The Opposition Party in Illinois was a political label used in 1874, when it was adopted by a coalition of all groups opposed to
Republican Party rule in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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and
Cook County
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
.
The Opposition Party opposed
temperance
Temperance may refer to:
Moderation
*Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed
*Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion
Culture
*Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...
laws and the alleged corruption of the Republican machine and incorporated both Democrats and more radical political elements.
Several members were elected to the 29th
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...
on the Opposition Party ticket in the election of 1874; these included
Moses Wentworth
Moses Jones Wentworth (1848–1922) was an American lawyer and politician from Chicago, who served as a member of the 29th, 30th, and 31st General Assemblies in the Illinois House of Representatives, from the 1st District. He was elected as a ...
in the 1st district, William H. Stickney in the 6th district, and William H. Skelly in the 7th district.
The coalition was not successful at the local level, and did not appear in subsequent elections.
References
{{reflist, 30em
Defunct political parties in the United States