The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-05
SOME of ms FEATURES.

IL was foretold that the introduction
of the bill which provides for federal
control of congressional elections would
be followed by the most earnest and
eloquent debate of the session. The
issue il well defined, the republican
purpose was clearly expressed by
speaker Reed who, in his recent Pitts
burg speech, said: speaking for my
self, II seems TO me that the only wise
course Is to take into federal hands the
federal elections. Let us cut loose
from the state elections, do our own
registration, our own counting and our
own certification. Then the nation
will be satisfied" That is the broad
proposition In Capitalization which Mr..
Reed and his party associates propose
to put In operation.
Presenting the opposite side, in its
general bearings, Mr.. Tucker said In
the house, last Saturday: ''This spirit
must be checked or upon the mournful
ruins of state preponderance will rise a
mammoth empire, limitless I'm its au-
thority, with no guide but its will, no
restraint but its W discretion, no
constitution but its fiat, no law but its
own power" In this eloquent sentence,
Mr.. Tucker shows the direction in
which this country must move under a
policy which makes the speaker of the
house the most potent law-making
agency on earth, " hich uses the tariff
law as q means to coerce the support
of trusts and corporations, and which
proposes to give the majority tina, hap
| pens TO be In congress despotic power
to interfere in the election in every
congressional district Of the United
States.
The question has its practical phases.
tine of these is very distinctly pre-
scented by the Philadelphia Times
which calls attention to the fact
that speaker Reeds plan would re.
quire u complete double election
machinery, double registration, double
lists of voters, double election boards
and double elections, a double count
and n double cer~tification." This
would be necessary, since the general
government will hardly propose To
manage the election Of state or local
officers: and thus there could be moth
ing in common In an election for the
choice of these officers and one for the
choice of representatives in congress.
There are four thousand election dis.
tricts in Pennsylvania. TIN the basis
of the actual cost of a general election
IL is found that the proposed independ.
ent federal election, which concerns il.
self with relatively few candidates
would cost the government ss47,0Ot
for Pennsylvania alone. Taking ac
count of the country at large, the total
would not fall below SI5,O00.OOO. II
would be- cheaper, and for that matter
il would be equally as fair and just. II
permit Speaker Reed to enlarge his re
form ideas, count the whole coun.
try himself, and have done with II. Oi
course this question Of cost takes nc
account of the fact that the electora
revolution now proposed demandl
double service of every citizen VIII,
wants TO vote. The state and loca
election will be one thing, the fedora
election will be another affair.
MI these considerations are, o
course. merely incidental. The real is
sue involves broader clements, some o.
which are well stated by Mr.. Tucker
II seems hardly possible that Mr.. Rec,
and his party will dare to push thil
scheme.