Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-25
Things You Want to Know S:s :::: ai"

On Tuesday, November $. the people Of
the United states will go to the polls to
choose FOR the siNty-second time their
Representatives i'm congress. Ia the be
ginning there was no fixed day OF cleo
ton. and members Of congress were
chosen at various times and in elections
continuing for several days. after the
fashion then and now obtaining In Eng
lsrd Considerations Of convenience
prompted the fixing Of uniform election
days in the several states, and finally the
first Tuesday after the first Monday i'm
November became the generally accepted
federal election day. only Maine and
Vermont Of all the states in the union
row elect Congressmen in September.
These two New England states already
have spoken Vermont remaining true to
It's allegiance to the republican party al
Though by majorites slightly reduced
while Maine burst the bonds Of nifty years
political habit and, forgetting its repub-
licanism, elected two democratic represen-
tatives by large majorties, and two repub-
lican representatives by very small ma
jorties
All Of which brings into public attention
the fact that the year 1910 has brought
around another biennial congressional cam
paign. 1t also is an Off year. That ex-
preston means, in the first instance that
the election comes In the middle OF the
presidential term and the election and its
preceding campaign must be differentiated
from those congressional elections which
take place at the same time the people
choose presidential electors. In the second
place, the term off year ia applied 10
these elections by politicians OF every
shade Of political allegiance because Of
the almost universally accepted belief that
the congressional elections are not to be
compared with presidential elections in inn
portance.
In the United States, and in the Latin
American republics, all Of which have
! more or less closely initiated the United
States constitution the selection Of legis-
! Ia tive officers is subordinRted in interest
and Importance to the business Of choos-
/ ing executive and administrative officers
I In the constitutional countries OF Europe
both monarchical and republican, the Sc
/ lection OF legislative officers is of SUI
preme importance-in fact only the legis-
! lative officers are chosen by the people
4 in most European states. In monarchical
/ Britain or republican France, the people
elect members of the legislature, who in
/ turn appoint all executive officers, every
officer being at all times directly RESPONSE
| Bile to the chosen representatives Of the
people, In both countries, of course, this
| system in practice is subject to limitations
not apparent in this bald statement Of
! the governing theory.
In the democratic republic of the United
States and in the oligarchic republic of
Mexico the European theory is reversed.
The Mexican oligarchy rules by and
through an autocratic president who would
not under any circumstances brook any
| Interference from the legislature. The
1 American democracS, when displeased with
| its government, usually directs its criticism
against the president and seeks to obtain
relief by choosing new executive. Amer
leans, as a nation. have not in the past
given particular attention to the business
! Of choosing members of congress. The
| Congressional candidates in ordinary or
normal times are compelled to make
their campaign upon more or less unworthy
and undignified local lines, the people ofteh
actually resentng an effort on the part Of
the candidate to confine his canvass to
national issues
The political party history of the country
shows that this has always been true, and
discloses the interesting fact that with
one or two exceptions. every one OF the
sixty-two congressional campaigns has
hinged upon an administrative or presi-
dental question. Congressional MAORI
ties have been returned or retired, as the
case might be, not because of what that
majority did or failed to do but because
of what the president OF the same party
faith did or failed to do.
II the people have disapproved Of the ad-
ministration and IL they have elected an
opposition majority in congress, as they
did in 1890 and 1894, the president whom
they have thus repudiated and rebuked
has paid absolutely no attention TO their
verdict, because the American government
is not a governments of a responsible par
Elementary ministry. Although in these
years, and in others like them, opposl-
ton congresses have been elected, the
fact that the administrative branch Of the