Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-09
A Radical Measure.
New Election Law Propo sed by
Senator Sherman
TO CHOOSE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

The Government to Provide All the Ma
chinery of Election Boards for the Elec.
ton of Representatives, the President
Appointing the State and District OFF,
ciais--The Caucus Programme Carried
Out in the House-AIaska-CIaypo
Claim.
WASHINGTON CITY, Jan. fisherman
introduced in the senate yesterday an elab
crate bill for the reconstruction of the sys.
tenn OF elections for members of the house
OF representatives The bill is very long,
and is made up of detail concerning the
form of oaths to be taken, etc 1t provides
that the president shall appoint five persons
IN each state board of canvassers, and
three persons in each district an electoral
board for that district, their terms to be
during, good behavior. Each board is to
have president and a secretary. The cleo
torai board is to appoint registrar for each
precinct or election district, to hold Office
for six years. The electoral board is to
have the power to fill vacancies and
remove for cause, and to increase,
II necessary, the number of pre-.
cincts and appoint registrars therefor The
electoral board of each district is to appoint
three judges of election for each precinct
who shall be judges of all federal elections
AT the time of the appointment of the judges
the electoral board is to select three of the
persons so appointed to act as a committee
OF elections in aud for each city, county, OF
corresponding division of the district, whose
duty 1t shall toe to meet on the third day
after the election, open the returns and can
Vass the votes. The committee is to have
the power to fill vacancies In the boards of
commissioners Thu alantnral io TO
ganizs Immediately after its appointment,
and 1t is to meet in May and any time there
after on call of any member of the board.
Immediately after qualifying for his Office,
each registrar is to announce through the
medium of printed hand bills the place and
time OF registration. Any persons Offering
TO register, and being refused permission,
may make an appeal to the judges of cleo
ton, and any elector may challenge the vote
OF any one who comes to the polls If the
challenged person is registered, appeal is be
had to the county board, and its e,ision is
to be final The registrars are to have the
powers of United States marshals
1t is made lawful for five qualified voters,
fifteen days previous to the regular days of
registration, to post notice at not less than
three places, including the voting place, of
the names of persons alleged to be improp-
erly on the registration books This notice
is to be signed by the five voters, and testi-
mony is to be heard by the board OF canvass
ers, who shall determine whether or not they
are improperly registered.
Notice of a special election is to be given
to the electoral board twenty days prior to
the day of election, and the board is to for
ward five printed notices to each of the
registrars, who shall post them; but failure
to carry out this provision shall not inval-
idate the election If it was not carried on by
fraud. The electoral board is to meet not
later than ten days after each election day
to recount the votes.
The remainder of the bill is devoted to
detail concerning the method of casting
votes, etc.
Sherman, in presenting the bill, said that
it had been prepared by gentleman familiar
with the subject, who did not care to have
his name made public. Many of the provi-
sions of the bill were modelled on the laws of
the southern states. He thought it was cal.
culated to ensure perfectly fair elections