ad carefully prepared a Bill in the vacation, based on
one introduced by Mr. Sherman, providing for holding, under
National authority, separate registrations and elections for
Members of Congress. But when I got to Washington, I found,
on consultation with every Republican Senator except one,
that a large majority were averse to an arrangement which
would double the cost of elections throughout the country,
and which, in States where personal registration every year
is required, would demand from every citizen his presence
at the place of polling or registration four times every alternate
year. That is, in the years when there were Congressmen to
be elected he must go twice to be registered--once for the
State election, and once for the Congressional--and twice
to vote. So I drew another Bill. I say I drew it. But I
had the great advantage of consultation with Senator Spooner
of Wisconsin, a very able lawyer who had lately come to the
Senate, and I can hardly say that the Bill, as it was finally
drafted, was more mine or his. This Bill provided, in substance,
that there should be National officers of both parties who
should be present at the registration and election of Members
of Congress, and at the count of the vote, and who should
know and report everything which should happen, so that all
facts affecting the honesty of the election and the return
might be before the House of Representatives. To this were
added some section providing for the punishment of bribery,
fraud and misconduct of election officers.

In the meantime the House of Representatives had appointed
a special Committee charged with a similar duty. Members
of that Committee saw me, and insisted, with a good deal of
reason, that a measure which concerned the election of members
of the House of Representatives, should originate in that
body. Accordingly the Senate Committee held back its Bill,
and awaited the action of the House, which sent a Bill to
the Senate, July 15, 1890. The House Bill dealt not only
with the matter of elections, but also with the selection
of juries, and some other important kindred subjects. Our
Committee struck out from it everything that did not bear
directly on elections; mitigated the severity of the penalties,
and reduced the bulk of the Bill very considerably. The measure
was reported in a new draft by way of substitute. It remained
before the Senate until the beginning of the next Session,
when it was ta