thss year peculiarly the upper,noHt desire Of
tho people, wo believe this proposition embod1es
whole sehedule OF reforms. Almost without
exception in these ton years mast. tho really
da'hn1ng aots OF oongress-tha original and
suocssslve atopH IN oredlt.a1ohier legislation,
tho several aohemss Of aubsdy plunder, The
aa1sss"gfAb, sta.--hAvs hssa ths vusk u In