Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-27
CONTESTED SEATS.

tested seats that are likely to engage the attention of the Fifty-first congress, and the almost positive certainty that most if not all of them will be decided in favor of the republicans since they will be passed upon by a republican majority, moves the Boston Herald to urge a re- form in the methods of settling these con- tests. AS it is now contested seats, ln nine cases out of ten, are settled accord ing to the political complexion of con- gress rather than on their merits. This is manifestly unjust and opens the door to very serious abuses. And when the majority is small the temptation to sacri- flee justice to party expediency is in creased.
 The Herald urges upon the present congress the wisdom of making re- form in the premises, which it would have done by the passage of a law pro- viding for an intelligent and impartial l tribunal, wholly outside of congress itself, that would have absolute power | in the settlement of all contested seats. While this matter is entrusted to con- l gress, no matter how honest or well meaning its members may be, there will always be influences operating to the settlement of contests on political rather | than moral lines. With power given to a tribunal which is entirely divorced l from congress the chances for a just and proper settlement will, in our cOntem-
 porary' view, be greatly enhanced. "Let a law be passed" says the Herald,
 ''which shall take the settlement of these contested seats out of the hands of a preiudiced tribunal and submit their
 decision to one that is unprejudiced. No one who is in the right need fear the
 results" The difficulty of such scheme, it seems to us. would be in finding a tribunal whose members might not be brought under the same influences thai
 now operate to cause injustice to con testants. It is not easy to find men 1T
 any political party in this country who
 can rise superior to partisan consldera tions in matters of this kind Nor would it be easy, we think, to fin(
 men willing even to serve in the capacity of judges except such as are animated
 more or less by political ambitions, anc it might be frequently made to appear t.
 them that certain contests must be de
 cided in certain ways if the. ! would serve their own desire of political advancement. It | hardly to be expected that such trl u bunal could be wholly removed iron political influences, and the ingenuity 0
 the politicians would find some way t get around what might appear ill theor D very desirable and available reform Il The strongest argument which the Her i ald'urges for its point appears to be tha
 which relates to the time wasted in tn
 settlement of contested seats. This tim must necessarily be taken from the tim ~ needed for general legislation, an
 is to that extent more or les
 la robbery of the people
 If tribunal could be chosen after tn
 nature of the supreme court, who's
 members would be entirely independen
 of political influences or consideration. r it might be possible perhaps to secure ~ wholly impartial tribunal and so to effec
 reform one of the most desirable eve recorded in our legislative history. Pel # haps the supreme court itself might beE 4 answer the requirements of such tr bunal, though even here there is occ; I, sionally suspicion of political bias i decisions that affect political interest V. The whole problem is a difficult one, bu .o as the Herald points out, the prese1
 session of congress offers desirable ol 1 portunity to seek it's solution. If tr d bunal such as our contemporary sugges = could be constituted, and if it could 1 put in effective and impartial workin !, order mo act that congress might place C
 it's record would shed greater lustre c ;a it's legislative history.
 o1l The experiment is certainly we'll wort .1- the attention of congress.