The times., 1897-04-09
Republicans Threaten to Revolt
Against a Pet Tradition.
THE SUGGESTION Is NOVEL
1t Is Claimed by Some That the
Senate Is Not, as Has Been Held
for Years. al Continuous Body, Bat
EXPIRES with Each Congress.
Would Disorganize Committees.

against one OF the pet traditions of the
Senate. 1t is of a character to shock
such stiCklers for Senatorial tradition as
Mr.. Hoar OF Massachusetts. and is nothing
less than a contention that the Senate is
not a continuous body, but expires with
each Congress, exactly like the House OF
Representatives. This argument allowed,
it OF course follows that the Senate has
now no real committees, and that those
acting now are doing so without a consbi-
tutional warrant
1t is d novel and somewhat startling
suggestion, and if the argument OF these
Senators should be recognized and fol-
lowed, the Importance or The Senate would
be considerably diminished. In a recent
article in one of the great metropolitan
magazines, Senator Hoar set forth that one
OF the great claims which the Senate had
to individuality and superiority over the
popular Lranch OF Congress was the fact
that il is a never-dying body. Common
opinion agrees with this view.
People generally believe thai the Senate
is the one branch of the Government which
ever exists, and knows noteYen moments
said that when one senate passed the
gavel on to the next, between the retire
ment of the old President and the incou,-
ing OF the new one, the Senate was the
sole repository Of all Federal authority.
The new argument, made within the last
few days, by some of the leading consti-
tutional authorities Of the Senate, directly
conflicts with this These gentlemen hold
Tr...s.
have precisely the same authority and are
subject to the same limitation as the
Houses of Representatives. 1t is as
serted that the same constitutional prCyiS-
ion covers both bodies, and that it is quite
as essential for the new Senate TO begin
its work and organization de noyo, as it
is for the Houses Of Representa- lives
How seriously this matter viii be pre-
sented TO the new Senate remains To be
seen, but il i 5 manifest that IT has some
followers, notably among unplaced new
Senators. Two or three ofthe experienced
Senators shewa disposition to accept the
same view, &C least TO a degree Among
these may be mentioned a Western Senator,
one OF the best parliamentary authorities
IN either house He has reached no de-
termination as to his own course on the
subject, but I is known tha { his investigd-
ton of the Constitution and of preCedents
has led him toward the belief that the
theory OF continuous existence Of the Sen
ate does not necessarily imply that zach
succeeding Senate should not organize in
dependent OF its predecessor He is said
to regard the whole practice OF continuing
committees as one OF relatively recent
growth, and that until a few years ago
it was the practice of each Senate to re-
establish its committees at the Beginning
OF every Congress.
If tins should be determined upon, and
some of the advocates of the policy insist
that action along this line viii be urged,
its principal result VIII be TO greatly in
crease the difficulties attending the work
of the steering committees of the several
parties But, at the same time, it viii
serve to solve the riddle now presented
to the Republicans by their Democratic
and Populist colleagues The latter eX-
press entire willingness to see the COM
nIittees reorganiZed in SO far as the filling
OF vacancies is concerned, but they insist
that every existing vacancy shall be filled
by q Senator Of the same faith as the one
whose retirement creates the vacancy. The
newer theory makes all committee places
vacant, and il adopted would leave which
ever party finally procures a majority in
the Senate in position to give the commit
tees a shake-up from Alpha to Omega.
Some Of the Republican Senators criticise
sharply what they call the unfairness Of
the Democratic steering committee. This
committee has practically made a PROPOSE
ton 20 the other committees, that, as the
Democrats and PopulistS are ready to take
care of the gold Democratic members, they
expect the Republicans TO be equally liberal
with the silver Republican members To
this the Republican managers reply that
there was little, if anything, in common
between the silver Republicans and the
gold Democrats. They say the former de-
Itberately deserted the Republican party
and went over to Bryan, while the latter
only went half way, and while they un-
doubtedly undertook to aid President Nc
Kinley indirectly, their efforts resulted in
the establishment of "A second Democratic
party, whichis expected b. all to ultimately
return its allegiance.
senator Germans argument that we
ought to take care of our silver men if the
Democrats look after their gold men, is
very clever, but altogether too speci lus,"
said a prominent Republican Senator yes
terday In the first place it is Tot a fair
trade, for there are six silver Republi-
cans to three gold Democrats. Thenin the
second place, the gold Democrats are al
ready cooperating with their silver col
leagues, while the breach between the
two wings of the Republican pa rty is as
wide and va wning as ever
1t is said that the Republicans are con-
siderably embarrassed in their efforts to
proceed to the reorganization Of Senate
committees by an implied pledge made to
Senator Kyle during his canvass for re-
election in South Dakota. 1t is claimed
that Mr. KYLE was induced to cooperate
with the Republicans and that Bepubii-
cans in the Legislature were induced TO
vote for him by the promise that if Sena-
tor Kyle was reelected he should lave
pettigrews place as chairman Of the Com
rnittee on Indian Affairs, and also go on
the Committee on Appropriations an place
of Pettigrew. Up 10 a late hour last
night no visible progress had been made
toward CO rrying this pre- tty and picturesque
deal into effect, and the two Populists
who are disposed to affiliate with the
Republicans in this enterprise, are GORE
spondingly disappointed. Some doubt is
now expressed as to whether Mr. Kyle will
vote with tie Republicans at all, certainly
not, It seems, unless the implied pledges
made him in advance are fully carried out.
Veterans Ask for Favor.
Several of the old veterans who were
dropned from the rolls OF the office of
war records of the War Department by !