Omaha daily bee., 1910-10-25

government was not bound to respect the
verdict Of tho people, and in fact did not
do SO. contributed 10 the popular notion
that congressional elections arc not i'm
portant anyhow. Therefore the contempt
in which politicians hold the elections OF
an off year. n next month the demo
Gratis should elect majority OF the house
Of representatives, and thus for the first
time In eighteen years achieve a national
victory, the country would not regard the
event as a definite political decision. In
England, or in France, a similar victory
would mean a practical reversal OF the
political policies OF the nation. Here
democratic victory will be valued by the
democrats only IN so far as IL affords basis
for hope OF victory In the presidential cam
paign Of 1912; while the republicans will
pooh-pooh the whole matter as the incOn-
seouentiaI accident of an off year ia
politics.
crom the very beginning of American
political history this tendency 10 subor-
dinate the Importance Of congressional
elections has been fostered by a system OF
political parties whose organization has
depended rather upon presidents than
parliaments. rather upon patronage than
principles. Personal leadership has counted
for much in all political activities in every
country and age but only in the United
states has loyalty TO q personal leader
been made the determining factor in party
government. We have developed the pre-
cinct captain, the county chairman, the
ward leader, the city boss, the pie-dis-
pensing senator and the political president
at the expense of the town meeting, the
county board OF supervisors, the city ooun-
Gil, the state Legislature and the national
congress
In spite of these general truths there are
some striking exceptions to the rule Al
times the congressional campaigns, even
in off years, have assumed a tolerable
degree of Importance and have been the
means OF recording popular political YER
diets which have made permanent impress
upon the course OF national history. Some
times these important political campaigns
have resulted in overtuming a majority
party in the house Of representatives,
( thereby paving the way for a subsequent
presidential victory and The transfer Of all
governmental activity from enc political
party to another Thus the democratic
congressional victory or 1890 presaged the
election of Cleveland in 1892, just as the
republican congressional triumph, Of 1894
foreshsdowed the election OF Mckinley in
! 1896
Sometimes these important congressional
campaigns have. resulted not Ia over
throwing the dominant party IN the house,
but in upsetting the prevailing policy OF
both majority and minority, sometimes
changing the party name but more often
retaining the form while reversing the
practice. Thus in 1910 the democratic ma
jority was increased, yea the vast majority
of the old members were defeated and
new school Of democrats TOOK their places
Henry Clay and John c, Calhoun were
leaders i'm this earlys insurgent movement
1t is interesting to note that these eN-
ceptonal congressional campaigns always
have had their origin in fractional quarrels
among the members Of one OF the prin-
cipal parties. and never as The, esult Of
the attacks Of one party upon the other.
Direct party warfare has succeeded in
arousing the general interest OF the peo-
pie only when in a presidential election
each party has been able to visualize IL
self in the person of It's chosen leader.
Party splits usually, II not always, have
produced interesting congressional cam
paigns. Such Family quarrels always
cause great excitement and more or less
bitterness and they always give the OPP
opposition party great hope. Sometimes
hopes thus engendered have been griev-
Ousy disappointed.
In the present campaign the fractional
quarrel between regular ana insurgent re-
publcans has caused the people of the
country at large to take more Interest
in the election than they have done in
any OFF year since 1894 when there
was a serious split in the then dominant
democratic party Ia SIS not the province
of these articles TO make any political
predictions on 10 draw any historical
analogies. Their only object is TO recall
the events OF past congressional cam
paigns, of other of year elections and
of the political battles WHICH engrossed
the interest and attention OF our fore
fathers.
ny FREDERIC ]. 1AsKIN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Campaigns.
1.-THE Formation Of Parties.