The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-15
CONTESTED ELECTIONS.
AReprensible Practice in Which Both Parties
Are At Fault.
Snacial 10 the Tndiananol;z Iournaf


AReprensibie Practice in which Both Paeties
Are At Fault.
Special to the Indianapolis journal!
WAsHINGToN, Feb IA. 1.-The contested eiec-
tions the way they have been conducted in the
House during the past few years, have bean tbs
greatest legal farces the country has had to deal
with. or which have come under the annals of
Congress or courts said an old lawyer of this
city, who has long held the leading practice in
this line of litigation Twenty years ago."
continued he, when was member of Con-
gress, contested. elections were disposed of al
most wholly on legal grounds but Of late they
have become purely party questions. 1t is Gus.
tomary now, when man is elected to Congress
and is given certificate on majority, say two
or three hundred, for his opponent to contest.
and if that opponent happens to be in the ma
jority, nine times out of ten he is given seat
whether be proves any right to it or not;
and men in the majority who vote upon prnci-
pie and law are ostracised, and are fought by
their party. I cannot remember of q man TAX
ing his seat and holding it in the House within the
past ten years on majority of less than one
hundred, and it is seldom that seat is held on
majority of less than three hundred-I mean,
of course, when the contestant is in the majority.
You remember Mr. Calkins, who was chairman
of the elections committee of the Forty-seventh
Congress, departed from his party in one case
and went upon law and principle, and members
of his party fought him for reelection, and he
was defeated. OF course both parties are at fault
in this matter and must say that this repre-
hensible practice is about as common in one
party as the other There are two contests
now before the committee of seats which
held on inajorities of less than the
maximum have stated, and the majority of the
members in the House winkine at each other
and saying that it will be but few days until
the men holding the seats will be ousted. Be-
sides the general injustice of such practices and
customs they lead to very bad example before
the country. They impress the people with tho
belief that party ties are higher than principles,
and that the law is TO be disregarded when party
is at issue. The reason thero are fewer contests
in the Senate than in the House is because party
ties there less binding It is not iDfrequent
that caucus is held in the House by the major
ity in secret, for the purpose OF determinins.e~
vote as party upon contest which is fiagrantly
partisan. There is more demagogy practiced be-
fore the elections committee, too. than before
any police court in the country. The arguments
pro and con are very often ridiculous. ] have
been ain attorney in probably fifty contests. The
practices have grown so outrageous, of late that
my experience tells me that some rule or regnla-
tion will before long be introduced to cut off par
tisanship III the consideration of these cases. At
preseI t. threefourths of the seats contested are
paid for by the government double; that is, the
contestee is permitted to hold his seat until the
term is almost expired, and the contestant is
allowed to come in, whereby both draw salaries
and are given such large expenses that the aver
age Will fully make up the round salaries.