The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-10-25

the several states. and finally the frsr
Tuesday after the first Monday In
November became the generally ac-
cepted federal election day. Only
Maine and Vermont OF all the states
in the union now elect congressman
In September. These two New Eng
land states already have spoken. Vcr'
mont remaining true TO It's llegiance
to the Republican party. although by
majorities slightly reduced: while
Maine burst the bonds of nifty years
political habit and. forgetting It's Re-
publicanism. elected two Democratic
representatives by large majorties.
and. two Republican representatives
by very small majorities.
All OF which brings into puolic at
tention the fact that the year 1910 rs
brought around another biennial con
gressional campaign. II also Is an
on year. That expression meane. In
the first instance, that the election
comes In the middle OF the presidential
term and the election and It's proceed
ing 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 arm "off" year
Is applied to these elections by poll.
ticians OF every shade OF political
allegiance because OF the almost uni
versally accepted belief that the con-
gressional elections are not to he
compared with presidential elections
| in importance.
In the United States. and in the
Latin-American republics, all OF
which have more or less closely imi-
tated the United States constitution.
the selection of legislative officers Is
subordinated In interest and import.
ance TO the business of choosing ext
ecutive and administrative officers. In
the constitutional countries OF Europe.
10th Monarchical and Republican, the
selection OF legislative officers Is of
supreme importance-in fact, only
the legislative officers are chosen by
the people In most European states.
| In Monarchical Britain or Republican
France. the people elect members OF
the legislature. who In turn appoint
all executive oficers, every officer be-
ing NJ all times directly responsible
TO the chosen representatives OF the
people. In both countries. OF course
this system In practice is subje0 to
4 >IiOt apPoiCht III tHib DoAo
statement Of the governing theory.
In the Democratic republic OF the
United States and In the oligarchic re
public OF Mexico the European theory
Is reversed. The Mexican oligarchy
rules by and through an autocratic
president who would not under any
circumstances brook interference
from the legislature. The American
democracy when displeased with It's
government usually directs Its criti'
cism against the president and seeks
to obtain relief by choosing a new
executive. Americans. as a nation
have not in the past given particular
attention to the business OF choosing
members Of congress. The congress
sional candidates in ordinary or NOR
NAL times are compelled to make
their campaign upon more or less
unworthy and undignifed local lines,
the people often actually resenting
an effort on the part OF the candidate
to conflne his canvass to national H.
sues.
The political party history of the
country shows that this always has
been true. and discloses the interest
ing fact that with one or two excep
tons. every one OF the sixty-two con
gressional campaigns has hinged upon
an administrative or presidential
question. Congressional majorities
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 administration. and II they have
elected an opposition majority in con
gress. as they did in 1890 and 1894, the
president whom they have thus
repudiated and rebuked has paid alb
solutely no attention to their verdict
because the American government IL
not q government Of responsible
parliamentary ministry. Although In