The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-28
SEATTLE. MOND4T. NOT. rs
THE NEW CONGRESS.

The new congress that begins its life in
March next will be Democratic in both its
branches In this Fifty-thrd congress
the total membership will be 356. gain
of twenty-four under the reapportionment
Of the new census. OF this number the
Democrats will have about as many as
now, but there will be fewer Populists and
more Republicans The Democratic ma
jority will be between eighty and ninety.
With such a working majority the Demo-
Gratis will be able TO enact any legislation
they choose on the tariff or any other
question, and as the senate will also have
n Democratic majority the party will be
entirely responsible for any legislation
sent to President Cleveland for approval.
The Democratic side in the new congress
is.weaker than the Republican in men of
ability and parliamentary experience.
The Democrats have reelected Speaker
Crisp, Judge Holman, Springer, the
Breckinridges, Bynum of Indiana, Bourke
Cochran. Amos Cummings. Col. Fellows,
Harter of OHIO, McMillin of Tennessee,
Rayner of Maryland. and Blanchard of
louisiana; but they have lost Blount of
Georgia, Herbert and Forney of Alabama,
Hemphill of South Carolina, Hoar and
Williams of Massachusetts,, and others
of considerable ability and experience.
The Republicans have reelected all their
best men of the Fifty-second congress and
have added to them several able men of
former congressional service, such as Cam
non, of Illinois; Grosvenor, of Ohio; Gear
and Hepburn, of Iowa. These men will
be valuable assistants to Tom Reed, Bing-
ham. Boutele, Hit, Burrows, Lodge,
Morse and Walker.
In the senate when it convenes in
special session on the 4th of March next
the Republicans will find themselves for
the first time in fourteen years in the
minority. They will not have more than
thlrty-nine of the lightweight senators,
while the Democrats will probably have
forty-five. The Populists will have four
and possibly six senator's. one of them be-
ing Stewart, of Nevada, o man of Repub-
lican antecedents. who is determined To
subordinate all questions, including
the tariff, to that Of free silver
coinage. In any contingency the DEM
ocrats will have more votes than
the Republicans. and with the aid OF
the Populists who generally vote with
them will have . majority of 0 or 10. If one
OF the PopuIists senators should vote with
the Republicans on party question and
should his party colleagues refrain from
voting the result would be a tie. giving
Vice President Stevenson the deciding
vote. This situation is not likely to come
about and the Democrats, with or
without the support of the Populist sena-
tors, will be able to reorganize the COM
mittees and enact such legislation as they
see fit. 1t was in March, 1879. at special
session of the Forty-sixth congress that
the Democrats last organized the United
States senate with party majority of s.
At the end Of two years in March. 1881,
another special session was called and the
Republicans were able to put their party
again in control of the committees. 1t
was during this session that Malone en-
tered the senate and that Conkling and
Platt resigned.
In support Of the assertion that the
United States Senate has deteriorated in
point of ability in recent years. is
quoted the fact that the Democratic Sena-
tors in 1879 included Thurman, OF Ohio;
Bayard, of Delaware: Mcdonald, of Indi-
ana; David Davis, OF Illinois; Herman, OF
New York: Garland, of Arkansas; Lamar.
of Mississippi; Ben Hill, of Georgia; Beck,
OF Kentucky; PendIeton, of Ohio. The
Republican senators then included Ed
munds. OF Vermont; Anthony Of Rhode
Island; Roscoe Conkling, of New York :;
Hamlin. Of Maine; Logan. OF Illinois.
Matt Carpenter, of Wisconsin; Blaine, of
Maine: ingalls,. of Kansas; Window. of
Minnesota. The United States senate in
March will include. among It's best men,
Morgan, of Alabama; Gray. of Delaware;
Haw.ey, Of Connecticut; Gordon, Of
Georgia: Allison, OF Iowa: Sherman, OF
Ohio: Carlisle. of Kentucky; Hoar, OF
Massachusetts,: Vest, of Missouri; Aidrich,
of Rhode Island. and Villas of Wisconsin;
very weak Senate surely on both sides,
compared with the Senate OF 1879.
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