The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-02-04
DARK OUTLOOK
FOR MITCHELL
Indications Nov Are That the Sena-
tors Senatorial sun Has Set.
DAYS DoINGs AT CAPITOL
The Senate and Rump House Went In
10 Joint Convention TO Ballot. and
Then Went Out Again.


Special 10 the Astorian.
Salem. February 3-IndicatiOns TO-
night are that ]. II. Mitchell will not
be member Of the next United States
senate. The Joint assembly called today
for the purpose Of electing a United
sta.es senator was composed Of only
thirty-nine members. seven less than
majority. As there was not a maJorl-
" present the assembly took recess
tiii tomorrow noon. II ts now the hope
Of Senator Mitchell that the other seven
members can be induced 20 come in at
that time. Lanes have been 50 crOseiy
drawn. however, that 1t seems that
the hope cannot be realized. Failing
10 secure an election By means OF a
joint convention. the only alternative
for Mitchell Is to wait until the house
rs regularly organized.
The Joint convention assembled at
noon. Il was called 10 order By Sem
ator Patterson. who nominated Senator
BrownelI as chairman. Brownell was
unanimously elected. The rolls OF the
senate and house were then called. The
names: Browneil, Driver Dufur. Cow
an, johnson. Paterson. OF Marion, Price
Reed. Taylor-9
The following members Of the house
we're present: Benson. Bridges. Brown.
Chapman. Conn. Crawford. David.
Gratke. Gurdan, Hogue, Hope. Hudson.
Huntington, Jennings, Langen, Marsh.
Merrill, Mitchell. Nosler, Palm, Rigby,
Smith. Of Marion, Somers. Stanley.
Thomas, Vaughan. veness. wagner-29.
Senators Hughes and Harmon came
in later
Yesterdays proceedings in the sen
ate and Benson house were read. Sem
ator Reed asked the chair II the house
roceeding required OF the Benson house
temporary organization. The chair
would not give Reed a definite reply
and Reed put on his hat and walked
out Of the room. After waiting for
about three quarters Of an hour for for
ty-six members To come in the joint
assembly took a recess until 1880 p, m.
not having been able to secure the at
tendance of forty-six members.
There was no change in the situation
at 1880. The Mitchell men worked like
beavers all afternoon and interviewed
every available member. When the
hour for assembly arrived. it was evil
dent that many less than forty-six
were present The chairman waited for
half an hour. and then called the as
sembly TO order. The roll was called
and twenty-nine members OF the house
and ten Of the senate, exactly the
same as in the day. responded. The
Iolerk reached up to Chairman Brownell
and whispered that there We're just
thirty-nine. BrownelI made no response
and there was no announcement of the
result. After waiting for fifteen min
utes for members who never came the
convention adjourned until tomorrow
noon.
The joint convention was made of the
Benson house. with one exception, and
ten Of the twelve senators who voted
yesterday to reverse President Simon.
The first exception was Lake. of Lin
coin and Benton. Lake told Senator
Mitchell several days ago that. in his
Judgment the proposed convention
would not be regular and legal and he
would not enter il. He thought the
senator ought not to ask his supporters
to engage in proceeding not in strict
conformity with the statutes. Lake
was as good as his word Senator Daily
and Senator Haseltine were the two
others. DAILY today declined to so with
the minority of the members into as
sembly with what he termed an Illegal
house.
Senator Haseltine furnished the SEN
sation of the day He had become con.
WINGED that the organization of the con-
, vention had not been effected properly
and in succession of the usual vote
! in both houses the previous day, as re.
} quired by the statute. He thought II
his duty not to participate in it. and
50 he, too, walked out. Senator Reed
also went in and, when he found thai
he was expected to sit with the Benson
house. he passed out. There is no pros,
= pect that tomorrow will bring an i'm.
) portant change.