Evening star., 1895-01-04
HARDLY BE RETIRED
WILL
Isham G Harris is Almost Certain Of Re
election to the Senate.
His Long Experience ms National
LEGISLATOR and the Interest He Has
Taken I'm Local Affairs.

There was no meeting Of the Senate Dis
trict committee today owing to the absence
from the; city of Senators Harris and NC
MILAN, the chairman and the most act'e
member lof the committee. The terms OF
both Senators expire in March, and so they
have had to take off their coats and get
into the campaign through the holidays.
Senator McMillan's task is now done ana
he will be unanimously reelected to The
Senate for six years. Senator Harris has
not such; an easy time of getting back, but
he will probably pull through eventually.
In the first place, the legislature OF Ten
nessee, which meets next Monday, Is by no
means sd Overwhelmingly one-sided as tnat
of Michigan. which contains but one deT-
ocrat. The Tennessee house and senate will
be democratic on joint ballot by 16 or Is.
The general calculation places the majority
at the latter figure by including an indie
pendent. who will probably vote with the
democrats Should he do otherwise. the
majority will be but 16. a very small dem
ocratic margin for Tennessee. But Senator
Harris friends claim that the cioseness CT
the yote will not jeopardiZe the chances
of their candidate, whom they expect to
be nominated CT the first ballot, If caucus
should bd held. The anti-Harris men among
the democrats have been working IN the
hope of preventing a caucus, but 1T is not
likely that they will succeed.
Tie rule in Tennessee is that a caucus
shall not be held unless tvo-thirdS OF the
party i'm both housa IS attend. This rule
will probably be strictly followed in the
present instance and the program or the
Harris men, it is understood, is to postpone
the holding of the caucus until after the
lie egislature has convened on Monday. There
will then be enough members in the city
TO insure a caucus.
The danger to Senator Harris is that by
preventing a caucus his democratic oppo-
nents NAV be at liberty to vote in joint bal
lot for whomever they choose, and so make
possible a combination with the repuDll-
cans. There is. however, no candidate in
the field it is thought, strong enough to
make such a program possible. The mar
gin of Is votes is so small that a MINOR
faction of the democrats may mako a
fusion with the republicans IL candidate
could be agreed upon between them But
the opposition to Mr.. Harris is not form!d-
able 1t has shown itself in each cam
paign in which he has been candidate,
and has regularly been swamped by the
ex-goverr,or's tremendous popularity. Ihis
opposition comes from two sources, the dis
affected persons who have not been pla-
Gated with offices at various times, and the
few folks who believe that Senator Harris
however faithful he may have always been
to the interests of his state in his public
career, has been in office long enough to
warrant his retirement in favor of a young
er man.
One of The arguments of the opposition is
that Senator Harris is not citizen of
Tennessee, having a ranch in Texas and
house in Washington. This plea, however.
has very little weight, it would seem, with
the vot eEs of the state, for it has been
brought forth unsuccessfully in each can
vass.
The people Of the District are quite as
much concerned in the outcome of this
fight, for Mr.. Harris has always taken a
deep interest in local affairs. He has twice
been chairman of the District committee
of the Senate and has been a member of
the committee during the prevalence of re-
publican rule in the Senate. Living here,
as he has, for many years, he is thorough
ly acquainted with the situation and with
the needs of the people Amidst all the
assaults that have been made upon him in
his political career not a word has ever
been said to affect his honesty or integrity.
He is ferror to lobbyists. and is a firm
believer in the principle of letting bills
stand or fall on their merits.
\ man of strong characteristics. the ''ol!
Senator as he is fondly called by many of
his assoc fates would be sadly missed from
the upper house If by some combination of
factions he should he defeated next week.
He is always very much in earnest and
takes EolH of every measure that he advo-
Gates with unrelenting and unremittins en-
ergy. Hd is one of the fercest fighters on
either side of the Senate.
Since his election as chairman Of the SEN
ate committee on the District, upon the re-
organization of the Senate in March, 1898.
he has placed great reliance and confidence
in the former chairman, Senator Mcmillan.
These two men, though of opposite political
faiths. have always worked in harmony for
the best interests of the District, and it is
really for tunate for the citizens of Wash
ington that of these two one has already
been :;iveh new term and the other will
undoubtedly be so honored next week.