The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-10-05

THE NEXT CONGRESS-.
Possibilities and Probabilities Of How
the Parties viii Stand.

tnN NACr w StAmus
The existing doubts as to whether
or not an extra session of Congress
will be called appears to be wei
founded. There has been a good
deal of bluffing going on, some of i,
by Democratic and some of it by Re
publican members, and now that tho
extra session must be called within
few days, if it is called at all, it /:
a matter of simple calculation to de
termine just where the two parties
stand.
Most people would imagine from
the fact that the Speakership specu
lations center about Representative
Reed, Mckinley, Burrows, Cannon
and the other Republican entries
that the Democrats had given up th.
next House to the Republicans in
advance of the date of organization
Though not important, yet it is true
that they have not given it up. The
Democratic congressional committee
which is now an indistinct part OF
the Democratic national campaign
committee, will await the result OF
the congressional elections in the
-four new States before admitting Of
ficially that the next House will be
Republican. This is in pursuance
of the well known political principle
to claim everything and take what
you can get.
Conceding that it is foolish to OK
pect that the Democrats can get
more thar one Congressman out OF
the five to be elected in the new
States, yet the Republicans will not
have what can be termed a working
majority. IL is one of the skin Of
the teeth" maiorities which prom
Uses busy winter for the deputy
sergeants alarms who are detailed
to arrest delinquent members in or
der to establish a quorum.
Now, if the next Congress was
called into session forthwith, the Re
publicans would have a majority of
three. This is not very large, and
it disappears almost entirely when
the question of a quorum is raised.
There are 325 members of the House,
and it requires 1853 members to con
stitutc a quorum. As they have 1874
altogether, the absence of two men
places them at the mercy of the
minority if the minority chooses to
obstruct business by not voting.
The journal could not be adopted if
the point of no quorum was raised,
provided the minority did not vote.
All the resources of the party
could not keep quorum in the
House fifteen minutes if one was Sc.
cured and the doors not locked The
most careless observer of legislative
proceedings can see that the Repub-
lican majority is not a majority at
all, except for such a momentous
purpose as electing Speaker, when
the attendance of every member can
be secured. As for doing anything
more than accomplishing the mel c
work of organization, it is out of the
question.
The fact that working majority
in the face of opposition from the
minority does not exist is obvious.
The suggestion therefore comes that
it is policy to wait until the Con
grtssmen from the new States APP
pear with their certificates, and the
Republican majority is swelled to
six. The presumption is that when
the membership of the House is in
creased to $50 by the admission of
the five new Congressman yet to be
elected, four will be added to the Re
publican and one to the Democratic
column, making the relative strength
of the two parties in the House of
Representatives 16s Republicans to
1872 Democrats.
A little figuring will show the sit
uation will not be bettered much
even with this increased Republican
majority. With a membership of
$50 it will require 166 to constitute
a quorum. Assuming that the mi
nority for obstructive purposes de-
cline to vote, the Republicans will be
compelled to produce 166 members
out of a total of l6S. Three absen-
tees on the side of the majority
places it hopelessly at the mercy of
the minority, and all the changes in
the rules that can be regularly made
will not effect the constitutional re-
quirement as regards quorum
Can a quorum be produced with
such small majority in the event
of the minority filibustering?
1t cannot be done six times in six
months. In the last Congress the
Democrats had some experience in
that direction. Their majority over
the Republicans and independents
combined was eleven. One of the
independents acted uniformly with
the Democrats and practically their
majority was increased to that ex-
tent. Yet ON the most important
occasion it was an awful task to get
a quorum when the Republicans re-
fused to vote.
On several occasions the Demo-
Gratis had to filibuster to prevent the
Republicans from out voting them,
and this with absentees apparently
paired. The neglectful and delin-
quent members who hang around
committee rooms when they ought to
be on the floor and who are hanging
over the restaurant bar when roll
calls are in progress are the terror of
party leaders.
A case in point is furnished by the
Carlisle Thoebe contest. Mr.. Car
Isle had been elected Speaker even
though his seat was contested.
There was no higher duty to the par
ty demanded of the Democratic mem
bers during the Fiftieth Congress
than to see that their Speaker was
fully supported in the contest. Not
the Importance of the
issue from party stand point, when
the vote was taken there were enough
Democratic members absent to have
Speaker Carlisle.
AS it was, large number of Re-
publicans voted with the Democrats
but the absentees had no assurances
that such would be the result.
The above is sample of Demo
cratic experiences In the coming
Congress the Democratic leaders viii
grin while they watch the Republican
leaders sweat in the effort to nnll tho