OCR Text |
Show THE LESSON OF THE HOl'H. The political parties of tlio country have juht been taught an important lesson. The country demands peace, improvement, progress and reduced taxation. It fays old war i.-sues sliyu'.d be 1uried, and wi.-dies its representatives representa-tives to address themselves to the questions ques-tions of the ' hour. It recognized the cervices of the party which was most prominent in the war, and in its determination deter-mination to maintain tbe Union it supported sup-ported the K-publicans not only in needful mea-ures to that end, but in others which might have been dispensed dis-pensed with. But some of that party, mistaking tho feelings of the nation, -nought to coutinue a line of policy no longer de.-irable or necessary. Though tbe people of the nation are willing to redeem the national honor by paying the pubiie debt, they havo no desire to Bi'e progress impeded, commerce crippled crip-pled and tlie country groaning under heavy taxation to pay it in a few years, in addition to the immense expenditure expendi-ture of blood, bone aud sinew of which the nation was bereft in that terrible struggle. The perpetuation of the income in-come tax, by re-enactment, beyond the date at which Congress had declared it should cease, gave serious offense to the nation. So did the high tariff measures, which press more heavily upon the mass of the people than upon up-on capitalists. And the prescriptive spirit which was stiongly man ifestcd by some leading Republicans, Re-publicans, and which . aimed at keeping a large portion of the citizens citi-zens of the Southern States in a condition condi-tion of expiatory political vassalage, partook too largely of vengeful bitterness bitter-ness to meet the minds of a great and magnanimous people. The elections of last week were highly important, as expressing the sense of a large portion of the country on these points. Notwithstanding the Republicans had the advantage of the colored vote, and the Democrats lost largely of the German vote, in consequence conse-quence of the position taken by that party at the beginning of the Franco-Prussia Franco-Prussia war, the elections have resulted re-sulted in large Democratic gains. The effect upon the legislation of the next Congress cannot but be beneficial to the country. The Forty-Second Congress will not be able to pass any strongly obnoxious measure ; the House of Representatives Rep-resentatives will be too equally divided to permit it. We may, therefore, expect ex-pect that strong efforts will be made by both parties to introduce such measures as will be likely to meet public approval, appro-val, that a stronger hold may be gained on public favor before the Presidential election of 1ST2. The past week has given a lesson that both the great parties par-ties may profit by in their preparations for it. |