The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1894-11-22
POLITICAL LANDSLIDES.

From the Globe Democrat
tidal waves in congressional cleo
tions we will have to begin with the
early '40s. We must start there
because in 1910 for the first time in
our history two great parties with a
national organization and with reg
ularly recognized leaders began to
struggle on something like equal
terms for supremacy. In 1910 q
great political revolution occurred,
and the wings swept the country on
president and congress, their major
ity in the house, however, @hicn was
thirty one, being smaller in propor-
ton than that in the electoral
college. The whig majority of
thirty -one was overthrown in 1912,
and democratic lead of seventy one
put in its place, the Tyler detection
knocking out the wings. The next
memorable overturn in the house
was in 1854, when the slavery extern
sion excitement changed democra-
tic majority of eighty two gained in
1852 into an anti Nebraska, or
republican margin of about half a
dozen. In 1856 the democrats
recovered the house by lead of
thirty nine, and they lost in 1858,
when the republicans got margin of
twenty seven. --.--
This is the list of the more ntoable
revolutions in congressional elections
onward to the war and reconstruc-
tion period. In every election from
1858 to 1872, both these years
included, the republicans carried
the house. Then the turn came and
the republican majority of los in
1872 was replaced by a democratic
majority of sixty in 1874, the scan
dals which occurred during Grants
second term causing the reverse.
The democrats carried the house in
1876 and 1878, but by much smaller
margins, and they lost it in 1880, at
the time of Garheld's election. Now
occurs the second of the great post
bellum landslides, the republican
house of II majority chosen in 1880
giving way on account of the Blaine
Misunderstanding feud of 1881, to
democratic house of eighty-four
majority in 1882 Until 1888 the
democrats hung on to the house won
In 1882, although by steadily decreas-
ing leads. Then comes the third of
the recent tidal waves, the repub
lican house of even majority
elected in 1883 being succeeded by a
democratic house of l50 plurality and
l42 majority in 1890, the chief cause
of the republican overthrow being
the advances by the Mckinley law
of some duties already adequate, and
the desire of majority of the peo
pie for ''change,"
The tidal wave which has Just
taken place is as sweeping, and will
be as memorable, as any which has
ever occurred. In this case plura-
lity of ninety two for the democrats
gives place to one of somewhere
about the same proportions for the
republicans. Indeed the changes of
votes are even greater at this time
than they were in 1874, 1882 or 1890.
Each of these, which occurred
around the middle of the presiden-
tial term, presaged a reverse for the
presidents party in the election two
years afterward. True, the repub-
licans did not lose the president in
1876, but it was a close shave for
them, and the house chosen in that
year was democratic. Two years
after the next two landslides, or in
1854 and 1892, the party which lost
in them, the republican party, was
beaten for the presidency.
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