The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-26

iuz man, but Is no longer spoken Of as a
Populist, being counted as a straight Dem
ocrat. One Of the best speakers In the
third party is William A. McKeighan Of
tine 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-
ton. McKeighan is quite an uncertain
quantity IN politics and is jocularly classi-
fled by his colleagues as a Demo-popinde-
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
" set down as a Populist, is also now count
cd as "A Democrat In fact, since the makers
OF almanacs for 1894 first published the par
" 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 "a.
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
Democrats, he bolted the platform of the
Chicago convention and went for General
Weaver and silver But, just the same, he
is now counted as a pretty good Democrat,
with only occasional outbreaks Of Populist
10 - "A vi
who flies at any subject with intense err
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 a 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, il seems To be taken for granted that
the possession of the next house Of repre-
sentives will be Of no advantage 20 the party
which has il. There are 25 districts in which
the Democratic majority in 1872 was less
than / 900, and some calculators expect all
these TO be lost In addition they expect TO
lose the really debatable districts in the
seven large states where the tariff will be
tue great ldClOf.
Partisan Caiculators.
OF course there are many other states in
which the tariff is important, but some of
them are Republican and some Democratic
anyway, while in others the districts are
gerrymandered 50 iudiciously that il would
take "A change Of 20 per cent or so in the
votes TO make any change in the represen-
tation. Democratic calculators say, I'VE
can lose every really debatable district in the
seven tariff states and every other district
where our majority Is less than a thousand
and still havea working margin in the next
house" Republican fgurers say, I'VE
shall carry every district where the ma ority
against Us was less than 800, all the de
batable districts in all the tariff states, all
the Populst districts in Kansas, and both
Rhode Island districts besides, which gives
us the house by a good working majority"
j. Il. PARKE.