The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-03-12
Political Complexion ofthe New Senate.

The Senatorial contests are al an end:
and as Grant has summoned the new
Senate TO meet on Friday, March >. IL NAV
be profitable To consider its political char
acter, which. by the by, will remain I'M
changed till the close of Grants admins
tration.
The Senate consists of seyenty-four
members, whereof thirty-eight are ma
jority, and barely quorum to do any
business whatever. There are thirty-fiye
members who may be called Grant men.
and who, 1t Is 10 be presumed. will stick
at nothing 10 carry his measures. not even
excepting his third-term conspiracy.
And yet, TO make up the thirty-five, we
have to count such men as Oglesby of ILL
nois. who is talked of for Vice-President
on a ticket with Blaine and Wadlcigh Of
New Hampshire. who has now and then
shown that he has a streak OF Independence
and manliness in his composition; and old
Hannibal Hamlin. who. 10 avert defeat this
winter, pledged himself to Blaine for
1876 and Dawes, the successor of Sumner.
who is wont TO protest vehemently against
absurd schemes. and then record his vote
in their favor. However. Notwithstanding
the slippery quality OF some OF the ma
terials, we will. for the arguments sake.
allow Grant the entire thirty-five, though
we think that In close tight three or four
of them Will show hun their heels. But
even this leaves him three short of "A ma
jority. How stand the remaining thirty
niney
The Democrats have twenty-eight Sena-
tors : and these are pronounced. unquali-
fled Democrats. Ii Is true, some of those
who were chosen this winter owe their
election TO the support of Liberal Repub-
licans. either directly i'm the Legislatures,
or indirectly at the polls when the Legis-
latures were chosen. However. we set
down the twenty-c light as men who. under
all circumstances, will vote not only
against Grant. but against the distinctive
measures of the Grant party.
Putting down the ultra Republicans at
thirty-five and the pronounced Democrats
at twenty-eight. making total Of sixty
three, IL will be perceived that there are
eleven Senators whom we have not CLASH
fled. Now, II is upon these eleven that
the whole case turns as to the political
character of the new Senate.
Who and what are the eleven? To an
swer this question is TO solve rather diff
cult problem. We include among them
the Senstor from Louisiana. for whose seat
poor Pinchback Is making what seems 10
be hopeless fight. We think that chair
will vet be filled by a Conservative but
treating IL as now vacant, there are only
ten Senators remaining 10 be classified.
Booth Of California and Hamilton Of
Texas were elected as Liberals or INDIE
pendents, and will always go against
Grant and ultra measures. In the recent
Senatorial contests, Christiarcy of Michi-
gan. who beat Chandler. and Mcmillan Of
Minnesota, who beat Ramsey. and & sme-
ron of Wisconsin. who beat Carpenter, and
Paddock of Nebraska, who beat Thayer,
were elected over the regular Grant Re-
publican candidates; and although they
are not Democrats, IL l. understood they
will act with the Democracy in opposition
10 all extreme measures. and especially
against the rule of the Southern States by
the sword and against third term for
Grant
Now, by adding the six independents
above named 10 the twenty eight pro-
nounced Democrats, We have "A total Of
thirty-four. only one less than the thirty
five out and out GRANTEES. But there are
still four Senators wiIo remain unclassified,
and here are their names: Ferry Of Con-
necticut. who owed his election TO the
Democrats. and Burnside of Rhode Island.
who was chosen in opposition 10 the regu-
lar Grant candidate. aud Sharon of Neva-
ia, who says he shall follow the dictates Of
his judgment, and Alcorn of Mississippi.
who occasionally flares up and kicks out Of
the traces.
Regarding the Louisiana seat as vacant,
1t will be observed that To secure bare
majority in the Senate Grant must not
only hold the thirty-five extreme Repub-
leans. but must win the support of three
of the ten Senators whose political posi-
tons we have aimed to define. Can he
get them? The course OF events In the
extra session may furnish the answer to
this question. or we may have TO wait for
il till next winter. AT any rate. Grant Is
in tight place i'm the new Senate; and
with a majority of more than seventy
against him In the House, he will find
himself on the sharp and ragged edge of
uncertainty during tie remainder of his
term.-N y. Sun.
Grim Relics.