Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-20
Detection of Silver Republicans AZ
fects the Senate.
IT MAY MEAN 4 REORGANIZATION
important Committees of Which
Boilers Are Members.
E + f E G T I N 1 8 8 3.

thursdays Developments IN 81. Louis,
eliminating in the bolt of the silver men
from the republican convention, mean that
four seats held by republicans at the last
session of the United States Senate will be
lost to that party. The bolt may eventually
mean the loss of the Senate TO the repub
Ecans, who for the past few months have
had partial control of the upper house. with
almost a certainty that in the Fifty-ffth
Congress they would have an absolute ma
jority and complete control.
The bolt yesterday took out Of the re-
publican party Senators Teller, Cannon.
Dubois and Pettigrew, thus reducing the
republican strength in the Senate from
forty-four to forty. Owing to the Della
ware vacancy, the Senate last winter con-
sisted of but eighty-nine members, making
forty-five majority and leaving the repub-
licans one short of the desired control This
was shown on the vote to seat Mr.. Du Pont,
when the republicans were beaten by one
vote, the popul!sts having combined with
the democrats to prevent action. The DEM
ocrats had thirty-nine votes and the popu-
lists six. 1t is immaterial, so far as pres
ent conditions are concerned, just where
the four boiling republicans will land on
their return to Washington next winter.
The fact remains that they will be lost to
the republican party, and unless there is
coalition between them ana the democrats
their old associates will have but bare
plurality of iii the Senate. while the
combined independent forces will amount
to ten votes.
Elections Will BE Over.
1t is to be taken into consideration, how
ever, that before the convening of Congress
the presidential election will have been de-
cided and in the of two Of the bolting
republicans legislatures will have been
chosen to elect their successors-Dubois ard
Teller. The developments of the November
elections may have some influence upon
the future political complexion of the Ser
ate, but it does not seem likely that
the silver men, whether ex-republicans or
populists, viii hold aloof from the demo-
Gratis, especially if the latter declare for
free silver at Chicago ana If joint ticket
l6-to-1 platform should be nominated
1t IS more than likely that in all political
matters, and perhaps in the case of the
ganization of the Senate, the silver men
will cooperate with The democratic cat
Gus to decide upon the course of action ard
to sustain whatever program may be thus
outlined Therefore ii IS reasonable to OK
pect that early i'll the session an attempt
may be made to bring about a reorganiza-
ton of the committees for the sessions
work, especially as the bolt leaves the re-
publicans in the minority in such important
committees as appropriations, of which
both Teller and Pet.i;,rew are members
claims of which Teller is chairman ana
Allen is a member; Indian affairs, of which
Pettigrew is chairman; judiciary, of which
Teller is a member; naval affairs, of which
Dubois is member; pensions, Of which
Cannon and PETER are members; public
lands, of which DUBOIS is chairman ard
Pettigrew Is a member, and rules OF which
Teller Is a member. lnasmuch as the Sen
ate committees are nearly ali organized on
a basis of a majority of one for the dom
inant party. these changes will have al
important influence in the affairs of he
upper branch Of Congress next winter.
The District May lie Affected.
OF course, 1t is a question whether sUch
a reorganization will include all of the
committees of the Senate, in which case, of
course, the people of the District would
come in for their share Of the effect Of the
st. Louis holt. The silver men are already
in control of the committee on finance so
that change there would be of ma
tcrial significance, although Mr. Morrill,
might be deprived of the Craftsmanship.
The silver majority in the Senate Of about
twelve or fourteen is of course not affected
by these changes. irasmuch as the boilers
have consistently throughout the past win
ter voted with the white metal party, as
it has really become, in the Senate, ana
the only difference next winter will be in
the less material question of their designa-
ton and pc rty affiliation.
A far more important effect of the bolt,
however, comes in connection with the
prospects Of republican control of the Sen
ate in the Fifty-fifth Congress, which has
up to the last few days been practically
assured. Had the party been kept intact
in the Senate, the gain of the two seats al
ready made in Ohio and Maryland would
have given a bare majority, and there was
made to bring the total republican vote in
the Senate up to about fifty or perhaps
fifty-two. The situation in view of the
bolt is best expressed perhaps by the
companying table, in which the bolting
publicans are classed under the head of
silverites, designated by the letter S, to-
gether with the six populists now in the
Senate, thus forming an Independent class.
separate from the two great parties. In
this table the republicans are of course in
dicated by the letter r ard the democrats
by the letter d. The words 1901 class"
1880 class and 1897 class indicate the
group of Senators whose terms expire in
those years. The table follows:
Senatorial Clnsscv.