National Republican., 1883-11-29
oneAN1zArIoN or rnE SENATE.

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been stated in somc of the newspapers that Sen.
ator Edmunds will resign tho chair thereby rem
derlng necessary the election Of presiding officer.
What authority there Is for such q statement we
do not kiiow, but presume that there is none
The Vermont senator frequently Keeps his own
councils. The clrcumstantial account of
pretended conversation concerning the senate
organization between him and demo.
cratic senator, which recently appeared
In city paper, was pure fabrication.
IL seems to be tho delight of certain small news
paper novelsts TO see how many tales they can iu-
vent concerning public men, aud pass them of
on an uhsuspecting public for news.
| If the surinises of many be true that Senator
Edmunds will prefer his place on the floor Of the
senate to the chair. then the question of
the succession will become important. The
senior member of tho body in length Of
service is Senator Anthony. OF Rhode Island,
and he is high authority in parliamentary law
ahd senate traditions. He was president pro TEN.
of the senate for the four years ending March,
1873, and will bo strongly urged for the position
now If there shall be vacancy. If western
man should be takeh there seems TO be more talk
of Senator ingalls,, of Kansas, than of any other
lie is fine parliamentarian and lacking IN no
quality necessary for the place.
AS to the committees, some important changes
will be necessary. as is the case ut the commence.
ment of each congres' This comes of the fact
that some senators so out aud their places have
to be filled with careful regard to the seniority of
those who remain and certain usages as to their
ranking order on the several committees. This
involves a partial Encouragement of chairman
ships as we'll rs of memberships ON committees
of highest Importance.
The question of the several officers OF the senate
will, with all other questions, bo determined by
the republican caucus.
The attitude Of Gen. Malone in the senate TO
wnrd the republican, party during the past two
years has been that of II friendly ally. This will
remain unchanged, and his colleague, Senator
Riddloborger, will occupy n similar position
These gentlemen have Thousands of white 20.
litical associates in Virginia. with whom they
have just emerged from a conflict between mod
ern So called democracy and Its foes. wherever
they can most effectively antagonize the bour-
bons, who have Just achieved victory through
violence and boodshed, they will do it, They
| recognize their obligation TO tho party which
has made them the representatives of Vir-
ginia In tho senate, and while they feel
certain that the coalition which did so much for
this state will be willingly and earnestly extended
by the readjusers to national affairs It would OBJ
viously be premature in them to preuede the
action of their party in the matter, or to assume
that such coalition is desired by the republican
party in the absence of any authorized expression
of such desire. The call for the national con-
vention, If made broad enough to include the
Virginia liberals and If SO made with the general
approval of the representative men of the
party, would make it the duty OF the
readlusters of Virginia to take counsel with one
another ON the subject. The Virginia republi-
cans, although a branch of the coalition, have
distinct state organization, the central organ of
which is the republican state central committee
composed oftwenty-seven of members. OF this com
mttee J. II. Rives is chairman, and of its execu
| tive committee James d. Brady Is chairman This
committee was appointed by the regular republ-
can state convention which met at Lynchburg in
! 1881, and indorsed the readjuster ticket The
bolt therefrom evaporated within forty-eight
hours, leaving small grease spot
known as the straightout republicans
They did attempt to run a candidate for governor,
| but no one would consent to disgrace himself by
accepting their nomination, and they went In with
the bourbons, where they have been ever since
The call of the national republican committee
4 Will be a manifest approval of the course of the
Virginia republicans in coalescing with the read
justers, If 1t shall be in the language unanimously
| agreed on at the last meeting of the committee
| That II will be there is reason to doubt. This
| preliminary taken, and the state coalition In
| Virginia made national by he action of
| The reddjuster and republican parties
| of that state there would then be In each branch
of congress, as in the state of Virginia, but one
party in opposition to the bourbon democracy.
| This lengthy explanation of the party status OF
! the Virginia senators has been made In order that
| the readers of THE REPUBLICAN, may understand
that their independence is not of the kind which
splits the difference between bourbonlsm and its
opposite, but is fidelity to party obligations
opposition to bourbonism is not united in 1884, 1t
will not be through any fault of the re.trled
coalitionsts of Virginia or their patriotic repre-
sentatives in the senate and house Of representa-
tives.
AS remarked, just before this long depression,
the selection of the Offices of the senate will de-
pend wholly upon the republican caucus. The
enemy's desire for disturbance will not be graft
fed. In March, 1881, caucus nominated cahdi-
Capt. Riddleberger, now n senator. The
democratic side of the senate, by dllatory
motions, prevented any election at the extra ses
sion, and before the senate met again In Decem-
ber the republicans had lost control of the SEN
ate, which they had only held by the aid of Gen.
Malone and the casting vote of the vice president.
On Monday next the republicans will be in con-
troll for the first time since President Garheld's
tragic death. There is no visible sign of any fric-
ton in the organization, nor can it be learned that
any is probable. .IN
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