Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-07
CONGRESS POWER
| IN HANDS OF FATE
10 Months to Bring Half
Dozen Vacancies That May
Favor Either Party.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

The principal aspect CT the election
engaging the interest Of Washington,
as we'll as the country, continues to
be whether the Democrats have won
control of either the House or the
Senate. or both, by margins of one
or two votes as to each chamber, Re-
puhlicans hope they have held on by
the flngertip of a single vote. Demo-
Gratis hope they have grasped one or
both chambers by the same slender
ness of hold
Now the out landing quality OF all
this is the futility of it, 1t is char
acteristic of the excited psychology i'm
mediately following any close outcome
OF AN important event. The fact is
it does not matter at all whstller the
Republicans have held en- or the d M
ocrats nave won one or both chambers
by so slender a margain. In either case
and all cases the outcome, whatever
It is today, will change perhaps a
dozen times during the next g months
THE Congress that was elected last
Tuesday does not come into existence
until December / of next year, 1881.
During that interval by precedent and
law of averages one or two or three
or mere 4Sens tors will have died or re-
signed, !, A. Democratic Senator ncy
die and his successor be apDolnteu
from the other party by a Republican
Governor Likewise the reverse OF
this may happen and almost certainly
will. In these Alternating NhlmS OF
fate chance viii favor the Democrats
because a lot of DEMOCRATIC Governors
were elected lat TUESDAY, Anyhow.
whether the next Senate Is Republican
or Democratic by margin OF one OF
two will be an -again-on-a again
thing for Is months. 1t is the same
as to the House only mere SO.
Half Dozen Vacancies Likely. 49,
In that body half dozen or more
members will have died or resigned by
December l. 1881. AT al times tneL ,e
Is. an average of seven or eight
vacancies in the House due to death
or resignation These vacancies Will
distribute themselves between the two
parties according to the whim OF tate.
The successors dying or retiring VIII III
some case be of the opposite party.
The net of all this is that no one
knows whether the Congress coming
into existence December /, 1881, VIII Dc
Democratic or Republican,. No one can
know until it actually sits on noon OF
that day. All we know is that IN the
Senate the margin viii be enc or two
votes one way or the other, and In the
House anywhere from one to I'VE votes
one way or the other.
To say that all this must remain In
conclusive until December /, 1881, Is not
to belittle the Importance Of 1t. II
makes much difference whether the Re
publicans or the Democrats organize
one or both Houses of Congress ana
elect the officials and name the COM
rnittees. 1t makes all the difference in
the world to the respective parties and
all the difference in the world to GER
tain fairly important individuals. As
to the public and as to governmental
policies it makes very considerable diff
ference. 1t makes much difference
whether the Speaker Of the House is
Republican Nicholas Longworth from
Ohio or Democratic John Garner OF
Texas. It makes a decided difference
whether the chairman of the Senate's
tariff making committee Is Republican
Reed Smoot of Utah or Democratic Pat
Harrison of Mississippi. Considerable
difference in our foreign policies de-
ponds on whether the chairman Of the
Senate Committee on Foreign Reia tons
is Republican (of a scrt)f w tlliaIn e.
Borah of Idaho or DeTnectatac ClaHoe
Swanson of Virginia.
Live Issue IL Months.
Very much, indeed, hangs on whether
one and especially whether both
branches of Congress are orHanized BY
the Republicans or by the Democrats.
That is one reason for the present ex-
citement about last Tuesdays outcome.
abe fact is, however, we cant know
definitely until the new CONGRESS actu-
ally steps into power. Meantime, for IL
months, much public interest and some
excitement will attend the teetsring OF
the narrow majority that VIII be die
tated by deaths, designations and the
SUGGESTIONS thereto.
What is said here applies to organ
4Ang the two chambers, choosing the
officials and naming the committees.
After organization is complete, regard
less of which party does the organizing,
a new condition arises. That new con-
dition will be Republican surely
In matters of legislation both branches
of Congress will be anti-Republican.
They may be anti-Republican be-
cause the Democrats have an actual
majority of their own. If the Demo-
Gratis do not have an actual majority OF
their own, they will nevertheless domi-
nate by means of coalition between
themselves and little group of In
surgent Republicans. In the Senate
there will be at least II insurgent Re-
publicans working With the Democrats,
and in the House at least 20.