The age-herald., 1898-11-03
could do but harm in the campaign
Bailey Working Hard

Bailey Working Hard
 This is the sentiment expressed by number of leading democrats here. While the party could not countenance an ex- precision officially, the action of the com mittee would lead one to believe that it had silently indorsed 1t. MT. Bailey, of course, is working with might and main to secure the next house. Should the next house be democratic his chances for election to the speakership are better than they will be two years later. With two years more to organize the opposition to Bailey would be much stronger. Mr. Bailey has of late shown disposition to run over members who do not agree with him and is con- stantly adding to his list of enemies. In spite of the fact that a large number of democratic members oppose binding the action of the minority by caucus MT. Bailey continues to call caucusses and press upon the party the necessity of ty- ing the hands of every democrat in the house. He wishes to pass the resolution through the caucus to the effect that any democrat who does not abide by the caucus action shall be considered bolter from the principles of democracy. Could he get this resolution adopted he could then com init the house to his anti-expansion theory. and to all other questions which not T. cratic caucus adjourned at the end of the last session to meet again at the beginning of the coming one. The whole matter will have to be fought over. It forces num- Der of democrats into most ridiculous position. Representative J. Hamilton Lewis was the first member to cross swords with Bailey on this proposition.
 Must Follow Lewis
 Every democrat who holds the same opinion as Lewis, therefore. is forced into the attitude of following the fusionist from Washington state, and as he is re- garded as a populist. the fact that demo- crat follows him or rather agrees with him is regarded as a reproach. Bailey himself tries to force those who do not agree with him into the attitude of being a follower of MT. Lewis. These democrats who are forced into this position resent the impu- tation and treasure it against the Texan
 If the republicans gain the next house il will be by so small a majority that the days of the congress elected with President Harrison will be duplicated as far as the house is concerned. It will be remembered that the house then was republican by such a narrow majority that the republi- cans had to unseat democrats almost by the wholesale in order to secure a work ing majority. The election was so close that for several days. almost a week neither party felt certain as to who had captured the lower branch of congress. It was with difficulty that MT. Reed could organize the house, and then began the picturesque performance wh' oh added to the heighth, breadth and general status of the present speaker When once orga nized so Thorough was the organization that the republicans passed the Mckinley bill the Sherman silver act and the celebrated de- pendent pension law.
 House vii be C'ose
 i From the present outlook, adding the re- publican and democratic calcIla tions to- gfther, and then dividing fben. the next house will be as closely drawn in rarty lines as the Fifty-frst. The last four congresses have been, one-sided. Judge Crisp had good working majority in the Fifty-second and third, and MT. Reed has enough republicans and to spare in the last two. So if the next house is anything like evenly divided, one may expect to see the dramatic scenes of the Fifty-first congress repeated. The republican campaign committee do not think they will have majority less than twenfy-seven.s Whether the democratic leaders want,to remain in the majority or