Daily Republican., 1881-07-22
THIRD EDITION.
CONGRESS PARTY LINES.
A Clear Republican Majority In
Opite OF Vacancies ever Demo.
crass, Greenbae kers and Read.
listers Combined:

| WASHINGTON, July 2l.-The changes
m ade in the roll of the House of Rep.
resentatives since the Congressional
elections of last Fall, caused by resig-
nations and death, has started dis
cussion as to the political complexion
Of the party that will be in majority
when the Forty seventh Congress meets
in December next. Assuming that Mr..
Lapham, of New York, will be choser
to the Senate, it has been stated that
the number of Republican members
elect who have dropped from the House
roll will leave the Republican party in
a minority, and thus prevent that party
from securing the organization without
the cooperation of the Greenbackers
An examination of the list of members
elected to the Forty seventh Congress,
as prepared for, and published in the
Congressional Directory, shows that all
calculations that place the Republicans
in a minority are erroneous.
The election returns show that there
were elected to the Forty Seventh Com
yress as distinctive Republicans l5l
members; Democrats, l3l; Greenback kers
., and Readjusters, ,. Since the cleo
| ton the Republicans have lost, includ-
ing Mr.. Lapham, five members, namely,
Conger, of Michigan; Frye, of Maine;
and Morton, Miller and Lapham, Of
| New York, and gained one in the elec.
ton of a successor TO Mr.. Conger, thus
leaving the Republican net loss four.
This would leave the Republican mem-
btrship l4l or the exact number neceS-
sary to constitute a quorum ofa full
house of 293 members. Since the ele"-
zion the Democrats have lost two men,
bers by death, Messrs. Wood, of New
York, and O'Conner, of South Carolina.
Mr. DConner's election is disputed by
his Republican competitor, Mr.. Mac
key, aud all the testimony in the con.
test was completed before Mr.. Conner
death. The Democrats held an election
recently To fill the so-called vacancy,
but the man chosen at this election,
iu which the Republicans took no part,
will OF be admitted TO the roll. De
duCting these two vacancies Wood
and bConnOr-irom the Democratic
mem bers, leaves their number 1919. The
nine members classified as Greenback-
ers are Murch and Ladd, Of Maine:
Hazeltine, Rice, Burrows, and Ford, of
Missouri; Hyatt Sirith, of New York
Hrumm, of Pennsylvania, and Jones of
Texas. OF these nine, Messrs. Hazel
tine, Rice, Burrows, and Brumm, were
elected as Greenback Republicans, each
OF them defeating the regular Demo
cratic candidates. Messrs. Ladd, Murch,
Ford, and Jones were members of the
last Congress and may be regarded as
distinctive Greenbackers with Demo-
cratic inclinations. Mr.. Smith was
chosen as "A Democratic Greenbacker,
but cannot with any degree of accuracy
be classified as between the two great
parties The two Readjusters are also
AS to political identity, but
it is very probable that they will not be
induced 10 act with the Democrats.
From this review of the membership |
Of the next House, it will be seen that
the political divisions stand as fol-
lows: Republicans, li7 Democrats,
l@ Greenbackers, 9 keadjusters, .
4; total, 293. Deducting the |
six vacancies, leaves the members 2S7,
ot which 144 is a clear majority. The |
Constitution of the United States pre-
scribes that "a ma jority OF each House
shall constitute quorum to do busi- |
ness.' 1t has been held that under this |
clause quorum consists of a majority
of the actual membership, and this
vie" the Republicans will have a clear
majority of four, should the six vacan-
r!eS not be filled until after the organi-
cation, but in any event the Republi |
cans have li7 members, who We're dis
tinctly elected as Republicans, which
will give them a majority of the full |
membership and enable them TO elect a
Speaker and other officers with, ut aid |
rom Greenback or Read djnSters.