Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-06

stand after the passage of the bill,
twenty-five of the twenty-seven judges
would be Republican. AS there would
be three judges in each circuit, the Re-
publicans would thus have absolute con-
troll Of each circuit.
The object of this bill was shown
when the Lodge bill came before the
house. That bill gave the judges in
each circuit the power to appoint chief
supervisor of elections in each circuit
for life. This supervisor was to appoint
the supervisors and canvassers in each
voting precinct in each circuit, with the
power Of transfer and removal. The
circuit judges also had the power to ap-
point a board of canvassers in each
state, who were to hold office for life.
These canvassers acted in the place of
the state board of canvassers and We're
to return certificates of election to the
clerk of the house of representatives.
He was to place the names of those
whom the canvassers declared elected
upon the rolls of the house under PEN
atty OF $4,000 fine and five years. i'm
prisonment.
Thus the character of the bill passed
on April Is was fully exposed
Here are the states composing the
judicial circuits of the United States:
First Crcuit--Maine, New Hampshire, Mas
sachusetts and Rhode Island.
Second Circuit-Vermont, Connecticut and
New York
Third Circpit-New Jersey, Pennsylvania
and Delaware.
Fourth Circuit-Maryland, West Virginia,
Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina,
Fifth Circult-Georgia, Florida, Alabama
Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
Sixth hCircuit-Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and
Tennessee.
Seventh Circuit--Illinois, Indiana and Wis.
consin.
Eighth Circuit-Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri
Arkansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New
Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah.
Ninth Circuit California, Oregon, Nevada
Alaska and Arizona.
These circuits show what could have
been done under the Lodge bill and the
Cannon judicial bill. A Republican
judge sitting in Vermont would have
the, power to appoint state boards of
canvassers i'll the great state of New
York for life. A Republican judge sit
ting in Michigan would also have the
power to appoint boards of canvassers
for the Democratic states of Kentucky
and Tennessee to hold office for life. A
Republican judge sitting in Minnesota
would also have the power to appoint
canvassers for the Democratic states of
Missouri and Arkansas to hold Office fol-
life.
Now let us see how closely the Repub.
Ecans in the house figured as to the ma
jority required to pass the force bill.
1t was passed by-yeas, 155; nays, 149,
exactly six majority.
The votes of the six Republicans who
were placed in the seats of the six Dem
ocrats elected by the people passed the
bill. Without the ousting Of these Dem
ocrats tho bill could not have been
passed.
Seeing the small leverage upon which
they were acting, and fearing the result
when the bill came back from the sen.
ate, if it ever came back, Tom Reeds
congress Immediately ousted three more
Democrats-Clifton R. Breckenridge,
with an official majority of S46; William
FL. Venable, of Virginia, and William
Elliott, of South Carolina. This in
creased their majority in the house to
twenty-five, and with this majority they
felt safe. If necessary, they would have
turned out ten more Democrats to have
accomplished their purpose. The affirm
ative vote in Breckinridge's case was
sixty-two less than a quorum. Venable
and Elliott We're ousted within three
minutes by a viva voce vote while the
Democrats were absent from the house
in an effort to compel the Republicans
to furnish their own quorum.
With such bills laws the conspirators
could have retained control of the house
for fifty years. AMOS j. CUMMINGS.