New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-18
IrNsnNs OF LIE ELECTIONH

The October elections have their lesson, OF
course. Everything has, if we only had time
and inclination 10 stop and learn it and profit
by its moral. We have these lessons IN poll
ties every year with the falling Of the leaves,
and the political organs mOralize over them
and instruct their readers about them i'll such
a way that we ought to be very much wiser
than we are. But we forget them. Only the
party in power seem TO gather wisdom from
them, and they only in a sort of temporary
way, for they very shortly forget them too. The
same thing that has happened now has been
happening, only in larger degree once IN four
years ever since the Republicans came into
power. The Democrats have achieved some
thing like success the year following the Presi-
dental election ever since 1850 Every time
they have done it it has been through some
blunder or fault of the Republicans, and
the consequences have in every instance been
the same. The Democrats, inspired by their
mOmentary success, have lost their heads
entirely, and instead of taking good fortune
with sObriety and prudence have gone drunk
over the spOils, forgotten their discretion,
talked loosely and wildly, and at the very
next election been slapped i'll the face and
remanded to the back seats which fate has
assigned them. On the other hand, the
Republicans have invariably shown the
conservatism and wisdom Of those who hold
power and appreciate its responsibilities. In
every instance they have first fallen back
little-repulsed but not defeated-and waited
till the enemy, like Jubal EarlyS army in the
Valley, had become demoralized with the
plumber of the camps, and then, re0rganized
and reassured, have pumped down upon them
and driven them in disastrous rOut from the
field.
The experience of the past dozen years has
shown that very little success is sufficient to
demOralze the Democrats and sufficient as
well to put the Republicans on their mettle
to retrieve their plumbers and more than make
good their defeat. One needs but to look
back over the political record of the past
twelve years to discover the truth of this state
ment. Between the Presidential elections of
the last twelve years the Democrats have
gained some notable victories. In every case
they have been intoxicated and their oppo-
nents have been sObered by them. 1t may
safely be- said for the Republican party that it
does not fail to profit by the lessons of de-
feat II means to keep in power, and for that
purpose means to reflect the popular will 1t
is wise in it's day and generation, which its
opponent is not.
History is after fashion repeating itself
now. The Bourbon element of the Democratic
party seems to have had partial success in
Ohio. Straightway it loses its head. 1t talks
about the great reaction" and the " tidal
"wave,n and all that sort of irredeemable and
unmitigated nonsense, as though there was
something definite and conclusive about q
political scrimmage in which tens of thousands
of voters felt no interest and took no part.
| The meaning OF the Ohio election is plain
enough. A great many thousand Republicans,
| Disguised with their party and ashamed of its
record, have refused to vote for its candidates
! In consequence the Democrats have secured
| the Legislature, the United States Senator, and
possibly the Governor. AS an event in national
politics il has but the most trihing significance
A Democrat remains in the United States
Senate that is all. The party is AS weak as
ever in Congress; it has gained nothing ex-
cept "a pretext for prolonging an enfeebled,
useless life. In Pennsylvania it has not
strength enough to make decent show in
the face of all the villainous record of its OPP
ponents. In Iowa it had no separate existence,
but WAS merged in the opposition with the
Liberals and Anti-MOnOp0lists. la California
il il in the same weak and habby condition.