Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-17
THE NEXT CONGRESS-.
Who Will Hold the Balance.
of Power
THE HOUSE STILL IN DOUBT,
The Supremacy of Either Party
Depending on Few Doubt
full Districts.


Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.I
WASHINGTON, November 16.-General
John B. Clark, Jr., Clerk of the House
of Representatives., believes that 160
Democratic Representative have been
elected and that six districts are in
doubt. This calculation is based on the
assumption that Wilson (Democrat) is
elected from West Virginia. The doubt
full districts in Clark's estimation are
First California, Tenth Kentucky, Second
North Carolina and the First, Third and
Fourth Of West Virginia. These dis
tricts, he says, are doubtful because they
are claimed by both parties, by
majorities so small that the official
count must be awaited to determine the
result. In the case of Representative
Bacon (Democrat), of New York. who is
reported to have been defeated by eight
majority, General Clark expects that
contest will ensue. OF one thing he is
confident, and that is that the majority
in the next House will not be five either
way.
Relative to the functions of the Clerk
in the organization of the new House,
and the power he is supposed to be
able to exercise in seating or unseating
members, General Clark says his duties
are purely ministerial. If member
elect presents the proper certificate OF
election his name will be placed on the
roll, and not otherwise. There cannot
be duplicate certificates, because there
are at present no dual State Governments
a, there have been in times past in the
South.
General Clark said, from the official
records before him, the Republicans had
elected a majority of one in the next
House, and this was because up to the
present time but one certificate had been
presented to him, namely, that of Repre-
sentative Hermann, of Oregon. The cer-
tiicates are usually long time coming
on, as they are not issued until sometime
after the official returns are made public.
In the case of Missouri this does not take
place until January, and in many other
States the date is equally remote from
election day.
The reduction of the claims of both
parties to very narrow majorities of from
| three to five or six suggests interesting
possibilities, when it is remembered that
no less than six persons who were elected
to the Fiftieth Congress, died either be-
| fore they had been sworn in or after they
had taken their seats, and that there is
strong possibility that there will be
some deaths among the 1926 men of
mature years during the long period of
thirteen months intervening between
election day and the assemblage of the
new Congress.
| SENATOR QUAY's CLAIM.
| Senator Quay, chairman OF the Repub-
l!can National Committee, said to an AS
sociated Press reporter this afternoon
that the Republicans would certainly
have control of the next House of Rep
resentatives by majority of five, and
their majority might be nine. There
were several doubtful districts, the result
in which would determine whether their
majority would be higher or lower than
the figure given. Quay declined for the
present to give any particulars upon
| which his figures are based, or state
what districts are still regarded as
doubtful.
THE OFFICIAL RETURNS WILL TELL.
New YORK, November ia Wash
ington special to the Post says: General
Clark, Clerk of the House, has again
abandoned the claim that the Democrats
are certain to have a majority, and states
that it will be necessary to await the
official returns. All that can now be
said is that The result is in doubt. One
the leading subordinate officials in Gem
eral Clark's office, who has all the in
formation as to Democratic hopes which
General Clark himself has, says the
officials OF the House have abandoned the
expectation which they had
few days ago that the Demo-
Gratis would organize the House.
The confidence of the Republican leaders
is renewed and they now claim that un-
der no combination of circumstances will
it be possible for the Clerk of the House
to refuse to put the majority of the Re-
publicans upon the roll of the House of
the Fifty-first Congress. Chairman Quay
claims six majority. Senator Malone is
also confident that the Republicans will
have majority.
The Post then gives the latest figures
on the State delegations and shows that
the Republicans will have 166 members
of the next House to 159 for the Demo-
Gratis.
The Mail and Eapress publishes SIM
liar table and shows the same result.
The Republican National Committee