Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-11-12
The November Elections.

Our dispatches have already detailed
the results of the elections in the several
States on Tuesday. The gains for the
Democratic party must have far exceeded
the most sanguine expectations OF Its
leaders. Of course they had reason to
hope for the election of their State ticket
in New York, and, judging from their
successes in Indiana and Ohio in Octo-
Der, to look for sccessiOns to their
strength in New Jersey and Pennsylva-
MIA. But that such staid old Republi-
can commonwealth as Massachusetts,,
which had elected no Democrat as Gov
ernor or member of either house OF Con-
gress since there had been a Republican
party, should now not only elect Demo-
crat as Chief Executive, but send five
Opposition members to the lower house
of Congress, is one of the marvels of
politics. No man can demonstrate alb
solutely the reasons for this popular
CONFUSION any more than he could for
that which occurred in October. OF
course the issues of temperance and
anti-temperance and the effects for good
or evil growing out of the late temper
ance crusades cut no insignificant figure,
taking over to the enemy thousands of
Germans who had formerly acted with
the Republicans. OF course dissatisfac-
ton with specific acts of legislation, State
or National, or of executive admins
tration, State or National, might have
eliminated at last in local expressions of
discomfort. But, in our Judgment the
almost universal avalanche of popular
insanity in behalf of the Democracy man
ifested in the late elections was precipi-
tated largely by the industrial and finan-
cal stagnation and embarrassments of
| the people. Rightfully or wrongfully,
the dominant party has been held re-
sponsible for this condition Of affairs.
In an article published by us immediate
| ly after the October elections we showed
that in the grain growing States of Ne
| braska and Iowa, where the people had
realized good crops and handsome prices,
and were financially content, they were
| politically content, as was proven by the
| increased Republican majorities over the
| preceding year; while in the States more
| largely devoted to manufacturing, like
| Indiana and Ohio, where capital and
| labor were idle and discontinued, there
was political discomfort and revolution.
| The November elections seem to con-
firm this theory, for in New York, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts
Republican candidates have been over
whelmed remorselessly, while in Michi-
gan, W Wisconsin and Illinois Republican
nominees have more nearly received
their party strength.
These important reverses to Republi-
canism, and especially the loss to the
party and the country of the next House
of Representatives, are calamities be-
yond estimate. They will serve to en-
bolden the rebel outlaws of the South to
fresh acts of barbarity upon Union blacks
and whites alike. They will encourage
the craven Northern allies Of treason to
new efforts to nullify the guarantees of
the amended Constitution. They will
have the effect to strike a staggering
blow at the national credit at home and
abroad. But if these Unreasonable evils
shall ultimately result in rousing the
Republican party to the dangers which
menace the Government through Demo
cratic domination in the executive as
well as legislative departments; if, in
brief, the loss Of the National House of
Representatives in 1874 shall serve to
save the election of President and both
houses of Congress in 1876, through that
patriotism in presence of peril which has
so many times during the last fourteen
years saved the Republic, the loyal
masses of the North and South can af-
ford to bear the humiliation and NORTH
cation of the present visitation of adver-
sity.-InterO ceaa.