Evening star., 1896-12-29
DUBOIS eELEcTIo N
The idaho senatorship Has Assumed Ma
tioual Importance.
Republicans VIII Seek to Defeat Him
Democratic Committee
In the Fight.

The contest over the election of a Senator
in Idaho has assumed very interesting
aspect. The democratic national committee
has determined to take a direct hand in the
fight and to use the party authority to in
duce the democrats of the Idaho legislature
to support Dubois. The national party
managers have taken an active interest in
the fight from the start and have been try
ing to make the democrats of the Idaho
legislature understand that the return Of
Dubois is matter of vital Importance to
the national democratic. party, and now a
more direct means Of impressing this upon
them has been adopted.
Democratic National Secretary.
Dubois left Washington last night for
Boise, Idaho. En- route he is to be joined
by Mr.. Walsh, the secretary of the demo-
cratic national committee, who has been
directed by Chairman jones to go to Idaho
and inform the democrats Of the legislature
cation OF the democracy that Dubois should
be reelected Mr.. Walsh is to remain in
1daho as representa- tive of the national
committee, with full authority, until the
Lawrence Gardner of this city was sent to
Idaho on a similar mission by Chairman
Jcnes. but he was cailed home by the sud-
den illness of his mother before he had
lrfgton three days ago. IT was then deter
mined that Secretary Walsh should go out
to represent the committee, and Chairman
Jones telegraphed him to meet Senator Du-
Idaho. T94s
Composition Of the Leeislature.
There are twenty mine silver republicans,
or Dubois men, in the legislature, eighteen
democrats and twenty-three populists.
Thirty-six is the number necessary to elect.
Ihere Is q local cotnbination between DEM
ocrats and populists 10 idefeat Dubois. and
all the republican Influence Is being ex-
erted In behalf of f,fhissson43it,ation since, ~
aims to make an exa4npIe of Dubois and
weaken the alliance betMeen the democrats
and silver republicans. The Republicans
are greatly interested. moreover, in secur-
Ing the election OF a man WHO will vote
with them on the tariff The contest has
now become duel between the two ma
uonal committees, and assumed an aspeet
OF great national importance from a. polit-
tcal point Of view.
A Permanent Alliance.
This action of the democratic national
committee discloses the permanent charac-
ter Of the alliance between the democrats
and those silver senators who bolted from
the republican party. The direct interfer-
ence of the national committee in Dubois
interest is upon the assumption that the
obligations of an alliance by the national
party Is of paramount Importance, and that
the democrats Of the Idaho legislature
should recognize this if they desire to stand
well with the national party To all in
tents and purposes the national democratic
committee recognize the silver republican
senators as belonging TO q common political
organization with the democrats and pro-
Eounce 1t as an article-of faith to be OBJ
served by democrats that these allies shall
be treated as democrats. Plainly the demo-
Gratis OF the Idaho legislature are to be
made to understand that for them to throw
tfeir votes to defeat Dubois will be regard
ed just the same as IL they had defeated a
democrat. The question settled in the case
fixes the relations between the democrats
and the boiting republican senator's, and
means that the democratic national party
is going to stand by each Of these men as
their respective contests arise.
Affects the Senate.
1t is regarded as matter of extreme i'm
portance, as affecting the control of the
next Senate, and as shaping the lines for
the next congressional Ind following presi-
Dental election.
Dubois has plurality of the legislature,
and the question is whether the democrats,
who are the smallest minority, will throw
their votes to a populist or to Dubois. All
the national democratic leaders are in
tensely interested In Dubois reelection,
and many vigorous letters have been writ
ten to the democrats IN Idaho.