National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-09-29

If at the oxtra session the two inde-
pendent Senators vote on opposing sides,
as they did last spring, and if the Sena-
tors are all in attendance, the Democrats
will at the opening have majority of
three of the duly elected and sworn Sena-
tors. Three duly elected Senators VIII he
waiting to he sworn. The Senate can order
the oath to he administered to these
three Senators in open Senate by any
officer it may designate. Under the Con-
stitution each House may make its own
rules, and no act of Congress can inter-
f6re with rule so made. Under the
Constitution no State can be deprived Of
its equal suffrage in the Senate except by
its own consent,
New York is wholly unreprcsentcd,
and Rhode Island is but onc-half repre-
scntcd. The Senate has the undoubtcd
constitutional right to make q rule for
swearing in the three Senators before the
election of President pro TEN. This is
under the constitutional clause which
says "Edcb House may dctrbiiBc tie rules
of lis proceedings" Cart. l., section ., Con-
stitution U. 81 1t is unquestionably the
duiy of the Senate to determine n rule
whereby the new Senators may be sworn
in before any vote is taken on any ques-
ton other than their own admission ;
otherwise there will be n violation of that
provision of the Constitution which says:
"No state ,ritioW lis consent shall be dcyrired
Of is cgroi suffrage in H,e Senate" article
", Constitution u. 81
If the Senators are admitted b,tore q
presiding officer is elected, as the fore
going clauses of the Constitution clearly
show they can and ought to be, then
the Senate will be tie if both In
dependents vote as they did last spring.
If the Senate ,chcn FIJI is to be lie it is
easy to understand that whatever the
Democrats can get by the snap judgment
of temporarily excluding three Republic
can Senators they can hod after these
three are admitted. II, then, the Demo-
Gratis believe that Mr.. Davis, of Illinois,
will vote with them they will take adj
vantage of their temporary majority and
organize as they please. This they can do
on the ground given by gambler for
cheating his adversary at cards, viz: that
ait was his deal !" They could only be
deferred from this by fear that the ad-
vantages gained would not compensate
for the public disgust their violations OF
Senate propriety and State Rights would
inspire. If such considerations could
move them there would probably be an
amiCablc understanding between the two
parties by which the honors and respon-
siblitics of the Senate organization would
be divided between them.
If, however, Mr.. Davis, of Illinois,
should decide to vote with the Admins
tration Senators the Democrats would be
1nna l;l nlIr 10 takn what thev could not
afterward hold. While his vote could
not stay their will before the swearing in
Of the new Senators, it would afterward
be sufficient to undo their work. His
record last spring leads many TO suppose
that he will not aid in filling vacancies in
the Senate offices with Democrats. There
is no other basis than this of which we
have any knowledge for raising any
question rs to his position. He can cer-
tainly be controlling factor, and if his
conservative tendencies shall lead him to
vote for Republican President pro tenn
of the Senate he will be applauded as q
patriot, while none can censure him, fol-
the simple reason that he owes no allie
glance to either party. He could alsC
give the decisive vote on other offices ant
on the committees.