The Portland daily press., 1889-12-25
THE ELECTION LAWS.
Mr.. Lodge Would Apply the AustraI.
ian System In Congressional
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Washington Despatch to Boston Globe.l
WASHINGTON, De cember 23.-Representa-
tive Lodge was asked today by your corre-
spondent to make statement as to the scope
of the work of his committee during the
present Congress. Mr.. Lodge said: "The
number of matters referred to the commit
tee on the election of president, vice presi-
dent and members of Congress is, of course,
very small, but the character of the legisla-
tion within the jurisdiction of the committee
is of the utmost Importance, and 1t will have
before it two measures of the gravest char
acter and the widest scope.
SIT would not be fitting, even were it pos
sible for me to attempt to say what action
the committee or the Republican party, or
the House, would take on either of these
measures, but now that the committee has
been formed and several bills referred to it
| there will be no impropriety, / suppose, in
| my indicating to you their character and
purpose.
Zone of these measures to which refer
will be bill tU take contested election cases
| out of Congress and have them tried in the
courts 1t is, of course impossible for Con-
gress to divest itself Of its constitutional au-
| thority over the election of its own mem
| bers, but there is no reason why these con-
| test should not first be heard by an impartial
| judicial tribunal, and in practice it would no
doubt be found that the decision thus reached
| would always be accepted as final by Con-
| gress on its assemblage.
"There is really no valid argument that
can see to be brought against such measure
| except that in giving election contests to the
| courts for decision the unfair advantage
which the majority party has under the
| present system in deciding an election case
would be lost. and this does not seem to be
| an argument which any one would care to
| press when plainly stated.
| ION the other hand the enormous advan-
tages which would accrue, both to the House
and to the public business from such meas
ure, are extremely obvious. In the first
| place contested election cases occupy from
thirty to sixty working days in each Con-
| gress, which might be devoted to measures
| of general public interest, and when the re-
suit is. reached 1t has no effect beyond giving
an individual his seat.
The present system also leads to the Bit
terest partisan struggles which ever occur in
| the House. Indeed, the House is rarely
thoroughly and violently partisan except
when it sits in judicial capacity to try an
also constant temptation to candidates de-
feated at the polls, who happen to lose their
| seats by narrow margin, to make contests
on frivolous grounds in the hope, too often
fulfilled, that their party associates will be
induced to seat them.
1.-The courts, to which we cheerfully con-
fde the power of making decisions affecting
| life. property and character, and which, as
we know, in all these grave matters render
| substantial justice, can certainly be trusted
| to decide impartially in accordance with the
| law and the facts conflicting claims to seat
| in Congress.
| "The other measure to which refer, and
| as to which will say again, that cannot
| tell what view the committee or the Repub-
lican party, or the House may take of it.
will be a bill to regulate the elections of
congressman. Several bills have been
introduced on this subject, and are now in
ton There has been great deal Of rather
wild talk in the newspapers and elsewhere
a9Out the character and purpOrt OF the leg
isiatioD, but there is nothing In the least vio-
lent OF revolutionary In what it proposes,
and nothing can disguise its Importance.
There is strong movement throughout