Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-02-22

buib 10 lLnRIdCtiChO N vail t1uO
must be spent in hearing the cause and
in examining into the testimony; but,
out of common humanity, this period Of
probation ought to be abridged as much
as possible. 1t is expensive going a
great distance to Washington, and it is
highly expensive to live there. There
fore both justice and expediency call for
If man has been defrauded OF his
seat in Congress, his constituents have
right to have the matter determined at
once. Every instant they are misrepre-
sented is an outrage upon the voter.
The sitting member himself has a
right in the premises. If he is honest in
the belief that he is entitled to repre-
sent his fellow-citizens in the highest
council Of the Nation. he should be dis
abused of that impression as early as
possible if he is in the wrong, or con-
firmed in it if he is in the right.
Our attention has been called to this
subject because the Fiftieth Congress has
just eleven days to run, and the con-
tested election case of Sullivan vs.. Eel.
ton is now occupying the attention oi
that body. For the purposes of this
article it is not necessary to pass any
judgment upon the merits of that noted
case. We refer to it because it is per
feet illustration OF the point We seek tc
make. All the papers in this contest
were filed before the meeting of Congress
1t was argued and submitted few
months after that meeting. The Com
mittee made their report few weeks
ago, the majority sustaining Sullivan
and the minority FELTON,, by strict party
vote. Judge Crisp, the Chairman, has
repeatedly called the case up, but the
Republicans have filibustered and de
feated a vote, and they will probably dt
so to the end, with the result that Sulli
van will faR to get his seat.
But suppose the Republicans had no
flibustered, and that Sullivan had beer
seated the day after his party associatel
had reported in his favor, what mock
cry of representation it would hav,
been He would simply have been al
lowed to participate in the fag end of 6
Congressional session. Simply that ant
nothing more. The whole thing woult
have been, not only to him, but what il
more, to his constituents, ghastl!
mockery. He will probably fail to ge
his seat even at the fag end OF the ses
sion on account Of the extreme persona
popularity of the sitting member, bu
this forms no portion of our argument.
| How does all this dilatoriness COM
about? The room Of the House Election
Committee is opposite gallery of tn
hall of the Representatives, and the roa
of debate reaches it as though it ha'
been accelerated by sounding board
For example, say the Messrs
Crisp, Chairman, Rowell and Lodg
stroll into the Committee room. The
look around, wonder where the othe
twelve are, and engage in dssultor.
chat. Presently mir. Roweii dodges oui
with the remark that he will be back il
a few minutes. That is the last O
Rowell for that day. Next Messrs
O'Farrell and Maisch stroll ia. Still n
quorum. Suddenly word comes tina
there is to be a division, and, presto
they all dive down into the House will
the rapidity of lightning. Perhaps in al
hour a fraction returns, to find one O
two other members on hand, but most O
those who were there first have material
lied for the last time that day, and it is
probably week before the urbane and
easy-going Chairman can bring his cour.
age to the sticking place to call another
meeting, when the sams farce is re-
peated.
These are the methods of the grave
and reverend seigneurs of the House
with the result of positive and glaring
injustice to the contestant, to the con.
testee and to the constituency, which is
necessarily never more than half repre-.
sented.