Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-24
Ohio and Her Senators.

cratic by considerable majority and
elected Mr.. BRIoE. q Democrat, United
Btates senator from that State 10 succeed
Mr.. PAINE, also @ Democrat. Mr.. BBIcE,
the Republicans claim, ia railroad man
rather than statesman; and they opposed
his election with zeal and denounced him
with vehemenco ss UNFIT for the high
honor. Anyhow he was formally elected,
and would no doubt have been seeted
without opposition in tho United States
Senate itself IL there had not broken out
IN Ohio fierce contest between SHERMAN
and FoRAKKR for the position OF United
States senator, thus rendering 1t necessa-
nv tor the Republicans to have two United
States senators or else war within the
Republican party. Mr.. SHERMAN desires
70 be his own successor. Governor FoBA-
KEN is tired Of waiting for Mr.. SHERNAN's
death and has determined to oppose bis
own candidacy TO that Of SHERMAN. Under
these circumstances there is nothing to be
done but to leave SHERMAN OF home and
elect FORAKER IN his place. or else to pre-
vent Mr.. BRICE from being seated ana
give his seat to one or the other or the
Republican contestants for the high honor
of representing the Buckeye State in the
ablest legislative body in the world.
Let us say here that it will be very easy
for the Republicans Of the Ohio Legsla-
turs to choose two senators, but not with
in their power to secure the seating OF
both. Mr.. BRICE's title to the seat to
which he was long ago elected is so clear
that even Republican Senate may de-
cline 70 refuse il TO him to accommodate
two Republican aspirants IN Ohio. But
oven II the unprincipled gang who run "
the Republican party in the United States
Senate can be expected to seat SHERMAN OF
FoAANER rather than BEIcE, this mere ex-
mediation would not by any means render
BR1cF's seat q prize equal to SHERMAN's
seat SHERMAN or FORAKER VIII take hlr.
SHrRMIS's seat without contest-without
opposition from Republicans or Demo-
crafts. Mr.. BaIcE's seat will be, TO say
the least, the subject of contest, All
IN. Democratic United States senators
win maintain. as in duty bound. that
RRicg Is entitled TO the seat, and, as we
have lust said, it is possible that some
Republican senators may DO honest
enough and conscientious enough TO vote
"a seat Mr.. BR1cE. SO FoRAKER and SHER-
MAN must, or at least may, have warm
contest In the Ohio Legislature over the
choice of seats. SHERMAN will press his
claims for all that they are worth, and
FoR.KFR will follow his example. In a
word, the prospect of an attempt to SWIM
die BBIoE out Of his seat will not make
either SHERMAN or FORAKER willing to ac-
cent BRIcR's seat and leave SHERMAN's to
his competitor.
We see no merit in the contention that
Mr.. BRIcE was not qualified at the time OF
his election to be elected United States
senator for Ohio because he had not re-
sided in that State long enough. About
lse9-'7O IL was seriously proposed to elect
General WILLIAMS United States senator
from Virginia, Notwithstanding that he
had not resided in this State for many
wears. and We do not recollect that his
eligibility was called IN question. At the
came time the Wing Of this city advocated
the election Of HoRAoE GREELEY to the
same position. The United States Consti-
tuition provides as follows;
"No person shah be a senator who shall not
have attained TO the age OF thirty years, ana
be,n nine years a citizen Of the United States,
and who shall not, whom elected, be an inhabi-
tan, OF that State for which he shall DO chosen
To state that provision afirmatively in
stead of negatively il is that any person
NAV be Senator who Is thirty years old
and has been nine years citizen Of the
United States provided he ia an inhabitant
mot a CITIZEN tchen elected of the State for
which be shall be chosen. All these quail
hcations Mr.. BBIcE possessed. But the
Republicans claim that he was not an in-
habitant of Ohio when no was chosen.
Thar contention il that he was mere so
iourner in that state OF the time OF his
election 10 tho United States Senate and
NOT an "inhabitant" within the meaning
of the language quoted above from the
Federal Constitution. And II there is a
modicum of honesty or conscientiousness
in the Republican United States Senate
that body will seat Mr.. BR1cR, holding that
II ia In the case of the election of United
States senator Just as it would be IN the
case OF any other election-say an election
for member OF the National House of
Representatives--if the qualifications were
the same as those stated above. Clearly
every man who was an inhabitant OF Ohio
even on the day of election would be eliRi-
bic. "when elected" and ian inhabi-
tant" are words that cannot be made to
mean anything more or less than the mean
ing which they convey to every mind when
read and received in their plain import.
Whilst on this subject We will add that
FoalKEa has developed an unexpected
strength as a competitor with MIR. SHER-
NAN for the latter's seat in the United
States Senate The Cincinnati Commercial
Carte advocates FoRAEER's claims. So do
large number Of the younger Republican
politicians in Ohio. II would be an almost
unprecedented result If under the circum-
stances now existing SHERMAN should be
succeeded by FoRAKER. Few are the States
where under such circumstances either a
Republican or Democrat could be super
seeded by man of his own party. We
hardly know whether we prefer SHERMAN
or FoaAKER.