Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-11-15
rOcaI. ISSUES IN THE LATE
E.lEGTEGNS.

n IA SRO GH ~ = s. ~ 80
ELECTIONS.
The returns Of the late elections are no"
assoi,el,,ascertained, and, while tho success
f,,sre receiving the congratulations oi ueir
,-;snas and The yanquishel their need 81
s,mp..hy. We may examine tas result hnd
;,on.,. into The causes thtt produced them.
Th,s Ia, Doen attempted by most Of cur
r,oaS,ican c3,emporaries, but IN spuit
,h;cb s,narting under defeat, uniits them
,,r.n impartial examination OF any po-
liuc,l question. Indeed, We h0d an apt
illustration of this in cur neighbor the
Ga:f,,e, which. during the past week hes
,esn much muddea and feasiully exercised
in .ndeavoring TO persuade its readers
that defeat is victory, and that the larges the
m,;ari,ies for Democratic principles the
stronger the attachment u the people 10
the vasari,s OF Reputlicanism. We con-
teas this 10 peculiar philosophy which We
have no desire 10 cultivate nor can We
think il prudent to whistle loudest whe',
driven into tho densess part Of tho wood.
This, however. is a matter Of opinion only,
aoa ur ueis hbor has right to differ from us
aud seek consolation for himself aud friends
by Jcnying that Republican principles
were involved in any of the recent elections,
and con,cndlng that defeat is owing entire
Nv TO Incompetent candidates, absence
from the polls, aud local issues" Blu.
these ate shallow reasons, and will have
liae force with any save those go stupid 90
y assign them
absence from tie polls" is an argu-
,nent advanced the day immediately sue
eecding the election, aud which carried an
air Of plaasibility TIL the official returns
proved it uutenablc. Of late we have
heard little OF it. Indeed, it's authors are
uome what ASHAMED Of il, more especially
since isures show that The vote in many
Of the States in which the Republicans
suffered most severely was the largest ever
polied. This proves 10 = demonstration
that defeat is due to some other cause.
The ''incompctency Of the candidates" is
an argument oil some force, but its charac-
ter is rather delicate for a critical discus
s,on. which might be fairly sllenced by say
iog nothing Of the dead but the good. -
However, as it has been brought forward
by the friends Of the slain, We propose TO
examine Il. ltis ono Of those very pro
found arguments which the Republicans
fail 10 advance ill the time for its beneficial
and profitable Introduction has passed. =
They urge il always after defeat seldom,
or never before. Besides il is rather ambi-
dext.sous aud becomes either true
OF false, N il il v,ovsd from dit
ferent stand points. Thus. il by "inco m
pctcnt candidates" the Republicans me an
that men who served a. apprenticeship to
political venal,ty AMI corruption during the
last i've or SIX years wee doomed T. ahd
deserving Of dcfci., then NC fully agree
with them. Bn, how dos such m ndinis.
SION ten AGAINST them. u not tho very
taking # l. n c)mple'c qualification oI
themselves and an open aud public no
kn,slei,sm ~ of thur ogn corruption
Aud whca w. retl.c thai their nomiuutlon'
were al. best and most avhilable ia It could
bs maio out II the materials On hand, W,
are a, a loss 10 discover hos the party Of
great moral ideas" can be hsmoiiited ty
commenting on the matter. II, however
vhcn this Argument is advanced as ali eS
lsnstion Tor defeat, II DC i.aplsd that be-
tee qualified cai.i.datcs could have been put
forwar VIA, opinion must the people en-
tsrtain Of the nicn who regulate the move
meats os the ], publican pesty. II its con
.l,,,on be such that vice prevails, that
vicious mca bear sway and the post OF hon
Is 10 the private stltion, then wore 'hc dc.
tests inevitable aud deserved. and good men
must rel oice. This argument, then, when
alth,rs, il inc,l nave. an sslf-respect
Should rs,traie them from urs u. it. Were We
weak cnsash e. cpanc Y ourselves " III suvi,
4 party. W. wtu'i 10. b. mean enough 20
boast Of tbs connection.
The lat seAtetn assigned IS "local
isanes." THIS is >. ph,ns, ta,h,r ditiicu,
g. deiue, asa if fe take from the Eepuhl :
cans all measures CHASED " th,m under
tAs head ,h-y wsnil bs p officially bank
sa?,. Their s,oek Ia trade would DO en-
tsely gone Each apl Every enc Of them
would 10 Othe.oi1sl Reasoning. howsv
or, ulioa &c era principles. We mag truth
fuliy sSy that all ther issues are "local "
that is. they ara expressly brought forward
for the especial benefit aud profit OF some
sections at the expense Of others, aud that
the party have never yet presented plat
form upon which a majority Of the citizens
,f the country could stand. And THIS is
true, notwithstanding the wonderful hexi-
bility Of their principles-so- called which
become either local or general issues. as
defeat or victory inclnes the beam Negro
superiority, amalgamatiOu, woman's rights,
manhood and baby suffrage, increased tax
alton. tariff. temperance, prescription, con-
6scAtion, intolerance and Pu,itAnism are
cla>sed either IS local or general issues,ns a
sordid party pecunary espedieucy may re-
.qu,rc. Thus we are asked to believe Cali
iognia was lost on the local issue Of the
incnmpescncy Of the Republican nominee
for Governor, aud in the next breath We
arc told that Bullock vas elected in Massa-
sausstts on the general issue Of personal
qualifications. Again, Ohio vas lost be-
cause negro suffrage VAS dragged in as .
'local" issue and Minnesota was carried
because the very same question WAS forced
home on the people ~ general issue The
came 10 true Of Kansas aud other States.
But tho great "local issue" is the liquor
question which, notwithstanding all the ef-
forts Of the party to cpflnc it to certain
sections, spreads with the rapidly of the
c,nalsnt smallpox. II is useless for the
Gesette and other organs Of the party to
waste time in contending tina, this is pure
~ "local ISSUE" AID in contending that il ia