The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-11-28
MADE PLAIN ENOUGH.

MALL IIAlN gI4NVOOAAs
MANNER OF ORGANIZATION OF THE
UNITED STATES SENATE.
uembersrip Divided Into Three Glasses.
Vacancies In Committees-The Rcpub-
ucan Being tho Dominant Party Must
Assume tho Responsibility.
The exact character Of what is known
as "the organization Of the United
States senate is not generally under
stood, and in view Of the close division
Of parties in that body at this time an
exclamation Of the organization will be
Of interest. The common understanding
is that, being q continuous body, the
senate is always fully organized and
prepared to transact any business that
may be brought before it. This is true
only to a limited degree. The senate is
supplied with code Of rules, presid-
ing officer, clothed with full authority
to act, and with secretary, sergeant
alarms and full force Of clerical and
other officials necessary to its orderly
assembly ard conduct, but at the begin
ming of every new congress, so far as the
performance of any important legisla-
tive act is concerned, the senate is al
most as unprepared for business as is
the house of representatives prior to tie
election of speaker and other officers.
The membership Of the senate is di'
vided into three classes, one Of which
enters with every congress. The class
which enters with the Fifty-fourth con-
gress consists Of. 80, to all Of whom the
oath Of Office must be administered by
the presiding officer before they can be-
come fully qualified to perform any Off
cial act. At the present time, therefore,
the legal membership of the senate is
limited to So, and its first act will Of
necessity be the immediate induction OF
the 80 senators elect, or as many Of them
as present themselves. Of these senators
elect IS are men who were not members
Of the preceding senate. Politically they
stand 10 Republicans, including Du Pont
Of Delaware; Democrats and Popu-
lists.
Under tho rules business must be con-
sidered and reported by committee ~
the body before it can be acted upon by
the senate. Notwithstanding the fact
that II of the senators elect were men,
bers of the preceding senate, their for
mer official relations with that body are
as completely cut off as though they had
never existed. According to custom,
they have been considered as continuing
members, have been carried on the list
of committees, accorded all the privi-
leges and awarded all the "courtesies
that attach to full hedged senator.
Yet the ex of1icio senators among the
senators elect must enter by the same
door and go through the same forms to
secure admission and rehabilitation as
their newly chosen associates and will
stand before the bar Of the senate upon
the same footing as the latter.
As the II ex ofhcio senators can have
no official connection with the senate
prior to formal induction, it follows
chat they now have no legal connection
with it's committees. AS the senate now
stands many of the committees are
merely skeletons, some of them not hay
ing sufficient membership to constitute
q quorum. The vacancies can be filed
only after the newly elected members
are duly admitted to the senate. No one
would even suggest that legislative bust
ness should be proceeded with until the
committees are reorganized. True it is
that prior to the reorganization, business
has been transacted by the senate, but
this has been done by unanimous con-
sent and has never involved any con-
tested questions.
It therefore follows that at the very
outset the senate will be confronted
with the question of organization, and
that the two great parties will have to
determine upon the construction Of the
committees before legislation can be
proceeded with. The construction Of the
committees is not a merely perfunctory
act, limited to the assignment Of the
new senators. That work is of the high
est personal importance to all the sena-
tors and. is Of great concern to the peo-
pie, for the reason that the character of
legislation is determined by these sub
ordinate bodies.
In the preceding congress the more
i'm portant of the senate committees were
dominated by the Democrats and for
the simple reason that their party was
in majority. The numerical strength Of
that party in the approaching congress
will be less than that Of the Republic
ans, and the latter do not number ma
jority Of the senate. There has been
considerable talk about permitting the
present reorganization" to continue, but
that is impracticable except so far as
the organization affects the officers Of
the senate.
The organization Of the committees
10 vastly more important than the selec-
ton of officers, and, being essential to
legislation, cannot be long postponed.
Reorganization being imperative and
the Republican being the dominant par
ty, although lacking three Of a MAORI
ty, the Republicans will be impelled to
meet this question and to insist that
they shall be recognized as the domi-
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