The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-22
Next Novemberss Congregational Eiec
tfGU.

It is a notable sign of the times that
the Philadelphia Press" staunch Repub-
lican organ though it is, is beginning to
worry over the complexion of the next
Congress. That it sees trouble ahead
may be fairly inferred from the very re-
markable statements made in a recent
editorial on the elections of this fall.
After saying that it is as important for
the Republican party to regain control of
the Senate as to retain a majority in the
House, the "Press'' frankly says, There
will probably be a little less difficulty in
accomplishing the former thar the lat
ter" In other words, it is not going to
be easy for the party to carry the Con-
gressional elections, though there is a
fair to middling chance of electing sew
erai additional Republican Senators where
Silverites or discredited Democrats now
hold the seats.
Strange as it may seem, we are almost
on the eve of another Congressional cam
paign. The smoke of the last battle has
hardly cleared away, and yet the lines
are forming for the new struggle. The
Republicans, discouraged by the bad
faith and laundering which have been
the fruits of their victory, are looking
forward to the fray with serious misgiv-
ings as to the result. The Democracy
feels that the wounds of 1896 are not COM
pletely healed, but finds hope in the
greater weakness of the dominant party,
which is day by day showing its vicious
ness and ineficiency more and more
plainly.
1t is practically only nine months to
the election in November, when the en-
tire country win be called upon to elect
357 members to the Fifty-sixth Congress,
which nominally begins its reign on March
a, 1899. but which will not assembly in
regular session until December of that
year. The Press" sizes up the COM
plexion of the present Congress thus
Republicans, 2O4; Democrats, 12s; Popu-
lists, 27, and Silverites, 3; total, 357. A
majority of the House is 17s, and the Re
publicans can retain that number and
lose Is seats. But If they lose 26 they
will be reduced to a minority" 1t is
no wonder that with so small a major
ity the party organs are beginning to be
panicky.
According to present appearances, the
downfall of the party of extravaganza
~clusion. The revival of Democracy in
New York inevitably means the capture
of several seats now held by Republicans.
in this State. the election of a Democrat
in place of Mr.. McEwan in this district
may be regarded as certain, and it is
by no means impossible that two or three
more districts may be carried by means
of good nominations. The Press itself
comedies that twenty-five of the present
Republican Congressman are from South
ern constituencies, and though it pre-
tends to think that some of them WIN
be reelected, it plainly has no hope that
such will be the case.
There are many other States-Indiana,
Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, for instance-in
which Democrats are likely to be chosen
this year in place of Republicans, and
unless the cotton mill strike is speedily
adjusted, it is beyond dispute that there
will be astonishing Democratic gains in
the New England States.
Thirty Senators go out of office on
March 4, 1899, but the successors to two,
Hanna of Ohio and Daniel of Virginia,
lave already been chosen, and the Mary
land Legislature is struggling with the
problem of replacing Senator Arthur
Pugh German. Therefore. there will be
only twenty-seven Legislatures chosen
this year which will elect United States
Senators for the next Congress.
The Senate as it now stands consists of
40 Republicans, 81 Democrats, 9 Silverites
and 6 Populists. A clear majority of a
full Senate is 46, and to obtain this the
Republicans must gain at least three Sen
ators.
OF the thirty United States Senators
whose terms expire March A, 1899, eleven
are Republicans, fifteen are Democrats,
three are silverites and one is a Popu-
list. The names of these Senators and
the States from which they come are as
follows
Republicans-Aldrich. Rhode Island:
Burrows, Michigan Clark, Wyoming;
Ohio; Hawley. Connecticut; Lodge, Mas
sachusetts; Proctor. Vermont: Quay,
Pennsylvania, and Wilson of Washing
ton.
Democrats-Bate. TENNESSEE; Cockrell.
Missouri; Daniel. Virginia; Faulkner.
West Virginia; Money. Mississippi; Cor
man, Maryland; Gray, Delaware; Mills,
Texas; Mitchell. Wisconsin,; Murphy New
York; Pasco, Florida; Roach. North Da-
kota; Smith. New Jersey, Turpie, Indi
ana, and White, California.
Sllverites-Cannon, Utah; Mantle, Mon
tana. and Stewart. Nevada
Populist-Allen, Nebraska.
The Press comedies hat two of the
eleven Republican vacancies are doubt
rul. wyoming and Washington. 1t would
not take much stretching to add Michi,
gan. 1t argues that II Populists-o ST.
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