The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-03

Washington, Dec. Especial. 1.-The
next Congress will have a great deal
of it's time taken up with contests, as
twenty-seven Republicans and one
Democrat have already given notice
that they will pay their respects to the
committee on elections of the House
and attempt to force through their
| claims for having their rivals ousted.
To tell the truth, the filing of numer-
Gus contests was not unexpected. In
fact, the Democrats, long before cleo
ton, had noticed that in a great many
of the southern districts men of straw
were being put up by the Republicans
simply for the purpose of furnishing
materials for contests in case the Re
publicans should find themselves in
situation where they had only a small
majority in the House and believed it
desirable that good working majority
should be made in the manner adopted
by Car Reed in the F'ifty-first Con-
gress.
1t will be remembered that in the
F'ifty-frst Congress, Reed found him
self in a situation where he had only
small majority, and it was often en-
barrassing to him to see the close mar
gin he had on votes. 1t was no more
than natural that he should wish TO
have greater margin on which to
show his transcendent genius as a bull
dozer and general autocrat, and his
committee on elections was constituted
with the special view of cutting out the
Democrats and seating the Republicans
wherever the thing could be done with
the least show of fairness or unfair
ness. AS a result, eleven Democrats
had their heads put on the block and
the guillotine of the Republican ma
jority was dropped on their necks.
1t was the thnly-disguised and firm
intention of the Republicans TO hold the
majority of the state delegations in the
next House if they were compelled to
complish their design. They wanted to
have hold on the presidency in 1896
1t was this that caused many of the
straw men to be placed in nomination
by their party in the southern states in
particular, but in close districts in gen.
eral. Some of these candidates were
hardly known to the people Of the dis
tricts, but they were good enough to
serve the purposes of the party that
was determined to run things in it's
own way.
But these contests will be embarras-
sing to the Republicans. They did not
expect such a large majority as they
have received. They are too astute
politicians not to know that an over
whelming majority is an unweildy
thing that tears away from the re-
straints the leaders would throw about
it and does a great many things that
utterly horrify the politicians. They
realize that one of the points of weak
ness in the last session on the Demo-
cratic side was the too large majority,
which could not be solidified by the
presence of threatening minority that
was of sufficient strength to take ad-
vantage of any schism in the party.
When the returns came into head
quarters of the Republicans the over
whelming nature of the victory cast a
shade of soberness over the leaders who
were assembled. If they had been as
sured of a majority of about twenty
they would have been ready to hurrah
That would have just suited them, for
1t would have been safe and yet small
enough to demand a constant vigilance
anoi unity in the party's ranks The
overwhelming majority presented Wis
ions of disunion and quarrels among the
dominant members that tended to cast
a damper even over the buoyant spirits
of Chairman Babcock.
Yet the policy of the campaign on the
part of the Republicans tended to invite
these contests. They had counseled the
watching of every opportunity on which
TO base one and cannot blame anyone
when they shall find themselves with
the problem of Kidding themselves of
so much dead timber that cannot help
but clog their movements It would
not be surprising if all the Republican
contestants were seated, solely on ac-
count of the anxiety of Reed to make
staying bid for the southern votes in
the next Republican national conven-
ton; but if they are not it will be be-
cause Reed will know that he has al
ready too much of a circus on his hands
and is not ready to add another ring
to the grand aggregation.
Contests Are Merry Things.
OF course contest is a merry thing
for the contestant. 1t has beer the
custom to allow him his expenses and
the salary that attaches TO the office,
whether he is successful or not. The
essentially human repugnance for work
is very strong in the average politician.
particularly in that breed known as the
southern Republican" and an oppor-
tunity to come to Washington and Law
around in the hotels, swapping warns
and having a good time generally with
out any necessity of attending to the
acquisitions for garden seeds from old
Nanny Grundy' or looking up an Of
flee for some itinerant Office seeker. is
one that is hailed with delight only ex-
ceeded by that of staggering around
|among his backwoods constituents as
the cock OF the walk.
OF course this does not apply to all
the contestants. There are several
where those who have filed them have
no desire for the salary and conduct
the negotiations at what is really a.
pecuniary sacrifice. But they desire
the office, they wish to be known as
Honorable and TO affix the magic let
terS NJ. c.. to the end of their names
and to be able to send their views
broadcast to the people at the expense
of the government. Such a. man is
Van Horn, Of Kansas City, Missouri.
who is perhaps the most respectable
and least pestiferous of the confess
tants. But on the list are all the sugar
planting Office seekers who were put
up in Louisiana
Better than any of the samples Of the
statesman who inaugurates a contest
for the purpose of leading the life of
uninterrupted bliss that belongs only
TO the man with no cares and a stated
Income sufficient to supply all reason