Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-08-13
VOICES OF The PRESS.
Mr.. Manley's Warning on the Senate.

The Hon. j. II. Manley. of the Repub-
lican national committee, Is particularly
| aroused on the danger of a silver Sen
ate. He said today that some people
thought that the only body TO watch was
the House. That's a mistake" he said,
for there is also possibility Of 1T once
changing the politics Of the Senate. Al
though the terms OF members expire only
once in six years, there are thirty OF
them who go out in 1891, and the posi-
bility OF changing enough Republicans
for Democrats among that number Is too
great for US to take any chances.
Il have read the extract from the Re
publican textbook, he said, 'and it is
none too strong. Certainly there is a
in the past few years we have considered
this body bulwark for sound money.
and especially after its vote on the gold
bill last March we have been taking too
much for granted
''Do you mean that there is real dan
ger of a silver Senator
Most certainly there is he replied.
Just analyze the Senate's vote and you
will see that it is very possible to change
that body to free silver ana subserviency
to Bryan. Bryan's election would then
on the question OF Imperialism but it
would be possible for Bryan. with such
a victory. to carry enough state Iegisla-
lures to secure the Senate for the free
silver party.
Perhaps a test vote of the last session
OF the Senate in respect to gold was that
recorded III March, 1900 on the gold bill
This was recognized as an admniStrat-
ton measure and it secured the votes of
members who We're considered doubtful
by the sound money men. This gold bill
was passed bv majority of eighteen
which is considered so safe by those
sound money men who advocate the cleo
ton of Bryan. But IA little study of the
votes which made up this eighteen shows
ma jority, especially when each change
to the other side reduces the total ma
jority by two votes.
Among the loyal eighteen were sena-
tors from nine states which were in the
doubtful column. The terms of all these
nine members expire in 1901. Already
Mr.. Foster has been elected in Louisiana
as a silver Democrat to succeed Senator
chosen to succeed William Lindsay in
kentucky. These two will reduce the
gold majority in the Senate from sixteen
to fourteen, provided other conditions
are equal.
There were during the last session
vacancies in four states. As the vote of
Montana had previously been. recorded
against the gold bill that state may be
reckoned in the Democratic column.
Pennsylvania will, of course. elect
gold Republican but if the new. senators
are chosen from the remaining two
states and they cast their votes, free sill
yer will gain one vote here by the cnange
which would reduce the sound money
ma jorty of the last session from II to ~.
=
electoral votes in seven of the states
whose representatives in. the Senate vot-
ed for the gold bill and whose terms ex-
pire in 1901. Should his previous success
he repeated in these states, the silver
senators chosen by their legislatures
would entirely wipe out the gold MAJOR
ity in the Senate and give the silver men
the power.
Or the case can be put in a different
way: Foster and Blackburn. silver Dem
ocrats. have been elected in Louisiana
Lindsay who voted with the Is for the
gold bill. This reduces the majority TO
H. In the four vacancies of Montana.
|-Utah, Delaware and Pennsylvania, silver
will probably gain one senator, whicn
would further reduce the majority to L..
1.-THE most severely fought contests of
this campaign likely to be located in
the sections of Wyoming, Kansas. Mon
tana, West Virginia, Idaho Nebraska.
I1ryan carried seven in 1896. The Legis-
iatures in only six of them. will be neces
sary to wipe out the remaining plurality
of IL votes for gold in the Senate.
IF the Charge is made that this reck-
onfng is extreme. and that some of the
.tates which are reckoned as likely to
return silver senators will adhere to gold
after all, there is Snil another lot Of SEN
ators whose terms expire in 1903, OF half
an should he be elected. If. by any
chance the present small majority for
gold should not be entirely wiped out in
The Senate of 1901, there are four scna-
tors whose terms expire in 1898, and may
be succeeded by men opposed to them in
financial views. who would vote against
any gold measure