The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-10
SPLIT UP OF THE SENATORS.
THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS FAILS TO
REACH AN AGREEMENT.

REACH AN AGREEMENT.
The Republican PhaIanx of ~ Votes
Expected to Remain Solid Through
Thick and Thin-Thc Gold Demo-
Gratis. silver Democrats, silver He
pubIicans and Populists Apt to
Be Hard to SOIidity For the
Purpose of Gaining Control of the
senate-OnIy One GoIdbug Present
at the Caucus.
Washington, March 9.-For little more
than two hours this afternoon the demo-
Gratis of the Senate endeavored to reach
some conclusion upon the question of the
organization. Like the republican con-
ference of Saturday it was frultless in re-
suits. Two factions are arrayed against
each other. On the one hand the repub-
leans present a solid phalanx of forty
two votes that will stand by each other
through thick and thin. On the other
there are the divided ranks of gold stand
ard democrats, silver democrats, boiling
silver republicans and populists. The prob
lem before those seeking to take the con-
troll of the Senate from the republicans
is how can these various factions be solid
flied and made one in interest. No sat
isfactory answer to this question has yet
been proposed, and the more the discussion
proceeds the less appears to be the chanc-
es of definite action by reason of the abil-
ity of these contending factions to cohere
into one determined party of opposition.
Caucuses and conferences have been nu-
merous since the new Senate convened.
The populists, while holding no formal
caucus, have agreed among themselves
that they will support any plan that may
be Endorsed by the democrats. so, too,
the silver republicans-those who bolted
the st. Louis platform-have agreed TO
stand by whatever policy may be lnau-
gurated by the stronger of the bodies in
opposition to the element now in control
of the Senate committees.
When the democratic caucus was called
for to-day there was no distinction made
between the men who Endorsed the Chi
cago ticket and those who stood upon the
indianapolis platform. Notices of the
caucus were sent to every democrat. OF
the gold men only Mr.. Lindsay of Ken
lucky attended. Messrs. Gray of Delaware
and Caffery of Louisiana were absent. The
absence of Mr.. Gray is not looked upon
as significant, for the reason that when
ever Ill6 SENATE dOJOuIilS over L6 always
runs UP to his home for the few days at
his disposal. Mr.. Caffery, the second alb
sentee, was the permanent chairman of
the Indianapolis convention, and his alb
sence may have some political signih-
canoe.
The situation was discussed in a rather
informal manner, and the only result
reached was the appointment of the old
steering committee, with Senators Faux
ner of West Virginia and Smith of New
Jersey substituted for Senators Brice and
Blackburn, whose terms expired last
Thursday.
The effort to take the committees from
the republicans is antagonized by some
leading democrats for various reasons.
Mr. German thinks the scheme to consol-
idate all the factions in the Senate by a
combination with the silver republicans
and the populists would be dangerous, and
would result in the establishment of a pre-
cedent that might prove embarrassing in
the future.
MIR. Jones of Arkansas, chairman of the
national committee, is understood to be
opposed to it because the democrats have
not sufficient votes with those of their al
lies to do what is proposed to be done.
This conclusion is based upon the assump-
ton that Senators Lindsay of Kentucky,
Gray of Delaware and Gallery of Louisi-
ana, each of whom supported the Indian
apolis ticket, are not democrats.
Mr.. Jones is supported by several Of the
more radical silver men, who thus hope
to emphasize their disapproval of the
course of these senators. These same
men also appreciate the fact that if they
had possession of the committees they
would be handicapped by the republican
House, and the republican President, and
would be unable to consummate any of
their own plans of legislation.
The result of the two hours talk, there
fore, was concentrated in the appointment
of the committee mentioned, and this COM
mittee will confer with the other factions
and possibly with the republican steering
committee announced to-day by Chairman
Allison.
The republicans do not expect any Sc
rious result from all the talk of setting
aside the present organization of the COM
mttees. They have SO far failed to see
just how the contending elements in the
Senate will be able to agree upon a plan
of action. At the same time the repub-
licans realize their impotence, not having
more than forty-two votes, and with little
hope Of having the two senator's appointed
from Kentucky and Oregon seated. The
belief on the part of the leading repub-
lican. senators Is that the silver democrats
cannot count upon the votes of the gold
democrats in any plan that contemp.ates
the Organization of the committees by the
silver vote of the Senate. They also be-
lieve that the vacancies in the various
committees will be filed by agreement be-
tween the republicans and the democrats,
and until such agreement is reached IL is
very certain the vacancies Will not be filed.
1t cannot be verified. but It is stated to-
night, with much positiveness that Sena-
tor Teller of Colorado was at the caucus.
The scheme for a reorganization of the
Senate on silver lines contemplates the
election OF ex-senator Dubois of Idaho as
Secretary OF the Senate in place OF Mr..
Cox Of North Carolina, and the retention
of Col. Richard Bright of indianapolis as
sergeant-at-arms. A note was sent to-
night to each republican senator urging
him to be in his seat tomorrow at noon.