The Washington herald., 1912-03-27
ENEMIES NEARLY
BEAT STEPHENSON
Test Vote in Senate to Va.
cate Seat Is Lost by
80 to 27.
AGED SOLON in TEARS

The Senate, on a test vote yesterday
afternoon, lacked but three votes Of
adopting a resolution that would have un-
seated the Oldest member of that body,
Senator Isaac Stephenson, Of Wisconsin.
The test vote came on a resolution that
had been offered by Senator Jones, OF
Washington, on behalf of the minority
of the Senate Committee on Privileges
and Elections. that reported on the
Stephenson case.
The resolution received twenty-seven
votes, with twenty-nine votes against II.
At one time IL was carried by one ma
joriy, but there was Il lively skirmishing
TO bring in absentee Senators, and there
was a rivalry between the ayes and the
noes before the final announcement
came. First one side and then the 9TH
er would have a majority and there
was much doubt as to just what had
happened until the final announcement
was made by Senator Brandegee, pres
ident pro tempore.
Stephenson wecps.
The situation developed in the Senate
by this vote has filled Senator Stephen
sons friends with alarm. A hurried re-
cess was taken Immediately following
LAAt NOAS- E1tilstAbE oAtpItuSJh AAANAiho
left the Capitol with grave faces, and
the aged Senator was visibly affected
and in fears.
Some Of his supporters in the Senate
called in the pair clerks and made a
careful revision of the vote as shown by
the recall, and after making due allow
ance for pairs they decided that the Sen
ator from Wisconsin would have four
majority in favor of retaining his seat
margin, and is dependent mainly on the
attitude of absent Democratic Senators.
If Senator Stephenson retains his seat
1t will be due to the assistance of Demo-
cratic Senators who were absent without
pairs, not expecting that there would be
a vote
Among these sbsentees who were not
paired were the following Democrats,
who are said to be in favor of Senator
Stephenson: Bailey. of Texas: Martin
and Swanson. of Virginia; Paynter, OF
Kentucky; Smith, of Maryland, and
Thornton, OF Louisiana.
Two Opponents Absent.
Two Republicans were absent and not
paired who are known TO be opposed to
Senator Stephenson. These were Senator
Jones, of Washington. author Of the reso-
luton that was voted on, and Senator
La Toilette, of Wisconsin, whose political
friends and supporters in the Badger
State forced the investigation. II these
two Senators had been present, the vote
would have been a tie.
The resolution would have failed for
want of majority, as the Vice Presi-
dent was absent and Senator Brandegee,
who was in the chair as president pro
tenn, was recorded as voting
Senator Jones resolution simply de-
clared that Senator Isaac Stephenson
was not duly and legally elected a Sena-
tor from the State of Wisconsin. The
adoption of the resolution would have
amounted to a declaration by the Senate
that the seat was vacant. While the
adoption of the resolution would have
been temporarily embarrassing to Sena-
tor Stephenson, its effect would not have
been final as an adjudication OF the case
Another vote would have been neces-
sary on the adoption of the resolution
proposed by the majority of the COM
mittee, which seated Senator Stephenson,
in the form that it would have been
amended by the adoption OF the Jones
resolution as an amendment. Senators
who are friendly to Mr.. Stephenson, when
they saw the danger of a favorable vote
on the Jones resolution, had made their
plans to move a reconsideration and al
low the motion TO be pending until they
could bring in the absent Senators.
Hepburn Cause of Vote.
Senator Hepburn. of Idaho, who fire.
uuently gets on the nerves of the Senate,
was personally responsible for precipitat-
ing the vote. The Senator from Idaho
has been in charge of the Stephenson
case, and he has repeatedly tried to
force the issue, and has been unwilling