The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-03-02
POLITICAL UPHEAvALS.
suOGIcai Reasoning OF W0uld-Bs Re
publican President.

POLITICAL UP,1EAvALS.
! suo<Ic.i Reasoning Of wouId-Hs Re.
publican President.
Hon. Thomas Il. Reed has an article
| in the North American Review for
January On ''Historic Political Cpheav-
ais He touches lightly upon the
changes which followed the French
revolution, notes the execution Of
Charles l., the rise Of Cromwell, the
restoration of the Stuarts and the COM
plete and permanent revolution Of
1858, and then comes down to our own
history. Abiding briefly to the large
ma jority cast for Franklin Pierce in
1852, he says it was then supposed that
the slavery question was settled, which
everyb body knows was great mistake.
Then he tells of the big republican vic
tory Of 1872, which was followed By
the republican overthrow in 1874, and
comes down to the elections Of 1890,
1892, 1893 and 1884, What happened in
these years is, OF course, fresh in the
minds OF newspaper readers.
We note in Mr.. Reeds article a fail
ure to dedcce the logical consequences
Of the facts which he adduces. and
even to apply at tho end the principles
which he enuncia ted at tho beginning
of his article.
All the lessons laid down in the first
half of the article tend to show how
baseless is the confidence in pern1a nency
of power for the party which happens
to be the beueficiary of a great polite
nj upheaval. When the French rcvo-
luton occurred, people thought there
They were disappointed. When the
Eonrbons We're restored every body
thought the old days had returned to
stay: They, too were deceived. So it
went all along the line, until the cleo
lion Of 1891 was reached, when Mr..
Reed. instead Of warning his party that
this was in no sense guaranty of its
continuance in power, contented him
self with saying that the elections OF
last November ''seen to have settled
the future Of this country for many
years." This appeared to afford a good
opening for Mr.. Reed to add that
''things are not what they SEEM" but
he concluded his article with few OBJ
servations which imply that tho re-
publicans are going to rule the country
to the end of time.
Mr.. Reeds explanation Of tho dlisas-
tiers Of 1890 and 1899 is peculiar. When
he says that the passage Of the taSjf
bill should have taken place by the
middle OF July we understand him we'll
enough. No doubt the repu blcans suf-
fered in 1890 from delay in passing the
tariff bill. just as the democrats did in
1894. But when he brings il, the Bar
ing failure to supplement it he re-
verses history, for that did not occur
till after the election. Nor is it true
that tho influences which produced
the Barring failurc,.' as Mr.. Reed e.s-
presses it, were disccrntble before tn.
election Of 1890. But after this failure
had been Influencing business unfa :or-
bly, for two years, Mr.. Reed says that
in 1852 the republicans had to meet
1.-The unrest that comes slowly with too
anifor7n prosperity" Thus the rcpub-
licans were slaughtered ''a-comi,1' and
In 1890 the Barring failure
made times hard before it occurred,
and in 1892 the too uniform prosperity
that the people had enjoyed after the
failure made them snite the republic |
an party hip and thigh.
This reasoning will strengthen tho !
current opinion that Mr.. Reed is first !
Of NIL n hu1norist. This is further rein |
forced by his saying that the rcpub- |
lican party suffered in 1892 from gerry |
of the worst character, |
though it is known that gerryma nders
do not figure iii the choice of presiden-
tial electors, in which respect tho de-
feat of the republicans was most con-
spicuous. Nor did the gerrynanders
prevent the republicans from getting
a great majority Of congressman at tho
last election.
1t is unfortunate that Mr.. Reed was
not able to finish his article in the
strain in which he began
it; but the reason is clear enough !
There was a war between Mr.. Reed, |
the philosopher, and Mr.. Reed, the
for the presidency. The
said enough in the begin
,ing to warn the republicans that
heir landslide of 1894 may not avail
hem in 1896, but the candidate felt
mpel1ed to tell them at the close that
hey will continue to rule the country, i
1T may be for years, and it may be for
.ver.' For all that the application of
Mr.. Reeds facts shows that the result
II the election of 1896 is as doubtful as
uturc events generally are; and it is
equally doubtful whether a republican
'ictory in that year would inure to
he benefit of Mr.. Kecd.-Louisville
PARAGRAPHIC POINTERS.
PerhanS 4 will I., 4-> |