Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-07-23
THE ELECTION BILL.

VIEWS OF THE MINORITY OF THE CON-
MITTEE.
Mr.. Buckalew, from the Select Commit
tee on the Election Of President, Vice
President, and Representatives in Con-
gress, submitted the following as the views
of the minority -
The undersigned members of the Com
mittee on the Election of President, Vice.
President, and Representatives in Congress
being strongly opposed to the above.me
toned Dill, reported by the committee,
submit their views in opposition thereto
Among the objections to the bill, which
have occurred TO them, and which in their
opinion demand consideration and debate,
are the following:
l. The bill subjects State elections for
State officers in great measure to Federal
| interference and control; for, although it
professedly relates to elections of members
of Congress only, it does practically and in
fact, relate to and operate upon the election
of State and local officers of various grades,
who are chosen at the same time with
members of Congress.
3. 1t interferes with and assumes to
dominate State authority as to the manner
of choosing Presidential electors in the
several States; a power lodged exclusively
| with the States by the second section of the
second article of the Constitution, which
declares that ''each State shall appoint in
such manner as the legislature thereof may
direct" the number of Presidential Electors
to which thu State shall be entitled. The
manner of appointing electors in all the
States is now by popular election on the
Tuesday next following the first Monday
of November, every fourth year; and these
quadrennial elections are held under the
general election laws of the State, with
special provisions relating to electoral
tickets and returns. But every second or
alternate election of Congressman will fall
in year Of Presidential election, and in
nearly all of the States be held On the same
day. From this it follows that one half
the time the regulations of shis bill in re.
stralnt of State election laws, changing
them and furnishing new regulations with
out State consent, are intrusive and un.
authorized, because they apply Of neces-
sity, though not in form, to Presidential as
we'll as to Congressional elections.
8. The bill mixes State and Federal
authority and power in the control and
Regulation of popular elections, the inevi.
table tendency and effect of which will be
| TO pTOUuC6 CUuIuSlUu anu COllISlOu VI
authority and to invite to double and dis.
puted returns for Representatives in Con-
gress.
4. The bill is unnecessary for the regula-
ton of Congressional elections, because
reasonable and in the main adequate pro-
visions for such elections are provided for
by State laws. Nor is there reason to
doubt that when any defect in State regu.
lations is detected or made to appear that
proper supplemental State laws will be
enacted. Such has been the uniform policy
of the States. Both by statute and con-
stitutional amendment the States have from
time to time reformed their election laws,
and action by them to that end continues to
be taken in many Of the States. The
movement now going on for the introduc
tion of the Australian ballot system shows
an alertness and disposition among the
States to ,nsider and adopt even radical
changes in their electoral systems to render
them fair and complete.
5. The bill involves enormous expense to
the national Treasury. By the statement
of election precincts in the several States,
appended to this paper, it appears that the
number of election precincts in the United
States exceeds fifty thousand, and an ex-
animation of this bill will show that upon
its full application throughout the country,
laccording to its provisions, the necessary
loutiay can be fairly estimated at $4,000.
900 Ter one election. This will inclnda the