Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-11-16
The Proposed Federal Election Law.

publicanS is said to be to endeavOr
to pass a law in the next Congress
putting all congressional elections
under national control. The New
York Tribune, in forpshadOwing
this movement, has sought to oh
tain the views Of members elect on
this subject. OF ninety-three who
responded seventy-iive declared
their approval of it. A bill pro.
vidng for these elections has been
drawn up by Representative Houk.
of Tennessee, and is ready to be
launched assoon as opportunity OF.
fprs. 1t may be remembered that
Senator Sherman introduced a bill
to the same effect at the last ses
sion. Mr.. Houk's hill il drawn up
pretty much on the same lines.
| A synopsis of it, furnished by the
Washington correspondent of the
Philadelphia Ledger, will give
SOME idea of thc scope Of the bill
and of the radical changes it makes
| in the methods Of electing Con
gressmcn. sit provides for bring
ing entirely under federal control
and supervision all congressional
elections, and that must include
also all presidential elections and
such State elections as fall COLL
cidentlv with the congressional.
Underit the President is to appoint
an electoral board in each con.
gressional district. the members to
serve for life. This board, in its
turn, is to appoint registrar for
each election division, who is to
serve for six years. There are al
40 to be similarly appointed in
each election division three clti.
znns, who shall constitute the
| Judges of election also to serve
tor six years, and finally there are
to be three persons to ACT as COM
| miSsioners Of election in each coun-
" in every congressional district.
aud TO constitute % returning
board. The various chairmen Of
the electoral boards are to have
Charge Of the registration, and no
challenge would he permitted
against any person on election day
whose name appeared on the regis
tration list. 1t is provided, fur
thermore, that the judges of cleo
tlonS shall not I've all of the same
party. 'bnt if they are it shall rot
invalidate the election We can
hardly believe that such Il bill, so
sweeping in the powers it c"nfers
ard so Thoroughly centralizing in
It's TENDENCIES, will be allowed to
become a law. III it were allowed
the effect of it wonld I've, as the
Providence Or. ~ Journal points
out, to take away from the sever.
al States. at one stroke, that power
10 control and carry on their own
elections which they have possess
ri ever since the formation Of the
Union. 1t would he an invasion
Of State rights IL their trueSt and
most cherished sense, and an in
vasion that could not he permit
ted without entirely changing the
relations OF the States to the I'm
ion.' The clause of The bill which
prescribes that 1.-The judges OF
elections shall not be all Of one
party" IN absurd in view OF the fact
that it is added "but if they are
it. shall not invalldale the election"
The effect of such a law would he
to entail and fastrn upon the conn.
try - rev army of ofliceholders, OF
which the electoral boards are to
serve for life and the subordinate
officers for six years, thus overlap
ping the presidential term for two
years aud intended to perpetnate
Che rule Of the party in power.
That an attempt will be made TO
iorce such law through Congress
there is no reason to doubt. The
Sherman bill OF The last session is
ali evidence Of it, and the Honk
bill Of The coming session isdrawn
| ~, On tbs same basis. There is
create. reason for bringing in the
uiil at AIS time than theirs has
been al Any lime previous. The
! Republicans have q majority in
b::,h liauscs, aud, small as that
majority is, the effect of the recent
elections is to show that the future
domination of the party is in
doubt. and that if he thing is 10
he done 1t must he done quickly.
Even If the success Of sucn an at
tempt TO ru1 the entire election
machinery in the hands OF one
political party may be regarded as
doubtful, the mere endeavor to
bring about ~ revolution in the
method of conducting congressior-
al elections by fresh entertainments
on he rights of the States ia Il
proof of the lengths TO which GER
tain leaders OF The Republican
party are prepared TO go to keep
control of the government indsfn-
itely-as Senator H0ar, having
probably some such election law in
his mind, intimated in the last
number of the Forum it had the
power and the will TO do.-Balto.
sun.