Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-12-10
The Future Of the Republican
Party.

The republican party never had a
| fairer outlook than the present. 1t
has been returned to power, after a
brief interval of four years, with such
an expression of popular confidence
in its promises and principles as the
people have seldom given. It's can
didates won in spite of the fact that
the power of official patronage was
against it; the democratic candidates
were defeated in spite of the fact that
the immense patronage of the gov
ernment was in their favor. The una
nimity of the South for democracy
has been more than matched by the
substantial unanimity of the North
and west for republicanism.
The republican party touched the
lowest point in the scale of power in
1884. Since then it has begun to
rise again. 1t received it's first severe
blow during Hayes administration.
The new policy which Mr.. Hayes
adopted toward the South, though a
wise and necessary policy, was disas-
trous to the republican party in that
section. The reaction, by suppress
ing the colored, or republican vote,
made the South solid for the demo-
cratic party, which became once more
formidable rival in the struggle for
national ascendancy. The republic
an party won with Garfield; but it
was defeated with Blaine. 1t needed
in 1884 but a straw to turn the bal
ances for Cleveland, and an unwise
nomination was that straw. Then
came the real opportunity of the dem
ocratic party; but feeling secure,
with the South solid in its support,
it forgot or repudiated its promises,
gave the South undue prominence in
the government, attacked the princi-
pie Of protection from a southern
standpoint, and manifested the ut
most Indifference respecting the mon
strous crime against the franchise in
the South. The party that repudi-
ates its pledges to the people will it
self be repudiated by the people.
This is the explanation, in large part,
of the defeat of the democratic party.
Its candidates were unpopular, its
principles Objectionable and its prom
ises discredited. The republican
party, on the contrary, brought for
ward it's best men, and stood for the
defense of American interests and
the rights of the people. Its fortunes
are again in the ascendant, and its
lease of power may be long if it
proves worthy of the trust confided
to it.
The Solid South must become less
and less a dominant power political
ly. If it made the democratic fortune
in 1884, it failed to maintain it IN
1888. -Four years hence it will be a
smaller factor in the contest, even if
it remains unbroken. Several states
in the Northwest will be admitted be-
fore that date, and a new appoint
ment will have been made on the ba-
sis of the census of 1890. The great
est growth of population is in the
states classified as republican. The
North and West will therefore have
most of the additional votes in the
electoral college, the South gaining
but few, if any. Moreover, the South
can hardly remain unbroken. Vir-
ginia and West Virginia, North Caro-
lima and Florida are almost sure to
become republican before 1892. Mis-
souri, is not hopelessly democratic, nor
is it impossible that Tennessee should
become republican. The South must
break for its own sake, and good
republican administration for the next
four years will surely help it to break.
-Independent.