The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-11-06
The Recent State Elections.

The successes i'm Ohio and Indiana ought
10 be an instructive lesson 10 the Republic
cans, and they throw valuable light on th,
present tendencies Of our politics. TIL,
first point 10 which we call attention /.
that these elections demonstrate the en-.
during vitality of the Democratic party
Such success as it has won in these impor.
tant States has been gained without any
alliance or coalition, in a straight, square
fight with the supporters of the Admins
tration. 1t is not a Liberal Republican
triumph, "a Mr.. Greeley's election would
have been in 1872; it is not triumph OF
the Farmers movement, which ut one
time seemed formidable in the West it is
"A Democratic triumph pure and simple,
and II warrants the expectation that the
minor side currents OF our politics will be
absorbed i'm one or the other of the two
main streams. According to present APP
pearances everythingis tending to grand
struggle i'm the next Presidential election
between the two regular parties. with no
side movements of any importance. The
dissatisfied Republicans, who have for sew
eral years shrunk from joining the De-
mocracy, and have been coHtending that a
disarmament of the Democratic party was
the indispensable prerequisite of forming
must see now that there is nothing to be
hoped in that direction. Republicans who
have become alienated from the Admins
tration are reduced to the alternative OF
joining the Democrats or retiring from &C
tive politics. There will be no consider
able third party: there will be no coalition
like that of 1872 there will. as time moves
on, be little of the squeamishness which
has for the last three years held the Re
publican opponent of General Grant aloof
from the Democratic organization. There
is visible progress in this direction in our
own State. Last year the New York Lib
eral Republicans put forth ticket of their
own, made up of selected names from the
two others. This year they are merging
themselves in the Democratic ranks. Our
vigorous and lively contemporary, the
Sun, has for some time forborne TO decry
the Democratic party. and is efficiently,
though not ostentatiously. supporting the
Democratic State ticket. Even the Trib-
nne manifcstsa similar leaning. but with
more caution and reserve. Still every
reader OF the Tribune must see that Ii il
quietly and steadily reconciling its Liberal
Republican readers TO the Democratic
party of the State. There is no longer any
attempt by any leading journal of the
country to create new opposition party
TO take the place of the Democracy. The
prejudices growing out of the war are sup
planted by the feeling of intense hostil-
ity to the Administration, and the dem
onstrated strength OF the Democratic
organization in the recent elections tends
to make it the sole rallying point of all
the elements Of opposition. We regard
this as a healthy tendency. All good cit
liens will have reasons for congratulation
II the Democracy shall become strong
enough to put the Republican party on its
best behavior. Ii IL a wholesome thing
for our politics that the opposition is not
likely TO be frttered away by divisions or
to lose its Conference by coalitions. The
only important parties In the immediate
future will be the Republican and the
Democratic.
Another important consequence OF the
Democratic recuperation viii be its potent
moral effect in setting aside the third term
aspirations of President Grant. If the
Republican party had held its own in the
elections of this year and come out Of them
with unimpaired strength, it might have
thought itself capable of carrying this
heavy weight. But with parties nearly
enough balanced to render the contest
afford TO take up such load. Ii
the Democrats should carry New York.
and make gains in Pennsylvania, General
Grant himself will see that the Republican
party lie no longer strong enough to carry
such rider as a third term candidate. We
expect, therefore, that he will prudenfly
foreg0 every attempt to secure another
Republican nomination il New York fol-
lows I'm the wake of Ohio. The Democrat
ic successes will discourage the third term
movement In another view. They will
cause the South 70 turn once more with
hope to the Democratic party and to ex-
pect relief by its triumph. In despair of
any other remedy the Southern people
have been tempted to weigh the protection
which might be given them by friendly
despot, whose power they had favored,
against the hideous misrule which they
endure under negro supremacy. They
will no longer think of so desperate re-
source. As soon as they shall see sufi-
cient number of Northern States in Demo
cratic hands TO enable the Southern De
mocracy to turn the scale and make a
Democratic majority, their free instincts
will revive In full force. They would
gladly exchange their present condition
for military rule If reduced TO that choice.
and they would even accept imperialism
rather than carpet bag oppression. But as
soon as they see a chance of relief by the
success Of the Democratic party they will
drop General Grant and his irregular as
pirations. IL the November elections
should be of the same general complexion
as those which have just taken place, the
third term question will be practically set
tied.
The Republicans ought to learn some
wisdom from the visible decline of their
party strength. Ii Is not too late for them
TO retrieve their losses II they will reform
certain leading features OF their policy.