Burlington Hawk Eye

From the Boston Weekly Atlas.
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

In our article of Saturday, we spoke of the danger which existed of the Whigs, by their negligence and want of activity and union, losing the House of Representatives. That the result in Virginia and Connecticut has been extremely unfortunate for the Whigs, it would not be only folly but madness to deny. We must not shut our eyes to the danger that surrounds us, but OPEN THEM WIDE, that we may scan at one view the true position which we hold. We now propose briefly to state the case, that those who feel an interest in the subject may know precisely where we are, and govern themselves accordingly. In the States which have elected members of Congress the Whigs stand relatively one better than they did in the last Congress, as will be seen by the following table:-

Old Congress. New Congress.

	Whig.	Dem.	Whig.	Dem.
Illinois	1	6	1	6
Missouri	0	5	0	5
Arkansas	0	1	0	1
Iowa	0	2	0	2
Vermont	3	1	3	1
Maine	2	5	1	6
Georgia	4	4	4	4
Pennsylvania	15	9	17	7
Ohio	10	10	11	9
Florida	1	0	1	0
South Carolina	0	7	0	7
New York	32	2	24	10
New Jersey	4	1	4	1
Massachusetts	9	0	9	0
Michigan	1	2	0	3
Delaware	1	0	1	0
Wisconsin	2	1	0	2
New Hampshire	2	2	2	2
Rhode Island	1	0	1	0
Connecticut	1	3	4	0
Virginia	1	14	6	9

In the above States there are at present three vacancies, one in Ohio, by the death of Rodolphus Dickinson, democrat; one in Massachusetts, and one in Rhode Island. The Ohio vacancy will be filled by a Loco Foco. The one in Rhode Island was filled last Congress by a Loco, but may be easily carried by the Whigs if they will exert themselves. The vacancy in Massachusetts was filled by a sort of political nondescript, who is again a candidate, but whose chances of an election are not so promising as they once were. Should that vacancy not be filled, and a Whig and a Loco Foco elected in Rhode Island and Ohio, the whole number elected would stand 91 Whigs to 75 Loco Focos. From this calculation, however, we must deduct Root and Giddings of Ohio, and Allen of Massachusetts, and perhaps Sprague of Michigan, all of whom have been Whigs, and will yet probably vote to repeal or modify the Sub-Treasury, and to enact a protective tariff, but they are unreliable men so far as the Administration or the organization of the House are concerned, having been elected by the Van Buren ticket. On the other hand, the only Loco Foco whom we can deduct from the other side is Preston King, who will doubtless vote with his party upon all questions except the Wilmot Proviso. As for the three elected in Connecticut by Van Buren votes they are, and will remain as true to the Loco Foco party as the needle to the pole. Such being the fact, the case stands thus: Reliable Whigs 87. Reliable Loco Focos 74. Unreliables 5; all of whom will doubtless vote against the election of a Whig Speaker, and make the vote stand 87 for and 79 against a Whig Speaker, leaving the Whigs eight majority.

The States yet to elect are as follows. We give the whole number to which each State is entitled with the political divisions in the last Congress.

Last Congress.

	Whole number	W.	D.
North Carolina	9	6	3
Alabama	7	2	5
Mississippi	4	1	3
Louisiana	4	1	3
Tennessee	11	5	6
Kentucky	10	6	4
Indiana	10	4	6
Maryland	6	4	2
Texas	2	0	2

Should the result be the same next August that it was two years ago, the tables would foot up as follows:

Whigs. Locos. V. Buren.
Already elected	87	74	5
To be elected	29	34	0

This would give the Whigs a majority over all of three votes, a majority which may do on a pinch; but one not "sufficient for all practical purposes," and it is highly important therefore that the Whigs should gain a few members. It thus becomes important to ascertain on which side the majorities were carried in the last Presidential election. The following table will show:

	Whigs	Dem
North Carolina	6	3
Alabama	4	3
Mississippi	2	2
Louisiana	2	2
Tennessee	7	4
Kentucky	9	1
Indiana	3	7
Maryland	4	2
Texas	0	2
	—	—
	37	26

Should the Whigs carry all the districts which they carried for General Taylor, parties would stand in the next House, Whigs 124, Loco Focos 100, Van Burenites 6, leaving the Whigs with a majority of 19. This would do very well, but we do not and ought not to expect such a result. If the representation stands as well in the House from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, as it did before, we shall be satisfied. We ought to gain one member in North Carolina, one in Tennessee, and three in Kentucky. We shall lose one in Indiana, beyond doubt, as the Van Burenites have riddled the Whig majority so as to leave the Locos a clear field in the tenth district. We regret also to see that there are three Whig candidates running in Barringer's old district in North Carolina, which we trust will be rectified between this time and August.

We have thus given what we believe to be a correct statement of the case as it stands, and of the probable chances of the elections yet to take place. As we said on Saturday, the fate of the next House is in the hands of the Whigs of those States which are to vote in August -- our friends in Rhode Island, and the Whigs of the 4th District in this State. Upon them rests the responsibility. WILL THEY LOOK TO IT?

P. S. -- Since writing the above, we have received the New York Tribune of Saturday, wherein we find tables which vary in some particulars from our estimate. We have adopted with slight modifications the tables of the Journal of Commerce, which we think more correct than those we find in the Tribune. The Tribune makes out 12 "Free Soil" members, 8 Whigs, and 4 Locos; but in order to do this, it claims Wilson and Tuck, of New Hampshire, and Mann, of Massachusetts, besides one in Pennsylvania. The Loco Foco "Free Soil" members are Booth, of Connecticut, Preston King, of New York, Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, and Durkee, of Wisconsin. It also claims the election of Mr. Palfrey hereafter. This would make in all 13. Now there is no doubt of either Mr. Wilson, Mr. Tuck, or Mr. Mann voting with the Whigs throughout; and as for Mr. Palfrey, he is not elected yet, and if the Whigs do their duty won't be. The four Loco Focos who are put down as "Free Soilers," will vote with their Loco Foco brethren on all questions except the Wilmot proviso. The Tribune claims the election of McComas, (Whig) in Virginia, and we believe correctly. This makes our table stand one better on the Whig side, and one worse on the Loco Foco. In our column above we have placed Mr. Holmes, of South Carolina, and Preston King, of New-York, in the column with the Loco Focos, though Holmes was elected as a Taylor man, and King as an out and out Van Burenite. It is possible that Mr. Holmes may vote with the Whigs in organizing the House; if so, so much the better. The Tribune believes that there will be a Whig majority in the next House, so do we; but in order to have it, there must be work done, and the Whig press and Whig speakers and Whig voters, must buckle on their armor and take the field with strong arms, uniting energy, and dauntless spirit. It is no child's play the Whigs have before them.