Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-05-19
The Dissolution Of the Republican
Party Predicted bY O Radical,

Party Predicted by a Radical.
TIE New York Sun, one
of the leading Radical iourn-
ais Of that city and State, in
an article on the future Of the
Republican party, gives the
following history Of the rise
and fall of the two great par
ties that have controlled the
Government since the adop-
|tion Of the Federal Constitu-
tion
ga Democratic party has existed
in this country since the close Of
the revolutionary war; and it is q
singular fact, worthy of the serious
consideration of Republicans, that
the opposition to that party has
changed its name, its principles and
its leaders about every eighteen
years since our independence was
achieved. Washington and Adams
led a conservative opposition to the
Democratic ideas, rs expounded by
Jefferson, from the termination of
the revolutionary struggle down to
the defeat of Adams in 1900. Then
the opposition assumed the name of
Federalsts, aud, under the guidance
first of Alexander Hamilton and
then of Rufus King, resisted the
Democracy till the final overthrow
of the Federal party in 1918. The
opposition then changed their front,
modified their doctrines, and dis
carded their name, and under the
leadership Of John Quincy Adams
and Henry Clay, were called Ma
tional Republicans for about eigh-
teen years, when, having been pros
trated by the party which rallied
around the standard of Jackson.
they reorganizcd under the name
Of Wings, and followed the lead and
shared the fortunes of Clay and
w ebster for eighteen or twenty
years thereafter. In 1854, having
lost hope and courage, and having
dropped into a powerless minorityJ
the opponents of the Democracy
taking advantage of the vicious
position which that organization
had assumed on the subject Of sla-
very, formed the Republican party,
and, following the banner first of
Seward and then of Lincoln, be-
came the dominating power in the
country through the secession OF
the Southern States, which had
previously been the stronghold's OF
the Democratic party.
Now, remembering these histor
ic cycles which have constituted the
lifetime of the various parties that
at different periods of our national
career have stood in opposition to
the Democracy, it is a fact worthy
of consideration that the Republi-
, can organization will havo existed
exactly eighteen years on the >oc-
currence of the next Presidential
election. 1t would bc in accordance
with all the precedents if in the
contest OF 1872 the opposition to
the long-lived Democracy should
then suffer signal defeat, and imme-
diately afterward change its name,
its principles, and its leaders. In
view Of the one idea on which the
Republican party was organized, the
inoongruous material in respect to
/. other ideas of which it is composed,
and the complete fulfllment of its
appropriate work, it would not be
surprising If it then followed the
fate ofits predecessors and passed
into history. This, however, will
largely depend upon the wisdom,
the liberality, the common sense,
and progressive ideas Of the leaders
E of the Democratic party. Their
|, folly has already confirmed the
power of their antagonists; and it is
possible thatitmay do so yet again.