New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-12

he has consented TO serve
MIR. HILLS LATEST Dis OVERY."
IT'S ERROR IN REGARD TO THE BASIS FOR MEN
REH OF THE ELECTORAL CoLLEGE
Washington, MAY IL 'speciaD.-It has long been an
undisputcd maxim about the senate that n new sen
aor especially If he has no previous service in
the other branch Of Congress- would do well T. wait
year two before vent iring opinions upon difficult
questions Of legislation legislative construction. II
senator Hill had remembered this wise injunction he
would not be placed in the humaiing and ridicu-
l0uS attitude OF a Presidential candidate who does not
even know the laws which govern the membership Of
the Electoral COLLEGE.
In an elaborate interview in "The New-York Herald
of to-day. Mr.. Hill announces that he has made a
startling political "dscovery,7 which will affect
most seriously the whole course OF political action Tor
the next ten months. lie has discovered, In fact
that Congress and the country are wholly in error In
suppCslng that the Rcapporonment act Of last year
become operative IN the Presidential election OF
ls92. Presidential Electors Mr. Hill asserts. must
be chosen next fall the basis Of eprese ntation III
the present Congress- and the Electoral College must
therefore De limited to 400 members mot All, N Mr.
Hill has incorrectly figured III Instead ~ 4fi. 1his
discovery" II may be remarked here has been maze
and abandoned dozen or more times IN the las' year
by other equally superficial and ignorant eXperiiehers
with National politics. but no other dscoVerf' cer
tdlnly has made characteristic use Oh MS hhu'
Starting from the mistaken conclusion that the mem
lership OF the next Electoral College must be Dis'i
on the membership of the present Congress, Mr. iiu
declares that the number Of delegates 10 the Demo
cratic Convention at Chic must be prOprtioha"!
rednctd and the limit OF membership flHed ~ S'o M
stead Of eOs. The junior New-fork senator ha' I'D
doubt, strong personal motive to serve I'D eius'V''
ing down the ist Of Delegates 20 $50. Tor ho~'
OF the states which have gained additional member
mon
committed against hts candidacy His desire TO de-
prve these growing states most Of them R"puDhchn'
of their added strength I'm the nominating convention
and in the Electoral College has more IMAM any '"'"t
else perhaps involved him In the t0ngcs Of the ao'u
and long-ago exploded argument which NE r~"ii"'''
~ prove that Presidential electors cannot nc c"o'e'
this wear on the basis Of the apporfonmeft OF ln"i'
I'm support of his "dscovcry.' which the guod SeHe
of Mr. Brlce II seems rejected even without recourse
Ia the authorities senator llll quot" section Oh
Article = Of the Constitution. which reads as ioIo"s'
Each State -hai appoint in such manner a. th' h'ps
laturc shall direct. nuInf~r OF electors ef'i
the number senators and representative I" WIN"
the stat may entitled IN COogIe>'.
Now Won will se from that the Senator Is
mad. To say that each state shall appoint number
of electors equal to the number OF senators anu h'P
rescutatiy.s To which the Stat" may be entitled In
Congress. Under the new apportionmcnt the >ui"a
are not entitled to any Increased representation IN
4
they cannot have an increased representation In the
El,crornl CoIlrg, which meets this fah. II Is
simply a question Of law and hinges upon whethc
the state, are entitled the Increased representation
now The law says that they are not entitled " u
until after the pr,-ent Congress expires. a. ue' 40
moi take their seats In Congress until March next
year
Their, Is indeed some ambiguity about the clause
Of the Constitution Just quoted. and Mr. I'LL NAV
ruefi,, he
c.p.d As authoritative aud final. II H. had taken
the trouble, to consult any good Federal lawyer ne
might have found that the ambiguity WHICH ho
ordeovors +, turn now 10 his own political purposes
WAS discovered and renedicd nearly 100 Years Az
The construction gwen BY Congress to the Language
of the Constitution quoted above In. unfortunately
directly contrary 10 that gwen by Mr.. I'M: for II
h viii turn to section 1872 OF the Revised statutes Ii"
will bee that the legislators Of l7r4 fiy 'lnFpaiod
th. situation which now perplcxcs the De'noer1'uo
National Committee and 50 provided IN arranging
for Presidential elections. that the number "i ~"
tors shall be equal 10 the number VI >'""''s "n~
penrnt,,lye- TO which The several ,tatso hall b.
entitled at the time when the President ana |"'
President to be chosen come Into Oih'e
Tl nr sion make the electors 60 b. chosen al any
Occidental election necessarily equal In number T." the
,o,,hcrs ~ the two houses Of COngns, V0tsI iT %
IN. same time and dispose enotnhy oi hf' HI"
eont.ution that the membership Of oong"~' can DC
increased without simultaneously and poporu'ha'eN
increasing the lie Of the electoral college ana 1'o
size Of the National nomlnauns or'"n.I I VA, mad,
Mr. Ilill's "dlscovery.' II may D. "ln'>I No i''o
nj fh.. tIfhc the Reapp"rti"nn-nt lau lhNn IN ,
10 Mr. Carlisle 81 Kentucky usually too well Ihlorhci
g. f,ll into such an elementary binuhc', ana "nr'
,baudnned by him rcmadc on to s"iEi,h'. 90
-. iu the o,iitoral columns Of Inc Nc" ioln
Wn-Idr and The New York 1imc-.' IL has been eN
I,,-.-i by The Tribune repeatedly ana a. hls h'' u
Il 49,. hardly b. be- expected that even Tue mos, W
yoa.1ued ard inexperienced oi IaIlic men ""na "
caught again With II. ,,,. ,,,, - a pr,,.i.
Dental candidate II ice stick cl0-cr H. IN" Sha,'ri
maxim for mot cAIe-mcncrs In Naa'naI P"u'''