The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-01-15
unanimous agreement, for the Democratic

unanimous agreement, for the Democratic
managers offered no genuine opposition, and
only voted against the reorganization reso-
luton submitted by Mr.. Mitchell because
they knew in advance that their assistance
was not required to secure Its adoption,
while the six Populist Senators, Mr.. Kyle
excepted, refrained from voting in order to
insure an apparent Republican majority on
the decisive roll-call. q
II was a field day. for the people who
thronged the galleries In the hope that the
reins Of power would not be relinquished by
the Democrats without struggle. The most
interested persons In the Chamber were the
Democratic clerks and other Senate attachei,
who occupied the sofas and chairsfn the rear
OF the Senators They were hoping against
hopethat the Democrats would effect COM
bination which would prevent the carrying
ont of the reorganization scheme. !.
The debate started when MIR. Allen, OF
Nebraska, undertook to explain why the
Populfsts had agreed to let the Democrats
and Republicans fight out the question Of
reorganization. The new committee list
was submitted by Mr.. Hitchell, OF Oregon,
on behalf OF the Republicans. and 1t was
adopted by vote Of 80 to 28, Mr.. Kyle, who
now STYLES himself an "independent,n y voting
with the Democrats.
A dispatch from Washington gives the fol-
lowing review OF the situation: "The vote
taken shows clearly that the Republican
plurality in the Senate cannot reasonably
hope to convert itself into an actual ma
jor1ty at any period in the life OF the present
CONGRESS, The actual division onrhe Mitch
en- resolution was so for and % against.
counting the psirs. The full Republican
strength In the Senate wasshown to be forty
two votes. The Democratic strength, In
| cluding Mr.. Kyle, who is as often q Demo-
crat, apparently. as he is Populist, was
forty votes. Five Populist Senators, hold
ing the balance Of power, declined to 80 on
record for or against reorganization.
Foty-four votes are now ~ q ma ma
publican side Will probably be reinforced
In few weeks by two new Senators from
Utah, But the membership Of the body will
! then be increased to eighty-nine and the
quorum to forty-fye. II Mr.. Dupont Is seated
from the vacant Delaware seat, the Repubh-
can strength will rise to forty-fye; but the
necessary quorum or majority will at the
same time 20 to forty-six. The only real
working majority discernible In the Senate
isthe FREQ silver coinage combination, which
was revived Immediately after the passage
of the Silver Purchase Repeal bill OF 1892.
and has since then materially increased
its strength. To consolidate their strength
on the more important committee has
! been for some time past the chief aim OF the
free coinage leaders, and through their pre-
dominance III the Senate they have been en-
abled to turn to account the natural demand
arising this winter for committee reorgsnt-
ration by forcing q larger recognition oftheir
influence in shaping legislation x,
Six Republicans, six Democrats and one
Populist have been assigned to places on the
Finance Committee, and the general belief
Is that the views Of majority OF the COM
mittee are in favor of free coinage.