The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-29
Probabilities of a Clash in the
Senate This Week.
MANY TRICKS PROPOSED
GENERAL TREATY OF ARBITRA-
TON WITH GREAT BRITAIN.
It VIII Doubtless Take Up the Ma
jor Portion CT the Week in the
Senate-There is Nothing Up in
the House of Representatives But
the Tariff-Other Matters of Mo-
ment in Congress.

Washington, March 2S.-There is a
strong probability of a clash between the
Republicans and their allied opponents in
the senate this week the question of
filling the committee vacancies. The
Democrats have attacked the validity of
the action of the committee on postoffices
and postroads in taking under considera-
ton nominations when the committee was
more than half filled, despite the fact that
resolution was passed at the close of the
last session of the Fifty-fourth congress,
continuing the senate committee and au-
thorizing it TO transact business until the
vacancies were filled. BY attacking the
legality of the committees as at present
constituted. the Democrats hope to force
the Republicans to agree to their pro-
-ramme OF permitting the total member
Sh-o OF the committees to remain as at
present constituted; the Democrats here
after TO name a Democrat for every SEN
ator of that party whose term expired on
the 4th of March last
The Republicans will hold a caucus
Tuesday afternoon for the purpose of
hearin. the report of their steering COM
m-ttee and sowing the difficult problem
that now confronts them. The demand
OF the Democrats is understood to be that
they shall have precisely the same minor
Republican minority when the Republic
ans were solid body and did not have
the present conditions of free silver dis
indignation to contend with. The Re
publicans, on the other hand, contend that
the senators who bolted the st. Louis
convention are no longer members of the
Republican party. They acknowledge
that by former action of the Republican
party some of these senators have re-
ce.ved very desirable committee assign
ments. but they insist that these posi-
tons cannot now be charged up against
the straight Republicans. The Democrats
refuse to recognize any division in the
Republican party. According to this
contention, the Republicans, if their de-
mands We're granted, although holding
chairmanShiDS, would be in the minority
on all of the important committees. This
is particularly true of the committee on
appropriations and finance. The Demo
to succeed Mr.. Voorhees, on the finance
committee and also insist upon counting
Mr.. Jones of Nevada (Sil. Rep) as a Re-
publican to help make up the Republican
membership of the same committee. The
Republicans have offered to accept Mr..
Jones as one OF their assignments II the
Democrats will agree to assign a gold
Democrat to the committee, but this has
been declined.
The situation has been quietly canvassed
and the Republicans, failing to bring the
Democrats to terms on grounds which
they consider reasonable, will probably
try new tactics this week. They contem-
plate Offering a resolution declaring the
membership of the various committees
shall consist of a certain number of SEN
ators belonging to each party, the number
to be designated in the case of each com
mtttee- This resolution, ii is believed by
Republicans. will be carried either by the
affirmative votes of the PoDuliSts or by
their refusal TO vote as they did when the
Republicans reorganized the committees
and took control. 1t is also expected that
the gold Democrats will decline to vote,
and this will give the Republicans clear
majority of the quorum of the senate and
20 ~ offered.
If this programme can be successfully
carried out, the Republicans will then feel
free To- caucus and designate their assign
mentS to the various committees, and then
to ask the Democratic committee to fill
in turn their assignments. This will bring
the matter to a square issue and force
the fighting in the senate. Representatives
having the matter in charge profess their
belief in the success of the plan.
So far as the business of the senate
proper is concerned, it looks as If the gen.
erei treaty of arbitration with Great
Britain would take up the major part of
the week An agreement has been
reached to take q vote. Wednesday after
noon on all the amendments then pend
printed and laid before thensenate the
next day when the debate will continue
under the three-minute rule If further
are offered they are all TO be
voted upon at 4 o'clock Thursday, the
day following. After that hour the offer
ing OF. amendments will not be in order.
ard the debate on the treaty will con-
t.-ue until the final vote is taken. Mr..
Davis has pressed for an agreement for
a time when this finalVote shall be taken,
but his appeals have not yet been success
full.
The house of representatives has moth
ing ahead of it but tariff. Up to Wednes-
day next at l pm. under existing rules,
the five-minute debate on the bill by sec
tons will continue Then Mr. Bailey OF
Texas and Mr.. Dingley of Maine. the
Republican
leaders will be accorded an hour each to
close the debate. and the vote on the
passage of the bill VIII be taken at p.m
on Wednesday, March 81.