Evening star., 1926-10-17
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Under the Constitution the day on
which the people cast their ballots
for presidential electors must he the
same throughout the United States.
October g. oa,,u.. =, w ,.o.. -
E1.o+;ors he general election
day for the choice Of
members Of the House OF Repre-
sentatives and the Senate. and
with few exceptions. for officers
Of the various States Fifty years
ago, however. there was still a diver
gence from the fixed date for CON
gressional elections and several of the
States voted in the early Autumn. In
1875 these early elections were re-
garded as Of special Significance mas
much AS 1t was recognized that the
countrywide vote in November for
President would probably be close
State and congressional elections
were held in Ohio, Indiana and West
Virginia on the 10th of October. On
that day The Star. discussing the gen
eral question of early elections. said:
Zone thing is apparent from the
experiences Of this presidential cam
paign. and that is the necessity. in
the interests Of the fairness of the
franchise and the purity of national
politics, that there shall he one uni
form day of election in all the States
Under the present system Of Fall cleo
tions in some OF the States prior to
the presidential election. two or three
States virtually decide in advance who
shall he President. This not only
gives undue preponderance to the
States 80 voting. hut affords a direct
bid for all sorts OF fraud and rorrup-
ton to be concentrated to carry these
States at all hazards. In this cam
paign it is conceded that If Ohio and
Mr. Tilden will he elected President;
II these States 60 Republican, MIR,
Hayes will be elected.
Now, where such tremendous L.
sues are at stake on the result In two
States Of the thrty-eight In the Union.
10 is not strange that charges are
made ~0f endless devices by the party
mana gers on each side to achieve sue
cess by foul means. II fair means fail.
At the same time the whole popu-
lation Of these States are worked up
[ into a condition Of abnormal feverish-
ness by the high pressure Of a can
A.
The evils of the Fall election sys-
tenn have been so apparent that ma
tional attempt to reform II was MADE
in 1872 through the passage OF an
act bv Congress requiring all mem
hers Of the Forty fifth and every sue
ceeding Congress to be chosen on tne
| Tuesday following the first Monday
in November. No little progress has
heen made toward uniformity within
the last four wears but it's full achleNe-
ment has been retarded by an act oi
| Congress passed March 3. 1879 modl-
fyins the law of 1872, so as not 10
apply to any state that mas nor He,
| changed it's day of election ana whose
| constitution must he changed in or
! der to effect a change in the day OF
election of state officers In said
state It is not doubted however,
that before the presidential election
NJ 1880 all the States will choose
| their members Of Congress and state
officers on the same date.
"pennsylvania, which only few
voars ago was virtually the deciding
state in the presidential election
| through her Fall elections has made
= voluntary surrender OF her own
| position by a constitutional amend
ment changing her State election from
October to November. New Hamp-
shire. which was not hound by consti-
tutional restrictions, changed the day
~ her+ state election at the last ses
sion of her Legislature. Since 1872
North Carolina. Connecticut and
Nehraska have also amended their
constitutions and fixed their State
elections on the same day when all
the presidential electors are re-
nuired TO be chosen. Ohio also at
tempted the same reform in the
amended constitution which was sub
mitted to the vote of her people in
August. 1874. That constitution was
rejected for purely local reasons. but
| II is believed that the people of that
state are sufficiently impressed now
with the dangers and annoyances
from an October election in the
presidential year to be willing to en-
brace the first opportunity to join
with the other States in making this
day uniform. Vermont, Maine and
Indiana will also without doubt come