Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-08-17
The Next Congress.

1t is OF scarcely less Importance TO
the country that the Republicans
should have majority in the next
Congress than that Hayes and
Wheeler should be elected. Should
Tilder and Hendricks be tho success
ful candidates Republican Congress
80 prevent the Hood Of reactionary
legislation and executive action
which would have full sweep were
the Government in all its branches
Democratic. If Gov. Hayes should
be chosen, it will be almost equally
necessary that he should have ma
jority in Congress which will coop
crate with him in systematic plan
of policy.
The Senate of tho Forty.fith Con-
gress will almost certainly be Repub-
lican. The present Senate stands:
Republicans, 43; Democrats, 20;
Independent, (Booth of California;
/; vacant (the Louisiana seat y.
OF the Senators that hold over to
the next Congress 20 are Republi-
cans, 20 Democrats and one lnde-
pendent. Iowa, New Hampshire
and Rhode Island have already elect-
ed Republican Senators, and Illinois,
Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Mich
igan, Minnesota, Nebraska, South
Carolina, and Wisconsin may be
counted on as pretty sure to do so;
80 that if we give all the remaining
States, and the vacant seat from
Louisiana, to the Democrats, the
epublicans in the Senate would still
number 38, to 35 Democrats and one
Independent. But they have a fair
chance also of obtaining one Senator
each from New Jersey and North
Carolina, and two from Louisiana,
giving them AZ. to 80 of other persua-
sions. Colorado will send two Sena
tors to the next Congress, who will
doubtless both be Republicans.
The real battle OF the Compression
oil campaign will be for the House OF
Representatives. The remarkable
and sudden changes which some
times occur in the political complex
ion of this body are illustrated by q
comparison of the present with the
last House. In the Forty-Third
Congress, the House stood Republi-
cons, 1870; Democrats, liz. The
present House, as elected,sswas divid-
ed as follows: Republicans, 1903;
Democrats, ia; Independents, 10.
The Republicans thus lost ~ seats,
and the Democrats gained 62, beside
the practical gain of ten opposition
seats in the election of the Independ-
ents. But it is evident that the "tid-
al wave" of 1874 long ago spent it's
force. and that large majority OF
the districts which were then gained
by the Democrats will be regained
this Fall by the Republicans. 1t is
q cheering indication of success that
in the elections of 1875 nearly all
these districts gave Republican ma
jorities. In orr own State, for in
stance, which, in 1874, elected three
Opposition Congressman, Judge Mar
ston, the Republican candidate for
the Supreme Court, carried every
| district but one in the election of
1875. Ohio, in 1874, elected only
| seven Republican Congressman, but
Governor Hayes, in 1875, had major
tiles in thirteen OF the Congressional
districts, gain Of six. Massachu-
sets, in 1874, elected four Democrat
ic Congressman and two Independ-
ents; but in 1875 only two Massa-
chusetts districts gave majorities for
the Democrats; and this Fall, with
Hayes for our candidate, and good
Congressional nominees, Massachu-
setts will again send solid Republic
can delegation to Congress. The g.
Iections OF 1875 in New York, Penn
sylvania and other States show q sim
liar change in popular feeling. 1t ID
so decided and so general that we dc
not doubt that the same reaction has