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 and Cook County.
[1] The Opposition Party opposed temperance laws and the alleged corruption of the Republican machine[2] and incorporated both Democrats and more radical political elements.
[1] Several members were elected to the 29th Illinois General Assembly on the Opposition Party ticket in the election of 1874; these included Moses J. Wentworth in the 1st district, William H. Stickney in the 6th district, and William H. Skelly in the 7th district.
[3] The coalition was not successful at the local level, and did not appear in subsequent elections.
[1]