The Portland daily press., 1882-11-14

minlstrations. In 1878 we had Democratic
reaction and Bourbon Congress. That was
midway between Hayes and Garfield. In 1874
we had Democratic reaction. and a Bourbon
Congress That was midway between Grant
end Hayes. IA 1870 we had Democratic re-
action and a Bourbon Congress. That vas
midway between Grants first and second AID
minst atoms The parallel will hold good
even as to Lincoln's Administration, for, had
not one-third of the Union been without repre-
sentation III Congress in 1862, the Democratic
opposition would have unquestionably had
majority in the House from 1868 to 1865. The
parallel might be pursued back to the very be-
ginnings of party government in the Republic
and would be found to run almost without
break through the histories of the Republican
and Democratic, tho older Wing and Demo
cratic, and the still older Republican and Fed
eralist parties The instances where an Ad-
ministration has failed to fnd itself confronted
with popular reaction at the midway point
between its commencement and its close are
so rare as to serve merely as exceptions in
proof of the rule. Nothing happened yester-
day save what has nearly always happened at
the national elections following Eext after the
beginning of Presidential term. The s.outs'
have once moro rallied and ma Q a formidable
demonstration. The usual biennial swing of the
pendulum has taken place. The Republicans
being in power, its swing is away from them.
The law of political reaction, however, is not
more certainly proven by our past experience,
than the law of reaction against reaction.
When the pendulum has reached in its course,
the extreme point of the arc, it returns to the
other side, and the more violent its forward
rush the more violent will be its backward i'm
petus The Democratic reactions OF 1874 and
1878 respectively were as alarming to superb
cial reasoners at the time as that which has now
manifested itself. Nevertheless, it was tenn
porary reaction only, not permanent revolu-
ton. Republican Presidents were elected in
1876 and 1880 respectively, and duly inaugu-
rated, Notwithstanding the Bourbon reactions
which, ia each case, had shown such great
strength and force two years previously.
What has been will be. Thu Republican par
ty has suffered general repulse- all along the
line, but it is not annihilated. 1t is still the
ruling party of the country, and it will elect
the next President and control the Congress
that comes in with him, if only it studies the
lessons of this defeat, aud wisely applies them
in shaping its future course. 1t will be found,
we believe, the more this catastrophe is inves-
tgated that in every Northern State which
they yesterday lost the Republicans have ac-
quiesced in and assisted their own overthrow,
for a variety of reasons, good bad and indiffer-
ent. In this State, certainly, and doubtless in
the Others the Democrats have, in fact, gained
next to nothing except what has been yielded
to them by Republicans, either through gentr-
al apathy local disaffections, or personal an
tagonisms all of which in the SOLDERING shade
of opposition, and under the still more sober
ing infiction of Democratic Congress, will
disappear and leave the Republican party,
purged and clean, clothed and in its right
mind" ready to resume Its proper place in
1884 as the great constructive and progressive
p4rty of the country.