Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-11-11
Elections Reduce the Democratic
Majority over All to rs.
Nineteen Members, Mostly Republicans,
Regain Lost Seats-Only Seven
PrOgressives--COmm Ne-
arrangement necessary.

sion of the 64th Congress on December
8. Compiled politically the membership
OF the next House will consist OF 230 dem
ocrats, 1876 republicans, I progressives,
Independent and | socialist. The demo-
Gratis will have a majority over the re-
pubicans of "a, and a majority over all
of 25 1t Is q remarkable fact, says the
Washington correspondent of the New
York Post, that more than three-fourths
of the delegations in the House at the
coming session will contain new blood, no
fewer than III new members being elect
cd. In addition there will be 10 members
who did not serve In the last Congress.
but who, nevertheless. have had prior
congressional experience. Most OF them
are republicans who have served many
years in Congress.
Probably no Congress in recent years
has had as few solid" delegations. that
Is. delegations belonging exclusively to
one political party, as the coming ses-
sion. Only Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Idaho. Mississippi,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New
Hampshire. North Dakota. Oregon, South
Carolina. Texas, Vermont and Wyoming
have such delegations. OF these States,
seven belong to the so-called SOLID
South" a section where democratic SOL
darity Is a byword. Arizona, Nevada,
New Mexico and Wyoming have only one
member of Congress each, hence their
solidarity is excusable. Only six north
ern States, all Of them small ones, as
far as congressional delegations go, are
represented exclusively by the members
of one party.
CALIFORNIA DELEGATES SPLIT.
On the contrary, the worst spit-up
State politically in the House is CALI
fornia, which is represented by four
democrats, three republicans, three pro-
sressives and one Independent, William
Kent, formerly of Chicago. OF the State
delegations, the majority in "a are re-
pubicans. and twenty are controlled by
the democrats. while four States are
evenly divided or the balance of power
IS held by third party.
In the last Congress- the democrats,
as a result OF the landslide of 1872, had
two to one majority in the lower
house of Congress. The Senate had a
democratic majority of 10. In the last
elections the democrats made gains in
senatorial membership which is bound to
from that body to the House. where the
majority is small enough to make its
deliberations of exceeding interest.
IN addition to a large influx Of new
blood. number of tried veterans return
to the republican ranks in the House.
who will materially assist the small mi
nority in the last Congress in making its
political record just prior to the opening
Of the national campaign. Among the
d-tmers who will take seats in the
House on the republican side are John
Q. Tilson and Ebenezer j. Hill of Con-
necticut: William w. Wilson. George +.
Foss, Charles F. Fuller John A. Sterling,
Joseph G. Cannon, William b. McKin-
ley and William A. Rodenbers of ILL.,
nois; George A. Loud of Michigan; L.
c. Dyer of Missouri: A. c. Shallenber-
ger Of Nebraska; Cyrus Suloway of New
HAMPSHIRE William s. Bennett of New
York; Nicholas Longworth and d. A.
Hollingsworth of Ohio, and 3. X. Focht
and s. II. Miller of Pennsylvania.
PROGRESSIVES LOSE SEATS.
The membership of the Progressive
.-arty in the next House will be reduced
to seven members. and the dean will be
/
entering his third term. Victor Murdoch.
the former floor leader of the party. will
/ be among the missing. OF the seven.
only four, John |. Nolan and William d.
Stephens OF California and Colonel Cop
| ley and William NJ. Chandler of New
York We're members OF the last Congress.
Among the newcomers Is W. =. Martin
( OF Louisiana, elected as a protest against
tho removal of the tariff on Louisiana
sugar. Party applications in Louisiana.
past experience has shown, do not amount
| to much where sugar Is concerned. The
average member OF Congress from that
State is expected to vote for a high pro-
tective tariff on sugar, no matter to what
party he belongs, but In other matters
the predictions Of the louisiana con-
gressman heretofore has been to follow
in the main the Democratic party. while
the general disposition Of progressives
from the northern States is to vote with
the republicans where party principle is
not involved. Indeed. this has been the
record Of the former members Of Con-
gress now representing the Progressive
party In the House,
New York State has followed the prec:
edent set by Wisconsin two years ago
and has sent to Congress one socialist
NJ, NJ. London. 1t will be recalled tina,
Victor l.. Berger, a national leader oil
the Socialist party and its boss in the
city of Milwaukee, served In the 62nG
Congress. The career OF Mr.. London ir
the House will be watched with as much
interest as was that Of Mr., Berger.
The close majority in the House OF
| Representatives will make necessary q
complete Encouragement of the member
ship OF all the committees In that body
In the last Congress the democrats. by
reason OF their large majority, had prac'
tically two-thirds of the members OF
most of the big committees OF the House
These committeeships are proportional
among the parties according to theiI
strength. and in the coming Congress. II
this rule Is adhered to, the democrats
Will not have more than one, or at the
most two. majority on any committee
lnasmuch as practically all of the chair
men Of the House committees of impor-
lance come from the South, where re-
publican victories are few and far be-
tween. there will be practically nc
changes ~ chairmanshps In that body.
The defeat Of John j. Fitzgerald OF
New York for supreme court justice al
the recent election saved to the northern
democrats the important craftsmanship
of the House committee on appropria
tons. which would probably have gone
to Sherley of Kentucky had Fitzgerald
been elected.