Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-11-24

the number of close contests for seats in
the L nited States Senate. In West Vir
ginia the democratic majority on joint bal
lot is small, and had not that party I'm.
expectedly carried couple of ordinarily
republican districts, the republicans would
have controlled the Legislature. In Cali
fornia the net result of number of close
legislative contests is democratic majority
of less than dozen. In Indiana the demo
Gratis nave elected rs and the republicans
"a members of the Legislature. The clos
est of all these contests was, however, in
New Jersey, always close State 30 far as
concerns its legislative elections. AS the
ballots were originally counted there were
declared elected 40 democrats, 80 repub-
iicans, labor representative, aud in one
district there was tie between a repub-
lican and labor democrat Under the
provisions of the New Jersey law recount
may, under certain circumstances, be order
ed BY judge. In number of the close
districts such recounts were ordered, They
have not yet all been completed, but those
districts which were close enough to make
a change of result at all probable have been
already canvassed. The net result has
been to leave parties where they were when
The recoupting began. In the district in
which1be tie was returned a recount show
ed that the democrat had majority of one:
IN another district, in which the democrat
was returned elected by majority of two,
recount proved that the district was real
ly tie. A single voter in either of these
districts who voted with the democrats
might have deprived that party of the con-
troll of the Legislature by voting with the
republicans. The democratic victory in
the legislative contest in New Jersey will
insure that party United States Senator
in place Of Senator Sewell, republican.
This gain, together with the others made
by the democratic party, oompels the re-
publicans for the next two years to depend
upon Senator Riddleberger for the control
of the Senate. The Senate of the United
States may conceiyably name the person
who will ct as President during the presi-
dental term beginning March fourth, 1889.
The single voter iu New Jersey has exert
ed an influence which he little dreamed of
when he cast his ballot. Although the
chances are of course against the Senate
having anything to do with setting the re-
suit OF the next presidential election, the
control of the United States Senate is
prize worth the fighting for, and all the
probabilities are that the Senate for the
next four years at least will be very evenly
divided, so that every vote will tell. Count
ing Riddleberger with the republicans, the
Senate in the Fifieth Congress will stand
republicans 80. democrats 81. On the 4th
of March the terms of thirteen republican
and twelve democratic Senators will expire.
The republicans are from the States of
Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ne
hroa 10
Rhode Island. OF these the republicans
are reasonably certain of securing the sue
cessors in Iowa, Kansas Maine, Massachu-
sets, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New
Hampshire and Rhode Island, or nine in
all. They have the best chance of winning
in Colorado, Illinois and Oregon. They
are likely to lose the seat for Virginia.
They may gain in New Jersey, although
the chances are as even between the two
parties as they well can be. with the bal
ancs probably slightly in favor of the demo-
Gratis. If the democrats hold all the seats
they now have and gain Virginia, which
on the whole would seem at this distance
off to te the most probable outcome of the
elections of 1887 and 1888, the Senate in the
Fifty first Congress will stand thirty eight
republicans and thirty eight democrats.
The control of the body would therefore
rest with the Vice-President to be elected
in 1908.-BaH. San.
THE BLIND GUIDES ON TIE DEBT CUES
TIoN.-The misfortune Of those well-mean-
ing but ill-informed people who are so anx-
ious to tear up the present debt settlement
is that they know no more of the public
sentiment of Virginia as it is spread over
every county in the State than they knew
of the language of Uppernavik or thu dishes
of Tahiti. Trying to make an agreement
with those who contemptuously ignore the
facts Of late years-faets that cannot be
forgotten or disregarded-they are uncon-
sciously dragging both cred tor and people
into the depths of utter ruin.
Any NAH who wants to learn the truth
viii find upon examination that the income
DE- the State is barely So, 700, 900; aud that
after meeting the expenses of government,
scho OILS, asylums, manned Confederate
soldiers and other demands of less concern,
but necessary nevertheless, the State will be
able to pay the interest on the Riddleberger
and if there be surplus, it will
be go small as to be unimportant.
Those who are urging the abandonment
Of the present debt settlement and insisting
that the State can pay more should first see
for themselves what are the income and the
necessary expenditures Of the State before
they rush head-long to their conclusion.
Surely nobody is SO mad as to suppose that
the people will agree to an increase in taxa
tion? How, then, is the State to pay more
than, as we have shown, it can pay nov? II
a man receives two dollars per day as his
wages, and it costs him two dollars per day
for food, clothing, and shelter, how eau he
afford to keep horse? How can the State
of Virginia, compelled to spend her income
for the necessities of her public life. under
take to assume new obligations? How can
she, when her income and imperative ex-
penses are about eqnal. pledge herself to
pay more than she can now pay? Surely
the advocates of revolution on the debt
question either have lofty contempt for
arithmetic, or they are blind and mad as
weIl.-Rich. State.