The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-27

operate with the Powers. This is good
idea. The Turkish soldier is well-disei-
plined, brave, and able TO subsist on very
little. He has as small fear of death as the
Chinese themselves, ana is of tough
why, and strong physique. lie would make
a valuable aid in the advance on Pekin-
But the point which is particularly strik-
ing in this bit of news is the relief and
comfort of the Sultan at finding that he
not the only indispensable" in the congIess
Of nations; that in fact, there are persons
even more unspeakable than he. Although
ne is innocent CT the fact, tse.e is a itch
vein OF humor in his view.
Presidential Election by thc House.
The curious announcement is made in a
telegram from Indianapolis that Gold
Democrats and anti-imperialist Republic
cans. a few of whom have recently resorte1
to that city. assert that these two
elements could effect an organization
which might throw the election of-e-Presi-
dent into the House where the new party
might also hold the balance of power and
dictate the election
Were such an announcement to emanate
from any other source than Indianapolis,
the birthplace of the monetary conference
and of the so-called Gold Democrats. it
might occasion some surprise, but coming
as it does from city where the wise
financiers OF National Democracy have
so frequently issued their pronuncia-
mentos We accept these otherwise start
ling ebullitions quite as a matter of course.
We waive the suggestion that these
combined boilers might throw the cleo
ton of President into the House of Rep
rcsentatives, though in order to do so the
third party would be compelled to carry
at least one State. But the question that
strikes us is: What would they do with it
after they got it into the House? How
can human imagination conceive of this
third party holding the balance Of power
in the House and thus debating the cleo
ton? Do these wise men of the middle
West not know that the House which
counts the electoral vote for President is
already elected. and that it contains a
Republican majority of at least twenty?
The vote will be counted on the second
Wednesday in February next. So the new
party will have about six months to con-
vert this ordinarily safe majority into a
minority We have not yet heard of any
Republican member of the present House
who is opposing his party. But that is not
the only obstacle. Supposing this new
party should be able to convert ten or fif-
teen Republican members and all the OPP
position party to their faith, and then have
the election thrown into the House, they
would still be hopeless of success; for the
Constitution provides in such event that
Tin choosing the President the votes shall
be taken by States. the representation
from each State having one vote" Now
since the majority Of States now controlled
in Congress by the Republicans is even
greater in proportion than the majority
in numerical membership. the task OF
the new party would be several fold
greater. and change Of thirty or forty
might be required to accomplish the de-
sired result. For example, If they needed
the vote of Iowa they would require six
OF the eleven Republican members in order
to secure the one vote to which that State
would be entitled.
No, our indianapolis friends will have tc
find some more feasible plan of defeating
Mckinley than by throwing the contest
into the House. BY the way. the most
convenient and only way to defeat McKin-
ley is to elect Bryan.