Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-08
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN CONGRESS-

In 1854, the thirty-fourth congress
was elected, and that year the Republi-
can party first appeared as factor in
national politics. They elected 10s men,
bers. In 1856 the presidential election
took place. and with the Know-nothing
party taking away Republican votes in
close districts in the north, the Republi-
can membership in the thirty-fifth con-
gress fell to 90. In 1868 it rose to ia,
and in 1860 fell to 1O6. In the thirty
eighth congress, elected in 1862, the
party had only 102 members, but as the
war had shut out the seeding
states, this controlled the house.
In 1854 there were 145 members of this
political faith, and in 1866 there were
14S. The war was closed, and in the
forty-frst congress elected in 1868 the
Republican membership was 159; in 1870
it was 131, and in 1872 it was 1876, the
largest membership ever achieved by the
party. The next election developed the
great tidal wave that reduced this great
force to los, bringing the party in 1874
to the exact strength in the house that
it had at its inception twenty years
before in 1854. In 1876 the number
rose again to 140, and fell
in 1873 to $50. The presidential year
1880 raised it to 152, then came the Sec
ond great revolt in 1882, which reduced
it to 119. In 1884 it rose again to 1873,
and in 1sSb'to l52. In the congress now
in power, elected in 1888, the party had
ITO, and in the next one, elected last
month, it will have 81 members. The
party, of course, did not always win the
numerical strength outlined above.
Much Of 1t was obtained by throwing out
Democrats to make comfortable work
ing majority.
The Republican party lays much
stress upon its national character. The
fact is the party was conceived in sec
tionalism, and has been true to its
lineage at all stages of its career. 1t is
an interesting study to mark where its
strength has come from since the period
of the war has been fully closed. To
proceed by exclusion, it never had any
honest standing in the southern half of
the union. New England was always
hotly contested by the grand
historic party, which has op-
posed it in all its unconsti-
tutional and usurping programmes.
The Empire state has repudiated it,
and in all so-called central states it has
had terrific struggle for existence.
The section OF the country where the
real strength of the Republican party
has come from is the northwest. 1t
won there on one issue, its anti.slavery
policy. Negro slavery had never existed
in those states, and the prevalent
idea of the institution was derived
from reading "Uncle Toms Cabin"
These states never failed, since the
formation of the Republican party, to
give it practically the full strength of
their vote until this year. During the
war and just after its close the party
ruled the country without practical
opposition. When motions required to
be passed which would make an awk-
ward record if the ayes and noes were
demanded, a sufficient number of Dem
ocrats were thrown out neck and crop
to render such formality unnecessary.
The following table will illustrate the
strength of the Republican party in
congress, derived from the northern and
western states for sixteen years: