Show RULE OF THE CAUCUS t Democrats of the House Must Vote I As a Uni I II I THE RESOLUTIONS BINDING t nw DEPARTURE TT WILL NW DEPAT W PRODUCE RESULTS t I I Hrtfore Caucus Action Has Ben I Regarded A Merely Advisory Reublcn Losses Show By C V Reus Mcileys ecton Plurality Wiped Out + Special Correspondence Washington D C Dec 15Wh Congressman B H Roberts comes on Congessman to Washington to take up his duties asa as-a member of the house he will have an opportunIty to attend genuine caucuses of the Democratic party membership strange a it may seem to Democrats who have always regarded I as a fact that for many years Democratic house caucuses have been considered advisory C3ucuses advis-ory only and as in no way binding upon participants As a rule the only caucus in a entire congress which has ben obeyed by the Democratic membership mem-bership was the one to choose candidates candi-dates for officers of the house Here the member of the party drew the strict line of party demarcation but to all other caucuses they came only when it suited them and after the caucus took action they felt entirely at liberty they pleased erty to do exactly as please about supporting the resolutions adopted in the caucus With the Republicans it has been de cldedl different They have adhered with get consistency and earnestness to the results of caucus acton and this course baa bore fruit In rendering Re effecthi in publcn congresses more effect passing legislation demanded by the party than their Democratic opponents Observance of caucus acton enables the par to vote compactly and get better results than the Democrats can possibly obtain by regarding cauCuses as merely advisory Now however there has been a change in the Democratic practice and henceforth Democratic caucuses tire certain to be productive of results Alter Al-ter the matter had been pending for several months the house Democratic that hereafter the caucus has decIded th3t hereafer resolutions adopted by Democratic caucuses cau-cuses shall be binding on all those par ticlpatlng in them This decision secures more uniformity of acton among Democrats than has been noticeable in recent years and will have r tendency to more clearly define Democratic issues for 1900 The caucus resolutions make only one ex ception to the demand for implicit obe cepton to caucus decisions This is that no member shall be held as obligated I to vote for any measure which he believes be-lieves to be in contraventIon of the eon I sttutonELECTON RETURNS As the official election returns come I to be compiled and compared the heavy Democratic gains in the eastern states a pea Inure and more significant Taking the vote on governor In these states and comparing it with the vote on president in 1896 the remarkable decline in the Republican strength in these states Is constantly apparent The following are the figures given in I round numbers ReD Maj Rep 11a11 rorrres forGot isis ISIS New England 310 l24f0 New York 2CO 180 New Jersey 80 5G Pennsylvania 300 140 Total 59100 2S6 These states show a Republican loss of more than 70000 votes more than McKinleys entire plurality and many times the scale loss In the silver states upon which there Is based so many Republican fairy tare regardIng the surcease of the silver Issue In the United States In representation in the lower house of congress these state also exhibit remarkable re-markable Democratic gins in corn parison with preceding congresses as Is hereby shown 5lth 6th 55th Congo Congo Cong ltD BD R New Englad2 1 26 1 24 3 New York 29 5 21 5 16 19 Pennsylvania 26 2 Z 3 18 10 New Jersey 8 0 8 0 6 2 Totals 8 8 8 9 6 34 This great change in representatIon more than accounts for the fall in the Republican majority in the next house There is no doubt that nearly all the eltern Democratic member are either friends of silver or are so obligated gated to strong silver men among theIr gte constituents that there will be Utleop position in Demortc caucuses to the silver majority JOINT HIGH COMMISSION The sssiont of the BritshAmerIcan joint high commission end on Tuesday During their stay in Washington the distinguished visItors from England and Canada have been the recipients of many social attentions and have been in a constant whirl ofsocal functions Many elaborate entertainments of varied va-ried character have been given in their honor by persons prominent in the political po-litical and social life of the capital The gentlemen tnd theIr ladies seem to have thoroughly enjoyed all the dinners din-ners luncheons receptions excursions etc But the commIssioners have still found time to dQ a great deal of hard work on the business that brought them to Washington On many points long at variance between the United States and the dominion cordial agree mont has been reached Others arc still undispoied of One of the most important propositions proposi-tions yet at Issue Ia I of particular inter eat to people of the mountain state The Canadian commissioners have made the suggestion that the United States admit lead ore and free nickel nickel H 4 Ld u mate from Canada free of duty CU I pied with free lumber or n reduction i in the lumber duty In return for this ddU df sthl it is proposed by the Canadians to grant to all American products the I same preferential duties a now prevail in favor of Great Britain Thee rates are a reduction of onefourth upon all existing Canadian tariff schedules Some of the American commissioners Ire I-re strongLy In tavor of ageing to I this change In duties believing It to be of decide advantage to the United States One circumstance however I operates to embass them Our lat treaty wIth Mexico provides that rex lean Import shall under the favored nation clause receive the benefit of any reductions in duties granted by us to importations from other Importatons any country To this Mexican duplc ton o the Canadian Ca-nadIan concession there Is much opposition op-position although ft would undoubted be acceptable to many smelters I would however ritise the whole controversy con-troversy about the admission Q free lead ore from across the Rio Grande and the entire Mexican tariff and therefore it is doubtful i anything proposition affirmative comes from the Canadian I |