The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-13
The NEXT U. S. SENATE.
AS Many Democrats as Republicans
and Populists May Be
Members.
No Democratic Members Lost and
At Least Four Have
Been Gained.
Late Returns Received From Some States
Yet in D~oubt-Tho Democrats
Ratify In the East.

WASHINGTON, Nov. lion March 4. 1893,
twenty five seats in the United States SEN
ate become vacant. Control of these sena-
torlal vacancies was at stake in the recent
presidential election, and it 10 now evident
that the democratic party has captured
enough of the vacancies to insure suprem-
acy in the senate regardless of almost any
possible combinations between republicans
and populista. Assuming that Montana.
California and Wyoming will send demo
cratic senators, the democrats, at the be-
ginning of the Fifty-third congress. would
have as many senators as the republicans
and populiats combined. and thus would be
able to organize the senate by the casting
vote of Vice Presidept-Elect Stevenson. 1t
is reasonably certain. however. that the
democrats can rely on the support of some
of tho populist senators in any of their
projects, whether for the removal of tho
present force of republican employees or
revision of the tariff. or the twenty-five
senatorial seats vacant March 4, 1888. the
democrats will nan,e the occupants of
thirteen. the republicans nine. the popu-
lists three. one being Senator Stewart, of
Nevada, who has gone from the republican
party. The democrats lose no seats they
now hold and gain five from the repub-
licRns-one each in California, Montana,
New York, Wisconsin, w, The
populists gain senators from the repub-
licans in Kansas and Nebraska, besides
Senator Stewart, of Nevada, who will sue
coed himself.
Some doubt still surrounds the complex
ion of the legislatures in California. Mon
tara, Wyoming and Nebraska, but late re-
turns all say the democrats have gained the
legislatures in the first three named states
and the populists in the last. The cleo
tions Just held will also have an important
ing the last two years OF President-elect
Cleveland's administration for q number
of those elected last Tuesday will holdo over
to vote for senators two years hence. The
terms of twenty-seven senators expire
March 4, 1896. They come from the states
of Alabama, Arkansas. Colorado, Della
Kentucky. Louisiana, Maine, Mas
snchusetts. Michigan. Minnesota, Mon
tana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, North Carolina. Oregon. Rhode
Island, South Carolina. South Dakota, Ten
nessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.
The democrats appear also to nave the ad-
vantage az respects these vacancies. As
disclosed by last Tuesdays election the
states of Colorado. DelawaNe q. Illinois, Mon
tana. Nebraska aud Wyoming are at least
doubtful. and any addition at this time to
the doubtful list would be of republican
states. All of the six states named rs
doubtful are at present represented by re-
publican senators, SO TINT all of them must
be retained for the republicans to remain
as strong two years hence as now, provid-
ing, of course, the whirligig of politics does
not bring about a change in their favor
that will knock to pieces all ordinary polit-
cal calculations. The senate, March
next. will consist of forty-four democrats,
forty republicans, four populists.