The Daily Missoulian., 1910-11-08
Congressional Campaigns
Party Politics in Congress.
BY Frederic J. Haskin.

Today the voters in A OF the 4s
states of the union will choose 3S5
representatives in congress who will
with the four representatives from
Maine and the two from Vermont al
ready elected) compose the house of
representatives in the Sixty-second
fcongress OF the United States of Amer
ico Today, also, in many states
legislatures viii he selected to choose
successors to 30 senators whose terms
expire March 3. 1911.
In the campaign which ended last
night the historic republican and DEM
ocratic parties have faced each other
in a sort of guerilla warfare. AL
though the tariff question perhaps has
been the most prominent issue in the
campaign, neither party is united on
that or any other pressing political
problem. In each state, and to some
extent in each congressional district
the issues have shaped themselves
largely with respect to local condi-
tions, and with hut little regard for
the national party organization. There
are regular republicans and insurgent
republican,; there are conservative
democrats and radical democrats; there
are Cannon republicans and anti-Can-
non republicans: there are anti-Cannon
democrats and some few Cannon DEM
Gratis. There are progressive republt-
cans and progressive democrats OPP
posed to conservative democrats and
conservative republicans. 1t is an "off'
year and no matter what may be the
result when the ballots are counted
tonight. wise politicians will not he
astonished.
If the republicans elect majority OF
the representatives today they will go
into the organization of the next house
, with two distinct factions struggling
for NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. against con-
servatives. insurgents against stand
patters. If the democrats win, they
also will be face to face with the prob
lem of reconciling two apparently irre-
concilable factions within their party
ranks. In any event, whether the
victory Is with the republicans or the
democrats. for the first time in many
years there viii 'be question as to
what will happen when the clerk calls
the Sixty-second house of representa-
tives to order.
The republican party has had dis
tinct majority in both senate and house
for the last eight congresses. This is
the longest period Of time in the his
tory of the republic in which both
houses of congress have been con-
trolled by the same political party
and by the same element OF that po-
litical party. 1t is true that the dem
ocratic party had a majority in both
senate and house OF representatives
for IS consecutive congresses. from tbs
sive. But during the greater part OF
that time there was no other political
party and the division OF opinion in
the country found expression In fac
tionalism rather than in partyism. Tho
control Of the party during that period
was twice changed. So that as a mat
ter of fact in five Of those 1s con-
crosses the Jeffersonian democracy
controlled. while six were dominated
by the young republicans under the
leadership Of Clay, three were COM
|
Jacksonian democracy, and in -four
the senate and the house We're at vari-
ance.sa
Since the beginnikk',+ the Twenty.
fifth congress party Organizations In
congress always have been clearly dis.
tinct. Since that time the longest pc
riod of democratic control OF botf
houses lasted for three congresses
the Thirty-first, Thirty-second and
Thirtythird. During it's entire career
the whig party was in control of botf
houses hut for two consecutive con
crosses. the Twenty-sixth and Twen
ty-seventh. The modern republican
party gained control of both houses
of congress beginning with the Thirty
seventh congress. and 1t maintained it
dominancy for seven, consecutive bi
enniums, the record being broken
when, in 1874. the democrats captured