The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1875-12-16
Political Precedents-A Warming.

ealh'y elect the next President, be>
cause they elected large majority
OF The House of Representatives last
fall. They tell us that from the DAYS
OF John Qmicy Adams down to the
present time the party which has
carried the House in the middle of q
Presidential term has always been
successful in the ensuing Presidential
contest.
The facts on this subject arc no
douOt curious and suggestive, but
they will not quite warrant such a
sweeping conclusion. The House
which met in December, 1889, con.
tanned larger number of Demo.
Gratis than Wings; but because of a
fcud i'll the Democratic party the
Wings elected Harrison as President
by an overwhelming majority the
next year. The like results happened
sixteen years later when the oppon-
cnts of the Democracy succeeded in
making Banks Speaker of the House
IN February, 1856, but, owing to
divisions in the ranks of the opposi-
ton, the Democrats were able to
elect Buchanan to the Presidency in
the subsequent November.
These facts show that it will not
do to push prccedoats too far, and
that all general rules have theirs
ceptions.
Other political precedents or max.
inns which at one time or another
have seemed too strong to yield 10
any amount of pressure, have finally
broken down. 1t was for many years
treated as an axiom that as Pennsyl.
vahia went at the October elections,
50 New York would go in the fol-
lowi ing November. But in the con.
vulsions of 1856 this axiom, on which
aspirants to office, and those who
slaked money on elections had 80
long relied, was exploded; for while
Pennsy lvania as then carried for
the Democrats by a decisive majority
In October, New York went over
whemii 6 for the Republicans in
Novem ber. Another time honorcd
precedent shared a similar fate in
t famous olitlcal conflicts of 1856.
1t had long been regarded rs firm,
ly ground ed truth, that if either two.
Of the great States Of New York,
Pennsylvania, and Ohio cast their
electoral votes for the same candidate
for President, but lie was sure to be
ch sen. But in that year New York
and Ohio voted for Fremont by
heavy majoritieG, yet Buchanan was
elected nevertheless.
We might cite two or three other
general rules of this character upon
which politicians have been wont to
rely, but which have finally encoun"
tered exceptions and then ceased to
be trusted; but those who have re-
tcrrcd to will suffice to warn the De-
mocrats that they cannot safely couut
upon success in next years election,
merely because a large body Of dis,
gusted Republicans in all parts of
the country stayed away from the
polls last fall, and thus enabled the
Democrats to elect a handsome mas
jority of the House Of Representa-
liyes. So far as the House is con-
cerned. the result Of the Presidential
will depend far more upon
how the Democratic majority act
during the coming session, than
upon the fact that they obtained that
majority in the elections of the past
year. Indeed, should the Demo-
Gratis i'll the House fail to meet the
public expectations on the subject of
reform, the people will be likely to
seize tho opportunity of tho ap.
preaching national contests to set
aside i'll very marked manner a
which has hcrctofnrc cy-