Which was the main issue that divided presidential candidates of the democratic and republican parties in the late nineteenth century?
going to war
supreme court rulings
lowering or raising tariffs
newspaper coverage of scandals

The main issue that divided presidential candidates of the Democratic and Republican Parties in the late nineteenth century was about lowering or raising tariffs.

The Democratic candidates defended a progressive tax, and did not oppose the tax increase to finance the government.

On the other hand, Republicans favored a "fixed tax" (same tax rate regardless of income), and opposed the increase in taxes.

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nothing certain is known about what happened, but it seems that the country declined gradually, perhaps due to bad government, or, more likely, due to a series of bad harvests, which resulted in widespread and recurrent famine.