Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-14
Washington
w LETTER
BY H. n WALKER
DEMOCRATS IN BAD Elk
Star STAFF Correspondent.
Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,


Star Bureau,
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WASHINGTON, Aug. IA.
Unless the Democrats speedily find
some way of seating a new senator
from Alabama, they will be obliged
to make concessions to pass the
tariff bill. The suggested alliance
between the Democrats and Progress
siyes, spoken of recently as desirable.
may become a Democratic necessity.
As the Senate now stands, the DEM
ocrats can muster only forty-eight
votes, including that of Vice-P resi-
dent Marshall for the Underwood bill.
1t requires forty-nine votes to make
a majority of the Senate and pass
any measure.
With the two Louisiana senator's
pledged to vote against any tariff
proposing free sugar, with grave
doubt existing as to the right of the
governor of Alabama to appoint a
successor to the late Senator john
ston, who died last week, and with
Senator Culberson, of Texas, serious
ly i'll in a sanitarium and not likely
to recover before the tariff bill comes
to vote, if he RECEIVERS at ALL the
Democratic majority is for the time
being destroyed.
So serious Is the situation admitted
to be, that Democratic senators be-
came actually panicky yesterday
when is was rumored that Senator
James Hamilton Lewis, of Illinois,
was i'll with appendicitis. Jim Ham
and his pink whiskers arrived
little later than the rumor, however,
and he explained that the disquiet-
ing story about his health had grown
out of an attack of indigestion.
Lewis's stomachache, however, made
the majority party very nervous for
several hours.
Alabama Situation Muddled
If forced to a choice between
making terms with the sugar senator's
and the Progressives, it is probable
that the administration will find 1t
easier and more advisable to make
such concessions as will bring the
latter into line to vote for the bill.
The Alabama situation is by no
means clear Under the new con-
stitutional amendment providing for
the election of senators by popular
vote, it is necessary for the legisla-
lures to pass State laws furnishing
the machinery of such election. The
Alabama Legislature meets only once
in four years, and has not passed any
senatorial election law. Senator's
Overman, Kern, Simmons and other
Democratic lawyers in the Senate de-
clare that the governor has no power
to fill a vacancy by appointment.
under the new amendment, until the
Legislature has given him such
power.
The Alabama governor, urging the
cost of a special legislative session as
e., f1rr "a
appointed Henry d. Clayton, a mem
Der of the House of Representatives
to fill the senatorial vacancy. Clay
ton will ask the Senate to seat him,
but has expressed his intention of
holding onto his House seat until he
is seated in the Senate.
There is an almost general opinion
among senator's of all parties that
Claytons appointment is irregular.
and that he has no right to a Senate
seat. An effort will be made to have
him seated, and his right to the seat
tbreshed out afterwards. Such a
move will be opposed, and probably
defeated.
There are some lawyers who urge
that since the new constitutional
amendment provides that senator's
who were in office at the time of its
adoption, and the terms to which they
were elected, were not to be affected
by the changed system, the governor
of Alabama had the right to make
temporary appointment, and the
Legislature has the right to elect for
the unexpired term.
Deadlock Seems Likely.
AS it stands. however. an attempt
to seat Clayton. under his appoint
ment. Is very likely to be defeated,
and the Democrats would lay them
selves open to the charge of trying
TO illegally pack the Senate to secure
the passage of the tariff bill
Should the Alabama governor prove
obstinate, however, and the Senate
refuse to seat Clayton, a deadlock
or something very much like 1t
promises to develop, which will either
DELAY tariff legislation or force
compromise.
There are three candidates for the
vacant Alabama seat in the Senate,
or will be when an election is called
to fill it. Clayton, whose appointment
bv the governor is supposed to be an
effort to help him in the primaries
and election. has been in the House
for eighteen wears. He is pompous
and verbose old-fashoned lawyer.
reactionarv in his ideas. and out of
sympathy with the administration.
His opponents will be Thomas E.
Hefin and Richmond Pearson Hob
son. both members of the House
Heflin has been a congressman for
a number of years, but has never
been heard of except when he got
into a street car fight and shot man
a few years ago in this city. and re-
Gently when he made a sensational
speech attacking woman suffrage
Hobson gained notorietv as one If
the naval heroes at Santiago, and has
kept himself before the public more
or less bv his predictions of war
with japan. and his warnings of "the
yellow peril"
GOT TO MAKE GOOD
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