Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-06-22
Political Upheavals.
st. Paul Globe.

The events which eliminated in the
political upheavals of 40 and 80, and
in the election of Harrison and Pierce
to the chief magistracy of the country,
were of minor importance in their
bearing on the political and material
interests of the country when compared
with the causes which precipitated the
conflict between the Grant and Blaine
political interests at the Chicago con-
vention in 1SS0-the first signal defeat
of the hero Of Appomattox-and the
subsequent nomination of Gen. Gar
field as the standard bearer of the re-
publicans in that memorable campaign.
The issues on which the opposing par
ties went to the country III the cam
paigns of '32 and SO, went not only to
the integrity, but even to the very ex-
istence of the government itself. The
signal triumph of the policy of the
democratic party on both occasions
eliminated from the politics of that day
the cause bu. not the effect of popular
discomfort; and the people in 1S40,
with the effects of the panic of '37
yet staring them in the face and forget
ting that the heroic treatment to which
the democracy Iesorted in '36 WAS
essential to the life of the nation,
soug',t relief in a change in the admin
istration of the government, resulting
in the election Of Gen. Harrison, the
whig candidate. The evanescent
causes, however, which led to Gen.
Harrison's election were buried with
him few weeks after his Inauguration,
and the vice-president, Mr.. Tyler,
made no effort during the term of his
Office to defend the political policy to
which he WAS indebted for The position
he held, but on the contrary, pursued
the reverse policy. The election in SO
resulted in divorclng the fiHan-
cial interests Of the government
from those of the national bank,
and the permanent establishment of
the present treasury system. The
remedy under the circumstances was
a radical one, but its application WAS
essential to the independence Of the
legislative department of the govern
ment, if not the independence of the
government itself, and the wisdom of
the measure Is sanctioned by the ex-
perience of the last half century of our
national life. To the subsequent with
drawal OF the notes of the defunct bank
from general circulation, was no doubt
due the more serious phase of the
panic of 1887, the effects of which
were still to be seen and felt, three
years later when the wings took ad
vantage of the Frustrated CONDITION of
the numerical industrial interests III
the country to elect Gen. Harrison to
the presidency. The disintegratlon of
the wing party may be stated to have
commenced at the close of the cam
paigI OF 1S4O-s campaign conducted
from first TO last under false pretenses,
and from the fatal consequences of
which it only temporarily rallied III As
to expire on the accession of MIR. Pierce
to the presidency in 1852.
The causes which led to the diSsen.
sious in the republican party in '16,
the defeat of Mr.. Blaine at Cincinnati
and the nomination of Hsyes--tollowe
| by the nomination of Gen. Garfield
| four years later-were IN many essen
tal particulars not dissimiar TO the
causes which led To the decentralization
OF the whig party during the admins
tration of President Taylor, and ita
final dissolution in 1862. The demon,
alizing influence of the national bank
on the government, from the date of
its organization to its final overthrow
in 1886 was fnr less fatal 10 the vigor
and integrity # the republic than the
bay onet policy the republican party
enforced in the southern states subse-