The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-21
CONGRESS S|TsUP
. AND TAKES NOTICE
Thick, Heavy Gloom
shrouds Republican
Members.
HAVENS' VICTORY
CAUSES CONCERN
Early Adjournment May Be
Taken in Order That Work of
Fixing Political Fences May
Begin as Soon as Pos
sible - Leaders
Dismayed.

Washington. April 2o.--W!th mock
seriousness. Representative Rucker, of
Missouri, a Democrat. arose to make
parliamentary inquiry soon after the
House convened to-day.
Has the House yet heard that the
Thirty-second District of New York
had an election yesterday" asked MIR.
Rucker
When the Democratic demonstration
preciptated by the suggestion that
Democrat had been elected to fill the
vacancy caused by the death of Re
publican member had ceased, Speaker
Cannon with equal gravity replied:
answering the parliamentary in
quiry, the chair observes that one side
of the House and the gentleman from
Missouri seem to be enthusiastic"
Then, raising his voice, the Speaker
added, propheticaily:
He laughs best who laughs last
II was then the turn of the Republi-
cans to laugh and applaud. The Dem
ocrats, goodnaturedly. joined in the
laughter.
Whcelhorses In Danger.
Great Scott! Why. If this thing
keeps up even John Daleil and Cen
eral Harry Bingham amt safe"
Thus calculated a Representative
from a rock-ribbed Republican district
to-day in discussing returns from the
Rochester election.
But. hold" he added. what is
rock-ribbed Republican ristrict, and
are there any now
whereat he shook his head sadly and
ambled on his way.
And there was more truth than
poetry In his reflections. as evidenced
h,- he b.,p
cans in the House to-day in private
conversation over the returns.
A more downcast bunch of politi-
clans II would be hard to find than the
lower branch of Congress.
rs this the handwriting on the
wall?" they were asking one another.
Practically all are up for renomina-
tion and reelection. The fate of Cam
didate Aldridge comes home TO them
pointedly.
Sinister significance attaches to the
crushing defeat in the Rochester dis
trict from the fact that the Republic
cans were depending upon their ma
chine organization to pull them
through. 1t failed. This, their eN-
pected STAFF of support in the coming
campaign. turned out to be but a brok
en- reed in this instance.
Failure of Machine Appnlis.
The Republican leaders are not only
surprised. but dismayed by the result
in Rochester. They confidently count,
organization in that district to over
come the detection In Republican ranks
occasioned by the moral crusade
against their candidate.
When that fails. what is there to
fall back on?" the Republicans were
asking to-day. How can the rising
tide be stemmed?"
To be sure, 1t was claimed by the
to be a local fight entire
ly The Republican congressional cam
did not send speeches or speakers into
the district. But 1t was rpt regarded |
as local fight by the DEMOCRATS who
injected national issues into the cam
paign.
No one can analyze the result sufn-
which the result was affected by the
national issues or the local moral issue
raised against Aldridge. But the bald
fact stands out that the tarlti ana tne
the Republican party was charged with
and the verdict Of the
voters. 1t Is said was in part based
upon those considerations.
early Adjournment Likely.
one result of the landslide in the
is likely to be an carly adjournmeDt
OF Congress. to allow members to get |
back into their districts and fix up
their Fences.
LET us get out of here and look
after our districts" was the franic |
cry of many Republicans at the Capitol
to-day. The prospect of being held in
Washington until the middle of June
or the first of July was appalling to
many.
Night sessions of the House will he
more frequent In the future, it Is said. |
In other ways the business will be
expedited.
All Are Elatcd.
Especial to The Times -Dispatch.l
Washington, D. c., April 20.-The
Democrats here are very much .elated