Evening star., 1896-03-03
Mr.. DU POINTS CASE
1t Will Be Called Before the Sem
ate Tomorrow.
MISSIONARY WORK DONE
Uncertain if There Will Be Votes
Enough to Seat Him.
W II A T Me THIN

Just before the adjournment OF the Sens
chairman Of the committee on PRIVILEGES
and elections announced that tomorrow
| Immediately after the conclusion of the
morning business. he would move 10 proceed
| TO the consideration of the resolution rela-
| tive TO the claim of Mr. Henry A. Du Pont
| to a seat i'm the Senate from the state of
Delaware.
This announcement is taken by some TO
| mean that the republican steering commit
| tee, in charge of such matters. has been
| quietly canvassing the Senate since the re-
ports were made on the case, in the hope OF
securing pledges of support from a ma
| jority of the Senate. Nc move was publicly
| made, however. until Friday afternoon, and
it is now presumed that the desired strength
has been secured sufficient to seat Mr. Du
| Pont.
Would Make n Majority.
The Senate now consists of eighty-nins
members. of which majority is fort iy-five.
The republicans without Mr.. Du Poni have
| forty-four votes, the democrats thirty-Hin.,
and the populists six. One vote, therefore,
has been needed to pass the committee reso-
lutions i'm favor of Du Pont, and this vots
must come from the populists rather ihaa
| from the democrats Senators PETER Jones
of Nevada and Butler have been regarded
as the more likely material for su-h mis-
sionary work, and the strongest pressure,
has been brought 10 bear upon them duiia;,
the past few weeks. But all three arr. th..
most radical of silver men, and il is .e-
| garded as doubtful if any one of them could
be Persuaded to lend his aid to the project
to seat Mr.. Du Pont, and thus add one more
opponent 10 the free coinage of silver 10 the
Senate
The Condition fn the Senate
| tested by another aspirant for a place in
the Senate of the Same financial though
opposing political faith-as would probably
be the case In Delaware-the aspect would
be different, for then the populists would
have to choose between the two. and. there
being nothing 10 gain TO lose from a sill
Yer point of view. they would be quite as
likely to support Mr.. Du Pont as his an
tagoniSt
Bat Mr. Du Pont stands alone If he is
seated, the Senate Will have full mc:rl-
bership. but if Ne is not admitted the va
cancy cannot he filled, at least. until The
next session Mere the Senate very close
on the silver question. were that q,l,s-
uon OF vital consequence just now the ac-
cession of a single vote would be OF con-
siderable consequence to the parties and
The reasons to he urged by the populis,s
against admitting Du Pont would be strong
ana wand. But the silver men now have an
ample majority in the upper house aliJ
even with the addition of Mr. Du Points
vote TO the opposition they woud be able
10 carry any proposition in favor of the
White metal The likelihood of there being,
a further test of strength along this line
this session, too. is now thought to be very
remote. so that the accession of the man
from Delaware. would not be of material
moment 10 be sure at the second session
OF tn" present Congress there might ~
occasion for further show of hands on
the SILVER question. but the present MAJ
Jor1ty is not subject 10 material det.riol,-
iS i'm Ia.
Whatever else may happen, there will la
no alteration of the views of the great ma.
lorit| in the House now antagonisiic %
free coinage or of the position of Mr.
Cleveland.
Hence the arguments made by the pro-
silver democrats TO the populists against
tne Du Pont claim are not received as
warmly by the third party men as might
pe the case. and i, is thought to he pos
slDie that on The fnal question as To Mr.
Du Fonts eligibility TO sit as Senator the
popuhsts may abstain from voting lhus
giving the republicans a majority OF tha
ballots cast
"h"t Some beinwnrenns Say.
This premises that the republicans are ,
unit in the matter. 1t is by no means ccr.
tam, however, that such is the case Ii il
understood that since the presentation Of
the majority report Mr.. Pritchard has sad
tnat ne signed the findings as a member OF
the committee with the greatest reluctance
and only because he wanted to get the cas-,
before the Senate. There has been a good
zeal OF lobbying done among the repuili-
cans. III is stated, 10y prominent De,a-
wafeans OF that faith, who have urged
tfat no action bc taken now for the sake
OF the party i'm the state, at least unit! after
the next election. They contend, it is said
that to seat Mr.. Du Pont now would lac 10
reopen the wounds that have been slowly
healing since the great fight in the lesjs-
lature that resulted in the choice of he
powder manufacturer by narrow and
questionable majority at the last moment
The factonal bitterness between the fri.n IL
of Addicks and Higgins, they declare ia
now lulled. and there is a fair prospect of
carrying the state for the republicans next
in the balance. for Mr.. Gray's term does
not expire until March. 1899 and the iepis-
lature that chooses his successor Will not
be elected until the fall of 1888 Thus with
Du Points claim unsettled, with the demo-
Gratis and populsts being heralded as
blocking his being seated, the republicans
of the state, it is urged, will be well dis
posed to work in harmony at the polls and
il is further pointed out that Delawar.'s
three electoral votes may be of great va lue
to the republican party in the presidential
contest.
Next Wednesday il will doubtless appear
with more or less clearness whether or ,tot
the steering committee have secured and
desire a majority in favor of making MIR.
Du Pont Senator