, 1874-11-10
THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK,

THE POLITICAL OUTLOOK.
Tho Republican dofoat in the recent cloctions
is ono Of the inovitablo incidents and conse-
quonces Of long-consinucd party ascendoncy.
Sooner or later It WAS bound to come, and 1t Is
infinitely bettor that It should occur this year
than happen in 1876. Tho result Of those oloc-
tions will provo b1cssing in Disguise. like tue
late fire in Chicsgo, in Kidding tho Republican
party Of many bad and dangerous mon who had
thrust themselves into loadcralips for purposes
of plumber. Parties III all FREQ dovornments aro
exposed to betrayal by corrupt aud insolent DOM
ngogucs who abuse their opportunities and VIC
late their trusts. Like thunderstorm in sui
try weathor, tue recent elections will purify the
political atmosphere aud clear tho way for tho
tremendous struggle in 1876 for tho possession
Of tho Government and shaping tho policy Of
tho nation es 1t entara upon tho second coutury
OF its e1iatence
The result Of tho recent elections. therefore,
may DO wisely accep1od M lespon by which tue
country and tho Republican party may largely
profit. It ia we'll to understand in tue ltat place
what 10 tho actual result OF the voto. OF the voto
polod, tho conglomorato Opposition have ma-
tority; but the vote OF tho combined Opposition
falls tar short Of TINT pollcd for Greeley in 1872
The Republican vote showa falling oil in such
proportion that it ia leBs than tho reduced Oppo-
Bition vote. This result Of tho voting, theu,
very clearly indicates that the country has to no
great extout undergone conversion from No-
publicanism to Democracy Tho f4lliug OF in
tho Republican yoto ia not added to tho Domo-
cratic vote; that immense voto, equal uearly To
ono-third Of the aggregate Of tho whole country,
is still Republican, and Ia hold in raseryc
Tho Opposition under oil isa formB may DO
olassed aB "Democratic," and yet tue vote Of
~ is smaller than that OF "a. Nevertheless, wo
do not underrata tho magnitude Of the Republic
an discontinue, nor unterrato tho Importance
Of tho Democratic auccoss, temporary aH 1t un~
questionably IL. We wiah to state tho tacta as
they atand, and from these facts show TINT there
is nothing in them indicative OF disruption or
diabandmons Of tho Republican party, OF TINT
that party is any tho leBs at1ong in the affections
Of the people tban it was in previous years.
Principles arc unchanged. Tho Republican and
Democratic parties represent opposing policies
and opposing principles as distinctly as they
hayo at any time since tho Var, All attempts
to fuse them have failed because OF their uttcry
ineongruous elemonts Tho temporary sucoeBs
Of the Democratic party is not due to the adoption
Of Democratic principles by Republicans. but to
| variety of causoH which combined, in the alb
souco Of any national contest. as Presidential
election. to induce Republicans to lot tho Cleo
tions 50 by default, or to bolt for this occasion,
ard thereby rclloye tho party Of many persons
and many outside igsues which Ind become odl-
Gus aud offonslye. There il not o Republican
who cannot uamo in ha district ono or moro por-
aonB who wero riding the party to its ruin, mud
tho recent election has substantially rid the
party Of these dead-weights md "dend-boats," :"
aud positively injurious "hoBses," Tho party
has also been troubled with a number Of isnB
| altogether foreign 10 tho policies Of tho Ropub-
llcan party, hut which Rhort-sighted and jealous
fanatica hayo tried to make thnt party carry, md
notably among theao WAS tho prohibltory Liquor
law and Kindred measures, Haekng O etat-
| utory regulation OF tho dict and manners Of tho
| people. Theso haye from time to time
| been forced upon the party In certain
| States nnd localitios. to tho wcakoning Of
ita strength md to the dlsIntcgraton OF Its or
| gauization. This was considered timely Eos-
sou to layo these iaguos tried at the polls aud
disposed Of, and thousands Of Republicans stood
| by. or 30 voted aB to lot tho Opposition settle
thcso sunptuary LAWS, so that they are not Like
ly to bo heard of again for come ttme to come,
and certainly not to ombarrass tue Republican
| party again very soon.
It Is not to be deniod that during tue fourteen
or moro years Of Republican rule, several Of
which woro during period Of ter1ibla civil war,
when dlreot responsibility was difficult Of eu'
forcomont, thoro was q tendency on the part oi
aevoEal individuals who had forced themselves
into rrotnincnoy ~ leaders of local divisions oil
tho Republican party to engage In some poreon,
al matters Of questionable propriety. The Crel
it-Atobillor affair, aud q number Of othor mat.
ters, though grossly exaggerated and by ne
means confined to enc party, and the Back Pay
| OF sslasy.drab bill, furnished the Opposition
With material upon which to found accusations
against individuals, aud by implication agaius
the partyl and many conscientious Republican.
in all tue Htstee. by emitting to vo.e, took tia
means ot having tho party purified by allowing