The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-11-20
Subscription by Mail POSTPAID.
The Era of Good Feeling.

II is worth while to call attention TO GER
tain points OF resemblance between tho po-
litical situation existing today and that
which ushcrcd in, just seventy-nve years
ago, the remarkable period known In his
tory as tho Ira Of Good Feeling.
The Democracy elected JAMES MONROE
"a President In 1916 bya majority so drci-
sive that It's opponent. the old Fcdcralist
party. grandparcnt Of tho present Repub-
lican organization, practically went out OF
business. MONROE had 1873 electoral votes
against "a for Rur,s KING. Tho Fodcralsts
never aftcrward elected II President by n
vote of the people. Tho Fcdcralst party
was so exhausted by It's overwhelming de-
feat In 1slG. and by the disappearance Of the
Issues which had given 1t vitality. that four
years later it put up no candidate. The tri-
umphant Democracy carried every state in
the Union in $50, and MONROE. for his Sec
ond term, received every electoral vote ex-
ccpt one vote in New HAMPSHIRE.
The era OF good feeling began with Mon
RoE's inauguration in 1917 and lasted for
six years. Tho Fcdcralists were i'll n hope
less and helpless minority. The questions
which divided parties in the past had dis
appeared. and the new questions that were
to divide parties were not yet clearly de-
fined. The era Of good feeling was charac-
terizcd by tho moderation of party spirit to
adcgrco witnessed neither before nor since
that period. MI MoNEoEs inaugural adj
dresses and successive annual messages to
Congress rcallikc SO many thanksgiving
proclumatiOns or chants or ripans of har-
mony. good fellowship. and nntionnl
brotherhood. Tho President travelled all
over the Union. bcaming alike upon tho
Just md tho unjust, upon Democrats and
Federaists, and dispensing 10th good all
vice and the suGarcd sweets of patriotic
rhetoric with 10 illibcral spoon. Embit-
tered and hot-tempcrcl leaders Of parties"
says an historian, "who for the last seven
years had hardly dcigncd to speak to each
other, or even walk upon the same side Of
the street. met now with smiling faces.
vying in extravaganza Of republican loyalty.
The era of good feeling having thus begun
the way was rapidly paved for that COM
plete amGlgamation of parties which took
place q few years after
This Is lovely picture. At first glance it
would seem that the term OF President Mon
ROE. following the Dcmocracy's decisive vic
tory of seventy-fve yeats ago. must have
Deen inc very SOluen age Oh hup"uinIpeTN
1t is proper to explain. no ever. that while
Mr.. MoNRoE'5 smiles and cheerful words Of
non-partisanship were for Democrats and
Federalists alike. his appointments To Office
were governed by strictly partisan princ-
Piles. Even ANDELw JACKSON besought
him in vain to "unitc II people heretofore
politically divided" by taking into his
Cabinet ono or moro statesmen from
among the Fcderaists and Mugwumps
and anti-snappcrs of that day. NO. sir"
replied Mr.. MONROE. substantially. II
am q Democrat. The party that elected
me Is Democratic. Let the era of good
feeling continue by all means. and grow
and overspread the land. till tho whole
armament seems like one vast rainbow. but
the Offices are for Democrats"
Are we now on the eve OF another era of
good feeling? Let us hope SO. in the sense
that everybody may be patriotic and happy.
and that cmbittered party leaders may
smile on each other again and no longer
refuse to walk on tho same side of the
street. This depends largely upon our Re-
publican friends and brethren: the Demo
Gratis arc feeling pretty we'll already. As
to the disposition Of the offices, in tho Cabi-
net and elsewhere. Mr. MoNgoE's theory
OF the proper limits of good feeling Is quite
sufficient for modern application.