Final answer:
In the late 1800s, Democrats aimed to spotlight government issues and high taxes to discredit the Republicans, reflecting sectional tensions and economic disagreements between the North and South. Option A.
Step-by-step explanation:
By highlighting issues with government inefficiencies and high taxes in the late 1800s, the Democrats were intent on making the Republicans look bad.
This strategy was part of the broader political context where Democrats, particularly in the South, were against protective tariffs which they believed favored Northern industrial interests and harmed the Southern economy.
The Democrats also opposed Republican-supported measures like land grants for farmers and the railroads, seeing these as promoting a northern agenda and potentially undermining the Southern agricultural economy.
So Option A is correct.