The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-01-13
CONVERSATIONAL ELECTIONS.

1914, was 200.
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CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS.
As the general statutes require the secrc'
tary of state TO designate for publica-
ton" in the several newspapers oil the state
''dN the public acts Of the session (which
shall be of general interest,"" and as snch
designation and publication haye beer
made. we assume that the election laws Of
the state remain as they wore on the first
Tuesday of September last. We must con-
fess tina, it would require more time than
we have at comman |, to wade through the
proceedings and find exactly what the
legislature did or failed to do but, surely,
election laws are of general interest" the
secretary of state, in the discharge Of his
duties, must have known this, and no law
in reference to elections having been de-
signated or published, it is no violent pre-
sumption to assume that no changes were
made. Assuming this, then, AS a fact, we
respectfully call the attention Of the gen
ctal assembly, to convene in extra session
to-day. to the immediate necessity of so
altering our laws that they may conf N
to the laws of the United States. TIC
general 81 ,tutcs (chap. l., secs. 80 SO pio-
vide that ON the first Tuesday Of Septem
her, 1861, and bienniaily thereafter, the
irccmp! Of the state shall elect persons to
represent them lii" several congrcs5iUn-
a, .;,t. t., l,,, Of fhp fpit pi
stA'r.; ih,i the No',s shall be Canrasscd
60 line .dpndny ext after the second
Thursday OF Oct. ucr that il, in any dis
ttirt, ''no ierson shall have a majority of
all the votes gwen in said district on the
first Tuesday of S"ntember." the governor,
on the fact ueiDc certified TO him, shall
issue his proclamation for sccord cleo
ton, to be held on the Tuesday mex, after
the first Monday of November and the
votes so cast AT l'ie second election, shall
be canyassed On BIC third Tuesday there
after. Assuming, again, that the secretary
OF stale has properly discharged his duties,
such is the law as it, in substance, stands
upon our statute books, but it has ceased
to I've good law, and elections held under it
wulld be void because il conflicts with
,bc laws of the United States.
BY the general statutes OF the United
States. passed by the last congress, the day
for the election Of members OF congress is
made uniform throughout the United
States. The substance of the provision is
that the Tuesday next after the first Mon
day Of November, 1876, is fixed and es-
tablished" for the election of members of
the forty-fifth cor gress, ''in each of the
states of the United States" and The same
day, in every second year thereafter, for
the election of members Of the congress
commencing on the fourth day OF March
thereafter Ii is further provided that each
state shall, by law, fix n day for second
election in case of failure to elect at the
first, or to fill vacancy caused by resigna-
ton, death or otherwise. This law, as will
be seen from the extract, given below,
from the national constitution, supercedes
and renders our state law nugatory. Arti-
Gle l., section 4, of the constitution reads
as follows: I" The times, places, and man
"ner of holding elections for senators and
representatives, shall be prescribed in
leach state, by the legislature thereof but
the congress may, at any time, BY law,
"make or alter such regulations, except as
"to the places of choosing senator's" Act
ing under this provision, congress, some
years ago. fixed day tor the election of
United States Senators, and they have now
followed up that action by fixing an uni
form day for the election of Representa-
tives. 1t will be seen, at glance, that Our
state law must be changed 80 as to meet
things, and, unless another extra session is
desired, now is the time TO make the change.
This work will not require an half hours
time and need not leng,hen the session. In
this connection, it may be well to suggest
another matter for the consideration of the
legislature, but, although it is matter OF
considerable importance, without any ex-
pectalion of its being acted upon. BY
this new law, we will be compelled TO hold
two elections every two years, one in Sep.
TENDER and one in November. This is q
hardship to the voting population of the
state as it compels them to take two days
to accomplish that which can easily be done
in one day. Gentlemen Of the legislature
why not ''takc the bull by the horns" sub
nit a constitutional amendment TO the peo
pie, altering the time of holding the gen
cral assembly from October to November
December or later, and provide for holding
all elections on the same day We simply
make the suggestion, it is for the legisla
.Y,f. q, oIt