The sun., 1898-11-17

Regular Republicans and want.to-wii
men have used him and his forces t.
elect Legislature. Now they arr
through with him, and before the legis
lative session is far advanced he will dis
cover that he has been miserably duped
as he was four years ago. Certain mem
bers, in whose fidelity and fealty he a,
present has implicit confidence, vii
prove as false to him as did George
Fisher Pierce, John M. c. Moore and
others in 1895. He will begin the ses
sion with the long end Of the sti k in
hand. He will end it with the short
one, for one by one his men will be
weaned away from him until he will be
fortunate, indeed, if he succeeds in hold.
ing the tiye votes necessary to prevent an
election.
The new General Assembly will con
sist of tifty-two members. OF this nun.
ber thirty-one will be Regular Republi.
cans and Union Republicans and twenty.
one Democrats. Onjoint ballot it will
require twenty-seven votes to elect and
but five to block an election.
No doubt, on the start, Addicks will
have majority of the thirty-one and be
anxious to 60 into caucus. Following a
precedent established by~him four years
ago, the minority members will refuse to
go into binding caucus, although they
will doubtless consent to become parties
to conference designed to solve the
senatorial question This will result in
nothing conclusive and the fight will be
carried to the floor of the Assembly be.
cause there are five or more Republicans,
like John Pilling, who will never vote
for Addicks. and five or more Union Re-
publicans who will never vote for any
one else Then will come a repetition OF
the voting and waiting game of four
years ago. If Addicks should give up
and get out, there will be an election. If
he stays in and keeps five OF his men
well in hand there will be no election.
No matter what he does, he will not be
elected Senator.
Already his agents are canvassing the
members-eIect carefully and systematical-
ly, and guaging the situation. His enc.
mics also have men in the field strength.
ening the legislators in the conviction
that the election of Addicks would be
suicidal to the party, and therefore not
to be thought of seriously. Men of a
practical turn of mind, who believe that
the Addicksites will use money to influ-
ence votes are going over the list OF
members-elect and passing judgement on
those who can and those who cannot be
bought to sacrifice their convictions and
vote for Addicks. Taken altogether, it
is shameful condition and one wnich
must lead to revulsion Of public senti-
ment towards the Republican party in
the election OF two years hence.
Now that affairs have taken the turn
which they have, the trial of United
States Senator Richard X. Kenny be-
comes more of political issue with
Regular Republicans and Uni,n Republi-
cans than ever before. His retrial will
commence on December 5, and both Re-
publican organizations are hoping for a
conviction, for in such an unlikely even
tuality they see solution of the troubles
which are impending over them. The
conviction OF Senator kenney would
mean the election OF two United States
Senators by this General Assembly. 1t
would afford the Regular Republicans
and Union Republicans basis of COM
promise on the mathematical rule of
short division, and by the election of one
Regular Republican and one Union Re-
publican the differences would be ad-
justed. Both ex-senator Anthony Hig-
gins and J. Edward Addicks must have
given this contingency serious thought,
although we are sure that neither would
profit by its realization the two
senators elected would be men of more
conservative mold and with less per-
sonal antagonism and factiona bitterness
existing between them.
1t is exceedingly unfortunate for SEN
ator Kenney that political conditions are
such as they are. He has been hoping
for and expecting an acquittal. To draw
a jury which is not mixed is practically
matter of impossibiity, and we are
afraid that the fight between the Regular
Republicans and the Addicksites over
the senatorship will result in another
hung jury, and leave the Senator in
practically the same position which he
now occupies. Should the new Jury dis
agree it is likely that the Government
vii! abandon the case, but such termi-
nation OF the sensational trial will not BE-
satisfactory to the Republican factions,
which hope to solve their troubles by
his conviction, and certainly not to Sem
ator kenney and his friends, who have
been expecting an acquittal. Erening
journal.