Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-20

peaceful changes in party control, which
had gone uninterruptedly from the begin
ming, was rudely broken by war.
/ The period of Republican ascendency
which began with the election of 1861
ended with that of 1884 Power wa:
never held so long by any organization
uninterruptedly before except by the JEFF
fersonian party, the parent of the presen
Democracy, when it acquired control il
1900. The early years Of the period, the
civil war era, was the second heroic age o
the Republic. In those years, also, wa!
displayed by the party in power an energy
and constructive ability, combined with al
intelligence, vigor and resourcefulness il
meeting and mastering the difficulties en-
countered in providing ways and means fol-
the prosecution of the war, and in subse
quently restoring and maintaining the pub.
lie credit, such as have not been APP
preached by any other party except the
Federalists during their twelve years o.
lower under Washington and the first
Adams.
THE GREAT POLITICAL EVENTS
OF the twenty-four years of Republican
control, apart from the prosecution of the
war and suhjugation of the rebellion, were
the adoption of the Morrill, tariff, the issue
of the greenbacks, the creation OF the ma
tional banking system, the raising OF
money TO carry on the Government during
the war, the reconstruction of the insurgent
Stales, the restoration of the public credit,
the adoption of the post-rebellion amend
Inents to the Federal Constitution, the
creation of an Electoral Commission to
settle disputes III the count of Presidential
F., Electors, the passage of the silver-dollar
coinage law, and the creation of the State
of West Virginia out of part Of Virginia,
and the admission Of the Territories OF
/ Nevada, Nebraska and Colorado to State
hood. The chief political figures of the
era, aside from the Presidents, were VIM.
, II. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Hannibal
Hanalin, Jefferson Davis, Thaddeus Stevens,
! for long time on Of the Republican
leaders in Congress Galusha A. Grow, the
/ first, and Schuyler Colfax, the second of
! the Speakers of the House of Representa-
| tiyes during the war; j. S. Morrill, the
father of the Morrill, tariff; Henry Will
/ son, Charles Sumner, c. l.. Vallandigham,
! Jesse D. Bright, Roscoe Coukling. James
L. Blaine and John Sherman. Nal,andig-
! ham and Bright, during the war period,
were the two most conspicuous of Western
/ copperheads
FOR FOUR YEARS ONLY.
The ninth political revolution in the
| country's history was the defeat of the Re-
pubicans in 1884, after holding control of
! the Government for almost quarter of a
century. The contest in that wear was
notable for many reasons 1t was the
closest canvass ever decided at the polls
! it was the third in which the vote of New
/ York had been decisive, acd it put into
] the Presidency a man who was scarcely
known outside his own city three years
! before, who was not great statesman, who
had no experience in politics on the ma
; tional stage and who had no military
record. Men had been made President
before who had neither political expert
ence in national office nor any knowledge
of craftsmanship, but military service had
gained them the office
| The most striking political manifesto
tons OF the four years in which the Dem
4, ocrats were in power after their victory in
I 1884, was the movement in favor of a low
tariff started by President Cleveland in
one of his annual messages to Congress,
and the crusade Of his party in Congress
in the same direction, under the leader
ship of r. @. Mills.
| TENTH AND LAST REVOLUTION.
! The Republican victory in 1888 marks
| the tenth and latest swing which the par
tisan pendulum has taken in the century
which has just closed, Of the Government
| life under the Constitution The issue
which the Democrats raised to iengthen
and strengthen their hold on power-the
4. tarifl-was the very issue which drove
them out of power.
FUTURE PROBABILITIES.
Here is the record of the political revo-
/ lutions which have occurred in the past
100 years. Ten of them in all have taken
place, and they happened in these years:
1900, 1924, 1928, 1910, 1914, 1S48, 1852,
. 1860, 1884 and 1888. The length of time
between each two varies from four years to
twenty-four. Five of these periods of
power extended only four years each, one
lasted for eight years, two each for twelve
and two each for twenty-four. Averages
IN this case would be useless as basis for
representations for the future-but even
the most eursory and superficial inquiry
into political history viii show that the
conditions which led to the long period of
sway of the Jeffersonian party from 1900
to 1924, and of the Republicans from 1860
to 1884, are altogether extraordinary, and
not likely to occur again within the next
half or three-quarters of century. Prob
abilities in the future point to short peri
DDS of power by any party.
VITALITY OF POLITICAL PRINCIPLE.
] The record also shows the vitality OF
political principles and the evenness by
which the party balance is held among
I the people. Omitting the first fifteen or
twenty years of the Government, during
! which both parties favored protection to
home industries, the line of cleavage be-
/ tween the partisan organizations is broad
and distinct. The Federalists, Loose Con-
structionists, National Republicans, Wings
and Republicans have been the champions
of a broad Interpretation of the Constitu-
ton, strong central Government, protec-
ton to domestic industries and generous
internal improvements. and the Anti-Fed-
eralists, Republicans, Strict Construction
lists and Democrats have opposed them.
The school of thought taking the negative
side of this proposition-the Democrats
and their progenitors-have held power
ffty-two years, and those holding the
affirmative side the Republicans and
their partisan ancestors-will have held
power just ffty-two years also when the
present Presidential term ends.-.&. Louis
Globe Democrat.
An Art Criticism.
Bonnat, the great French paInter-nota-
bly, in portraiture-was interviewed last
mn.1th hv Thenhnra Stanton for the Chi