The Indianapolis journal., 1903-01-20
THE ELECTION OF UNITED STATES
SENATOR'S.

The reelection of Hon. Charles W. Fair
banks to the United States Senate to-day
will lack the dramatic elements of an ex-
citing contest. yet il will be fine iliustra-
ton OF the smooth working OF American
political methods. The Constitution gives
TO the States the power to prescribe 1.-The
times. places and manner of holding cleo
tions for senators and representatives" but
reserves to Congress the right TO make
or alter such regulations, except as TO the
places of choosing senator's" Under this
provision Congress might provide that rep
resentatives should be elected lat large"
in all States. instead of being voted for by
districts. but il has not seen fit TO do so.
Congress might also divide the States into
one member for each district, if it chose to
do so. but it has left the matter of APP
portionment to the States. Congress has,
however, prescribed the manner of electing
United States senators. Owing TO the
failure of some Legislatures to elect SEN
ators when they should have done so. and
to embarrassments caused thereby. Con-
gress passed law in 1866 providing that
the Legislature chosen next before the ex-
piration of the term of a senator shall
choose his successor. and that it shall pro-
ceed to do SO on the second Tuesday after
it assemblies On that day each house of
the Legislature must meet and vote sepa-
rately, viva voce. for a senator, and enter
the result on its journal; the next day the
two houses must meet at noon in joint ses-
sion, and If it appears that the same per-
son has received a majority of the votes
in each house he is declared to be elected.
II there has been no election by the houses
separately. the joint assembly must take
a vote, and IL any one receives a majority
| he Is to be declared elected. 1t there is still
no election the joint assembly must pro-
| ceed with the balloting, and must meet
ballot until a senator is elected. Under
this law the balloting for United States
| senator must begin on the second Tuesday
of the session of the Legislature preceding
the expiration Of term, and must continue
daily until a senator is chosen. The cleo
ton of Senator Fairbanks by both houses
| separately will be an example of the quick
| est time that can be made under the law.
| 1t Is fortunate for the State as well as for
the Republican party that the latter has
a decided majority in both houses, and that
| there is no competing candidate for the
office. thus insuring the reelection of Sena-
tor Fairbanks without delay or opposition.
The name Senate. which is now so
familiar in American politics. was first ap-
piled to branch of the American legisla-
tive system by the Virginia Constitution of
| 1776, and was soon adopted by all the States
| whose Legislatures were organized in two
branches. 1t is not an Anglo-Saxon term
but is borrowed from ancient Rome In
the deliberations of the constitutional con-
vention Of 1857 the federal upper house was
first designated as the second branch. "
The name Senate" first appears in the
report Of the committee of detail on Aug G.
All the senators of the first Congress were
elected for six years and the body was divid-
ed by lot into three classes, ,one class retiring
! every two years. Under this rule one-third
of the Senate is elected every two years
The terms of thirty senator's will expire
next March T. Nine of these or their sue
| cessors have already been elected, and the
Legislatures of twenty-one States will be-
gin bolloting to-day. In no other State will
the work be more expeditiously or satisfac-
torily done than in Indiana