Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-10-30
THE NEXT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

important changes IN the SENATE
are not likely to alter the Republi'
can control Of that body during the
remaining years of the Cleveland
administration. Yet it is by no
means wholly improbable that one
or two votes will control the Senate.
Secretary Manning of the Treasury
Department, one Of the shrewdest
and most cautious of political calcu-
lators, expresses faith even in the
election of a Democratic successor
to Senator Warner Miller OF New
York. This is hardly more prob
able than the election of q Repubh-
can Senator in Indiana as successor
10 Senator Ben Harrison. Close
calculations by judicious politicians
make the senatorial SUGGESTIONS in
few States doubtful, with de-
cided probability of the retention
by the Republicans of their posses
sion of the Senate by slight ma
jOrity.
AS to the House, a similar bal
ance OF advantage appears to rest
with the Democrats, though Chair
man Goff of the Republican Con-
gressional Campaign Committee
ayows strong faith in the election
of a majority of Republican mem
bers of the House. Senator Kenna,
Chairman of the Democratic Con-
gressional Campaign Committee, is
equally firm in his belief in Demo
cratic control Of the next House,
though by a majority less than that
by which Democratic ascendency
is maintained IN the present House,
whose functions end on the Fourth
of March, 1887. With a view to as
sisting calculation as to the politi-
cal complexion of the House OF
Representatives which will end its
existence with Mr.. Cleveland's
Presidential term, March 4th 1889,
We publish elsewhere a careful and
accurate statement of the vote by
which the present House was
chosen, and in which the Demo-
Gratis have about forty majority.
Besides the great advantage to
President Cleveland's administra-
ton of a friendly House of Repre-
sentatives, especially should the
Senate remain in Republican con-
troll, the election of the next House
will be the first really decisive in
d;cation of popular feeling towards
the Administration. In the North
ern States 1t will be to very large
degree accepted as vote of con-
fdence or of want of confidence IN
President Cleveland. Rarely has
the House of Representatives elect
ed in the first two years of an Adj
ministration failed to prehgure
popular action in the Presidential
election two years afterwards.
The Congressional elections OF
1884, as is shown in the table OF
figures we give revealed many close
districts. The Democrats were re-
markably fortunate in these close
districts. A distribution of nine
thousand votes, fortunate to the
Republicans, would have given
them in the present House OF
Representatives twenty.fOur dis
tricts now represented by Demo
Gratis. These districts are located
in no particular sectional or geo.
graphical division of the country.
They are found to be in New Eng
land and in California alike. In
Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania and New
York the Republican expectation of
gains is greatest and probably best
founded. Inscriptions gerryman-
ders of States in the arrangement
of Congressional districts have
been practiced by both parties TO a
lamentable degree. A Democratic
gerrymander gave the Republicans
only ten members out of twenty
one from Ohio in the present
House. A subsequent Legislature,
Republican in complexion, re-
arranged the Ohio Districts, and
the Republicans can hardly fail 10
add five OF six members to their
present strength in the Ohio dele
CATION, as, two years ago, while only
electing ten out of twenty-one mem
bers of the present House, the Re
publicans yet had plurality OF
10000 in the elections Of Ohio
Congressman.
In the four states named the
Democratic loss of members is like
ly TO aggregate from twelve to
fifteen Districts. With fair luck
IN other states the Republicans
may secure the next House by a
meagre majority. What effect the
possession of power and patron
age by the Democrats may have
upon the general result of the Con-
gressional elections is an undeter-
mined question. So far as the
South IS concerned the Republicans
appear TO be seriously contesting
very few districts. In West Vir'
ginia Senator Kenna thinks the re-
suit doubtful and serious enough
to invoke his presence in the active
canvass in which he Is now en-
gagged. In less than twenty dis
tricts in the entire South do Re-
publicans profess confidence OF sue
cess. If, therefore, the elections
IL nj