The Van Buren press., 1878-08-06
Vol. 16.---No. 16
The Next Congress.

The fact is that the orty-sixth con-
gress will have the counting Of the votes
cast at the next presidential election in
vests the elections Of the coming fall
with special interest There II pros
pect of having three presidential candi-
dates in the field, and both Democratic
and Republican leaders are not only con-
templating but preparing for the con-
tingerey Of the election being thrown
into the house. II this should occur the
vote would bc taken not by individual
members, but by states, each state having
one vote, and its vote being determined
by the majority of its delegation II
is important. therefore, not only that
party should have majority Of the
members, but that it should have ma
jority Of tho state delegations; indeed,
the latter Is the more important Of tho
two. 1t is possible for one party to have
majority Of the members without hav-
ing u majority Of the delegations. the
present house furnishes an example. 1t
Is Democratic body, the Democratic
majority being 90 But tho delegations
are evenly divided, each party having
Is, and two of the states, California and
Florida. being evenly dEsided-the Cali
fornia delegation composed of two DEM
oerats and two Republicans, and the
Florida delegation OF one Democrat and
one Republican. Ii the choice Of 3
president should deyo!yc on the present
house, therefore, there would be no elcc-
| ton; eighteen states would vote for the
Democratic candidate, eighteen for the
Republican, and the votes Of two states
would be lost through tie in their del
cations. There are thirty eight states.
and IL would require twenty to make
majority. The parties, with this fact in
view, arc each directing its efforts to the
object of securing a majority in the del
egations OF twenty states, SO that If thore
, should be n faiiureto elect the next pres
: ident by popular vote, it may bc sure OF
, chosing its candidate In the house The
/ Democrats have one advantage already
secured. In the event OF q tic In the
house there would be no election by that
/ body, and tile vice-prcsident chosen by
: the senate would become president. The
senate, after the 18th or March next, will
: be Democratic, and this insures the choice
OF Democratic sicc-president. There
are some other advantages possessed by
that party not to be overlooked In this
nice calculation of possibilities. They
carried Oregon in the late election, secu.
ring the solitary member Of congress-
that state is entitled to. This is a gain
OF one state to the Democrats and loss
of one to the Republicans-and in =
house election OF president, oregon, With
its single member, has the same weight
as Now York with its 33 members. The
recent rcdistricting Of Ohio, it 10 admit
ted by the republicans. will give the
Democrats control Of the next delega.
tion from the state-which will be an.
other gain Of ono 10 the Democrats md
another loss OF ono to the Republicans.
| Florida, too, now, with tic In ito del
legation, will elect two Democrats TO the
house at the next election, which viii be
still another gain OF one to the Demo.
Gratis. Useless the Republicans can
make gains in other states to overcome
these vital advantages already insured to
their opponents, a throwing Of the next
presidential election In to the house,
therefore, must mean an easy Democrat
ic victory and the conquest by the Demo-
Gratis of all the national organs Of power
and this is the strong foreshadowing
that the present posture OF politics gives
out.-St Louis Republican.