At any rate, no one seemed to have been sufficiently proud of it to lay claim to its paternity.

It was merely a temporary scheme, intended to tide over an unpleasant, and perhaps dangerous, condition which existing remedies did not fully meet.
It was equivalent to disposing of the Presidency by a game of chance,--for the composition of the proposed commission was, politically, purely a matter of chance.
As finally agreed upon, the measure provided for a commission to be composed of fifteen members,--five from the House, five from the Senate, and five Justices of the Supreme Court.

As the Democrats had a majority in the House, it was agreed that they should have three, and the Republicans two of the five members of that body.

Since the Republicans had a majority in the Senate it was agreed that they should have three, and the Democrats two of the five members of that body.

Of the five justices of the Supreme Court, two were to be Republicans and two, Democrats; the fifth Justice to be an independent,--or one who was as near an independent as could be found on the bench of that Court.
When the bill creating this commission came before the House I spoke against it, and voted against it, for two reasons.