The Progress., 1894-02-24

ing man, but is no longer spoken of as a
Populist, being counted as straight Dem
ocrat. One Of the best speakers in the
third party is William A. McKeighal0of
the Fifth Nebraska district, and the long
est winded is Senator Allen of the same
state, whose chief title to distinction 50 far
is that he spoke Is hours on the silver ques-
tiOn. MCKeighan is quite an uncertain
quantity in politics and is jocularly CLASH
fled by his colleagues as a Demo-pop-inde
pendent-silverite. He prepares his speeches
with great care, and even to one who does
not accept his conclusions they sound like
really classical productions.
Senator Roach of North Dakota, former
! ly set down as a Populist, is also now count
ed as Democrat. In fact, since the makers
of almanacs for 1894 first published the par
ty division in the house that division has
changed no less than five times by deaths,
designations and changes of class, but the
Democrats and such Populists as act with
them on all economic questions still have a
certain majority of 81.
Pence and Cooper.
An interesting fact in the makeup of the
house is that one of the most active Pop
ulists and an equally active Democrat were
boyhood companions, and their mothers are
still next door neighbors and friends in
/ Columbus, Ind. One is LATE Pence of Colo
RADIO and the other George William Cooper
of the Fifth district of Indiana Mr.. Pence
was a Democrat from way back, but in
1892, in common with most of the Colorado
-, - l,o
Chicago convention and went for General
Weaver and silver But, just the same, he
is now counted as pretty good Democrat,
with only occasional outbreaks OF POpulist
fervor. He is small, quick, vivacious man,
who flies at any subject with intense ear
nestness and shakes hands with an ardent
grip.
Personally all these things are Of some in
terest, but politically still more, for the cal
culators on both sides are already counting
the districts which the Democrats will lose
next November, and for wonder the losing
party good naturally admits in advance a
very heavy loss, while the other party eX,
presses no anxiety to capture the house. In
fact, it seems to be taken for granted that
the possession of the next house of repre-
sentives will be of no advantage to the party
which has it. There are 25 districts in which
the Democratic majority in 1892 was less
than l 600, and some calculators expect all
these to be lost. In addition they expect tc
lose the really debatable districts in the
seven large states where the tariff will be
the great factor.
Partisan CalculatOrs.
Of course there are many other states II
which the tariff is important, but some o.
them are Republican and some Democratic
ANYWAY, while in others the districts arr
gerrymandered so judcously that it would
take change of 20 per cent or SO in the
votes to make any change in the represen
tation. Democratic calCulators say, 1--WE
can lose every really debatable district in TIT
seven tariff states and every other distric
where our majority is less than Thousand
and still have working margin in the mex
house" Republican tigurers say, wv
shall carry every district where the majorit.
against us was less than 1900, all the de
batable districts in all the tariff states al
the Populist districts in Kansas, and boil
Rhode Island districts besides, which give
us the house by good working majority,
T r PARKE