Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-03-31
Congressional

Senator Edmunds, on Wednesday. intro
duced substitute for article twelve of the
Constitution, which provides that the cleo
tors shall ballot for President and Vice
President in their respective States, and
shall send list of the votes TO the United
States Supreme Court Justice VINO shall in
public open them and if any candidate has
majority of votes he shall be declared elected
President If no person has majority vote,
the vote shall be sent to the House of Repre-
sentatives, who from the three persons hay
ing received the largest number of votes
shall select by viva yoce vote President.
The representation from each State to have
one vote if majority of its delegates agree
on one candidate. but otherwise the vote Of
such State shall not be counted.
Mr.. Blaine stirred up the Democratic war
horses again, Wednesday, in further discus
sion of the bill to prohibit contributions to
election funds by United States employees.
Speaking to his amendment to include Sena-
tors and Representatives, Mr.. Blaine said be
regarded 1t as very significant and very
gratifying circumstance that the judiciary
committee, composed of a ma Ority of Demo
cratic members, and presided over by
strict State-rights Democrat, had reported
unanimous bill proposing to give Con
greSs the right to take cognizance of local
elections even in counties and districts. lie
regarded that as a surrender of the doctrine
heretofore held by tine Democratic party on
the subject. 1t was admitted everywhere
that there was as great a necessity for legis-
lation to secure an honest vote and
fair count. as there was to guard
iarl-.
election purposes. With that part of the bill
he sympatnized. He did not think there
bad been under Republican regime in Wash
| ington any coercion of clerks or any dismis
sails for not contributing, but both parties
were in the habit Of receiving assessments
| and contributions from ofhce-holdcrs. That
was something altogether too well-known
and too notorious TO be denied or questioned
1t might run into great evil lie thank
| ed the Judiciary committee tor proposing
remedy for that evil, and he thanked the
House for the very large majority with
which it had indicated its purpose to
strike at an evil far greater than that.
| He undertook to say the cOntribu
tions made in Congressional elections, both
| BY successful and defeated candidates, ex-
ceeded By many times over the contributions
| by persons holding State or Federal Offices,
and, if the House designed to correct that
evil, the bill would have to be
amended so that neither Senator nor
Representative nor delegate, nor candidate
for such position could safely use money
for the purpose of securing his election.
Finally the House, after rejecting various
! amendments, and adopting others, passed
the bib by vote of Us to c 1t provides
that no officer or employe of the government
| shall be required or requested to give or re-
ceive, directly or indirectly, any money or
property, or other thing of value, for politi
cal purposes, and any such officer or emyloye
who shall offend against the provisions of
the act shall at once be dismissed from the
service of the United States and also be
deemed guilty of high misdemeanor, and
on conviction Thereof be fined not less than
$500 nor more than $4,000, and be i'm
prisoned not more than one year. The sec
ond section makes it misdemeanor for any
person to use force. duress, menace, violence
or bribery, to influence the elections of
President, Vice-Presdent, Senator, Repre-
sentative or Delegate in Congress. The third
section gives the United States District
Courts jurisdiction of the offences created
BY the act.