New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-11-22
Election Lessons

In an article yesterday we took tne
ground that the great duty OF the RepuDhcan
party in the immediate future IS to put the
wOrkingmen to work; to inaugurate pol
icy which will have the effect of revivlng
the Industrial interests of the country and
again putting in motion the idle mills and
factories that now stand cheerless and desc.
late in every section of the land. 1t is adj
mitted by every thinking person that the
hard times have, more than all other causes
combined. lost US the recent elections. The
people held the party in power responsible
and. as tar as they could do go. voted it out
Of power. An OHIO paper. commenting
upon the subject, says:
Every mill and factory standing idle or
working on half time cost the Republican
party votes. In this State the six counties
most heavily engaged in iron manufacture.
and do not contain a large city population,
the change was much greater than in any
of the other groups Of counties. While the
average Republican loss on the full vote
throughout the State was sixteen and three
fOurths per cent, the loss in those counties
was twenty-nine per cent. There was an
average falling off in the full Democratic
vote Of the State of five and one.third per
cent. while in the six iron manufacturing
counties there was positive Increase in
the Democratic vote. In the more prosper
GUS Of the agricultural counties the change
was slight in comparison. the Republican
falling of being much less and accompanied
by Democratic falling off, though not to the
same extent
The same remarks apply with equal truth
and force to every section of the country.
il! There are only three months in which
to answer the question and provide a
remedy for the evils under which the peo.
pie are now suffering. At the end Of that
time it will he too ia:e: the opportunity will
have been lost. and the Republican party.
if it ignores or fails to meet the emergency,
might as we'll prepare itself for inevitable
extinction and reputation at the polls. It
is true that the real responsibility for the
present condition OF affairs rests primarily
with the men who plotted the destruction
it. and compelled us to incur an enormous
debt TO preserve Republican principles and
liberty. But what ia the use OF talking
about all this now! The Republican party
has been in power fourteen years, and the
men whose ballots count the heaviest on
election day do not care much about first
causes. A large number of this American
people are to-day demanding bread for their
families, and it will not do to attempt to
appease them with dissertations on political
economy and theories of trade and govern.
ment. The old appeals. which In the days
of prosperity were so powerful and con.
yincing, are weak and impotent in the time
of adversely. This was one of the great
mistakes made in the campaign which has
just closed. A similar b!under can not be
repeated except at the peru OF utter death
to the party.
These are sober. solemn truths. and the
20 see and understand them: IL there
craftsmanship enough lett in Congress to
meet tue emergency and bring the party
and the country out of the difficulties ard
dangers that beset them:- Washington Ma.
si0,sai Republican,.