Iron County register., 1888-12-27


the whole people for forty successive
years. But, to show how utterly un-
forseen is the destiny of any party. the
Wings in 1910 carried General Rarri-
son into the Presidency with swoop
that was as surprising to themselves
as to their amazed and bewildered ad-
versaries.
And curiously enough the party that
performed this feat was only four
years old. 1t had no principles and
made no pretensions to any. save OPP
position to the administration of the
day. Its candidate was seventy years
old and had no especial qualifications
or claims for the Office. It was simply
sort of fright and spasmodic reac-
tion of the people, following the severe
panic of 1887, which was supposed to
have been brought about by Jackson's
warfare upon the United States Bank
and Van Buren's fidelity to his prede-
cessor's policy. About the only logic
in the whole Whig craze is expressed
in the familiar party lines:
Farewell dear Van,
You're not our man;
To guide our ship,
Wen try old Tip;
or in those still sillier ones:
For Tippecanoe and Tyler, too-Tppecanoe
And with them wen beat little Van. Van
Van is used up man;
And with them Wei beat little Van.
But the hollow craze of Whiggery
subsided almost as quickly as it came.
In 1874 the Democracy reunited under
James X. Polk, the first '.dark horse"
in American politics. Once more. e.the
Whig party lifted it's head in 1S4S, and
elected Zachary Taylor, after which it
vanished forever. From 1852 to 1860
the Democracy held the reins of
power. when the long-developing free
soil issue eliminated in the birth of
the Republican party.
In these great political changes the
mere election returns offer no in
telligent basis for determining the fort
unes of party. In 1886 the popular
vote for Van Buren, in the 26 States
that took part was 761, $40, as against
the combined Whig vote of 736, ,656.
Van Buren, had 40 electoral votes out
of 294, against four Wing competitors.
But only four years later Harrison's
popular vote nearly doubled, and the
entire Democratic combination got but
60 electoral votes out of the 294. Four
years later the scales tipped back
again, only to be reversed once more
and then swing back again to Democ-
racy.
If the reader will examine the his
tory of these times he will see how
sensitive is the popular pulse to the
merest accidents of political admins
tration. Yet, on the whole, the average
vitality of the Democratic party has
remained constant for eighty-eight
years.
A more astonishing havoc in election
figures than the Harrison ''hard CIDER"
'.log cabin upheaval is seen in the
way in which Grant swept the board
in 1868 and 1872. In 1868 Horatio Sey-
mour got but 80 electoral votes out of
317, in thirty seven States, Grant
capturing solid Democratic States right
and left. In 1872 the slaughter was
still more terrific, and the entire COM
bination of Hendricks, Brown, Gree
Icy, Ccuhluo otIu DdNlo P1ttCo dS
Grant only secured 63 electoral votes
against his 286. The Democracy only
got AZ electoral votes this trip; yet,
four years later, Samuel j. Tilden had
a popular vote of 1924. .885, against
4,O33, $50 for Hayes. No honest man
need hesitate to say, too. that he had
majority OF the electoral college, and
was fairly elected President of the
United States.
The real Democratic sentiment has
been at its average pressure since Til
den was cheated out of his seat. 1t
has been merely some unforeseen ele-
ment that decided the issue in the con-
test between Garfield and Hancock,
and of Cleveland against Harrison.
The real sentiment of the country is as
strongly Democratic to-day, when
given fair expression, as it was eighty
eight years ago, when Jefferson
founded the party. Democracy still
stands for certain line of principles
and tendencies in tree government
which are bound to live and to tri-
umph in the long run.
He who fippantly predicts that the
Democratic party will not revive for
twenty-five, fifty or one hundred years
can be none other than the insincere
charlatan, joker Or '' ''bluffer." No such
hollow nonsense will ruffie the faith of
an intelligent Democrat, nor will it de-
ter the leading lights of the party from
holding to the temperate and reason
able policy of opposing the over-taxa-
tion Of the masses for the benefit of the
classes. Boston Globe
Let the monopolists carry things
with a high hand now, for the day is
not remote when the accursed syste m
of reciprocal rapine, which enables
them to plunder the country and to