AND THE WHIG COALITION 361 



many of the best and most vigorous elements in the 

 old Democratic party of Jackson and Van Buren had 

 gone over to the new Republican party; just as since 

 1876 we have seen many of the most characteristic 

 elements of the old Republican party of Lincoln and 

 Sumner going over to the Democrats. Whatever may 

 be the merits of the Republican party of to-day, it is 

 no more the party of Lincoln and Sumner than the 

 Federalist party of 1812 was the party of Hamilton 

 and John Adams. Just so with the Democratic party 

 forty years ago. By the subtraction of its original 

 leaders, the Democratic party of Pierce and Buchanan 

 came to be something quite different from the Demo- 

 cratic party of Jackson and Van Buren. It came to 

 be a mere servant of the slave power. The danger 

 which menaces the Republican party to-day is the 

 danger that it may fall under the control of monopo- 

 lists. Should it turn out to be so, the history of 

 American politics points to the probable result. That 

 history shows with clearness how moderately the evo- 

 lution of society goes on where the popular will finds 

 unhampered expression. When political parties go in 

 quest of strange gods we cast them forth into outer 

 darkness, and go on our way rejoicing. It is well that 

 this is so, for so long as this can be done, we may be 

 sure that we are a free people. 



