Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-09
THE NEXT LEGISLATURES.

THE NEXT LEGISLATURES.
Now that more than the usual amount Of
attention has been drawn to the election oil
the next Legislature because of the Sena.
torial contest, it is of interest to consider
some of the purely political aspects of the
situation.
1 do not mean as to matters pertaining tc
the candidates or their merits. but as to the
unusual conditions of the contest between
the two leading parties this fall.
There is some danger of a loss o. the upper
branch of the Legislature. which is anoma.
lous. 1t comes about through the fact that
the Democrats have heavy majority of the
'hold-over" Senatorships.
At present the Senate of Pennsylvania
contains 81 Republicans and 10 Democrats
which seems to be a safe enough majority
under ordinary circumstances, but which is
very delusive this year. Of the e5 Senators
to be elected this year, % are Republicans
and 8 Democrats. The odd number districts
elect in November, and the outgoing Repub-
lican Senators are George Handy Smith.
osbourn, Porter, Grady, Robinson. Mylin,
Thompson. Goblin, Harlan, Newell, Packer,
Bates. Keefer, Woods, Williamson, Lemon,
Robbins. Showalter. Upperman, Steel,
Mehard and McCreary. The Democrats who
retire are Green, Hines and Sloan.
or those who will sit in the next Senate
there are but Republicans and l6 Demo
Gratis. The Republican hold-overs arc
Messrs. Becker, Thomas. Penrose, Grouse,
Smith (of Lancaster). Crichfeld, Neeb,
Finn and Crawford. The Democrats are
Ross, Markley, Henninger, Laubach, Nc
Donald, Rapsher, Herring, Rooney, Brown,
Monaghan, Lloyd, Meek, Hall, Brant, Dun
lap and Logan.
In other words, the Republicans must
elect at least II members out of the 25 to be
elected in order to retain a bare majority of
one, while the Democrats need elect but ten
to have control by the same slim figur..
The Democrats are certain to carry the
Eleventh and Twenty-first districts, the
first named being Berks and the second parts
of Luzerne ard Lackawanna. They had
about $500 majority in the Eleventh for
Green in 1890, and 200 in the Twenty.first
for Hines. 1t is wholly improbable that a
Democrat will be elected IN the Thirty-sev-
enth district to succeed Sloan, as he was
elected by the fight between Hood and
Bond, when they frlttered away a normal
Republican majority of over 5000. This
leaves the Democrats in control of IS Sena-
OF the remaining % districts, three are de-
cidedly doubtful and five are conditionally
so. The doubtful districts are the Third,
Twenty-ninth and Thirty-ninth, and those
where there are Democratic possibili-
ties are the First, Seventh, Seven
teenth, Thirty-f and Forty-ninth. The
Third district is made up OF the
Sixteenth. Seventeenth. Eighteenth and
Twentieth wards of Philadelphia, and in 1888
ncl,n n Ache fN,. I,i ,;tI,
c. P. Devlin, the Democratic candidate. O5-
bourH was given the best of 1T by the Senate
Committee on Elec tons, which declared he
had 1sl majority. Senator Keefer carried
his part of Schuylkili county, which COM
poses the Twentv-ninth district, by 4S ma
jority, while Robbins, in Westmoreiand,
which is the Thirty-ninth district. had but
199 over John Marchand, his Democratic
competitor. These three districts are still
highly uncertain in temper even in Presi-
dental year. OF the trio the Third is the
point. The personnel of the candidates is
everything in the other two districts, and a
very popular Democrat, aided by the pecul-
iarly combative quality of the Republican
leaders, could easily be elected.
WHAT call the conditionally doubtful
districts may fall into line and be as reliably
as any others If there are no in
ternal differences. The First district is COM
posed of the First, Second and Twenty-sixth
wards of Philadelphia, and it is good for
], 500 Republican majority ordinarily. This
year fight has grown up against George
Handy Smith and it is said section of the
regular party organization will strive to pre-
vent his election; II is not likely that this
man or some other Republican will in all
probability be on hand for the First district
when the roll call begins. In the Seventh
district also Philadelphian in makeup,
there is more show of fight and greater
chances of the opposition amounting to
This is the district which is at
present represented by John c. Grady, and
It is reported that both Bill Leeds and ex-
Boss McManes will endeavor to slaughter
him at the polls If he is renominated as he
probably will be. Grady is not popular and
majority in 1888 was only 49, In the Sew
district, which is Lebanon county.
things are more peaceful now than four
years ago when General Goblin had only 295
rs an independent Republican. This is we'll
known as "kicking district and a row can
be started on shorter notice and do more
business on less capital than almost any
where else in the State. The Thirty-first
district has Perry, Miffiin and Juniata as it's
and gave Senator Woods 553 ma
ority last time. This also is shaky country
for these three counties only gave Boyer 29s
n 1889, while Pattison got 427 in 1890, and in
;hese days OF political uncertainty change
If 800 votes in total of 1850 ls not a task
5he Forty-ninth district, turned out s35 for
NcCrearv in 'ss. but Pattison carried
Tres and facts justify the assertion that
loubt in regard to the comfortable control
If the Senate. There need be no figuring on
,arty lines in the House OF Representatives
or the Republican majority there is big
enough to stand some squeezing, being 40 |
lear over Democrats and Fusionfsts at the
asst session.