The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-07-24
THIRTEENTH OF JULY, 1854.

| pdICy WdS OISdillZbQf LII NISCOuSlIl. Il y
this State belongs the honor Of holding
the first Republican Convention held
i in the West and the first in the Union.
The, cause which led to the organiza-
Ition of the party can be briefly given.
! The Whig party became broken up on
! the question of slavery It could not
unite it's forces for or,against that great
evil. It also became. corrupt, and had
E5suffered overwhelming defeats, The
Democratic party had gone over entire
]ly to the South-becoming intensely
pro- slavery, and was therefore, con
tltrolled by the, slaYe-holding power.
Just then there were the most exciting
scenes occurring in Congress. Day by
day the, Democratic party which APP
peared before. the world as a defender
of the. system of human slavery, was
digging it's grave deeper and deeper.
The event which fired the hearts of
Northern patriots, finally came. On
the 30th Of May, 1854, and not ON the
30th of March, as stated by the Inter
/ Ocean, the notorious Kansas and Ne
braska bill passed both houses of Con-
EFgress. BY that bill these two Terrific
ries were organized under territorial
! gOvernme and the 14th section Of
the bill repealed the far-famed Miss
!ouri Compromise act of 1920, an act
which had been on the statute books
/ for "a years. This work Of the slave
/ power brought on the first blow for
Freedom. The feeling in Wisconsin
! became intense, and it began to spread
/ rapidly throughout the Northwest.
! The Glover case, with which the pub
| lie is well acquainted, gave the Repub-
lican movement q powerful impetus in
Wisconsin. Determined to resist the
aggression of the oligarchy, call
was issued for a mass convention to
be held at Madison on the 18th of July,
[ and all persons opposed to the repeal
Of the Missouri Compromise and the
extension Of slavery, were invited to
lattend On that day between 1900 and
1000 people assembled in the Capitol
park, and then and there tire great Re-
publican party Of this state-a party
grand in its achievements and noble in
| its deeds--Was organized
The President of the Convention was
John WalW worth, then Of Greene coun-
ty, who since became minister and
an editor, and is still living. The Sec
retaries were General Atwood and
Judge Frisby, who are also living.
| Among tile men who took part in that
memorable Convention, the proceed
/ ings OF which were heralded all over
the land, were our esteemed fellow cit
izen, Hon. David F. Sayre, of Porter,
the lamented Harvey, of tzais county.
and our former townsman and honored
friend, J. A. Sleeper, now of Chicago.
That famous Convention resolved
That the repeated and long contin-
1 ued encroachment of the slave power,
eliminating at last in the repeal of the
| law Of freedom in all of the hitherto
unorganized territories Of the Union.
forces upon US the conviction that
there is no escape from the alternative
of freedom or slavery as political is
sue, which is to determine whether
the future administration of the Gov
eminent shall be devoted to the one
or the other. - ----J .>''1 jan .--4I f-51
Resozved, That we accept this issue,
forced upon us by the slave power, and
in defence of freedom will cooperate
and be known as Republicans, pledged
| to the accomplishment of the following
purposes:
70 bring the administration of the
Government back to the control of first
principles.
To restore Nebraska and Kansas
back to the position Of free territories.
To the repeal and entire abrogation
7 of the fugitive slave law. '
To restrict slavery to the States in
which it exists. l. 30 G1-E EAa4 -
To prohibit the admission of any
more slave States into the Uuion. ~ j
TO exclude slavery from all the ter
lritories over which the General Govern
ment has exclusive Jurisdiction. e.
And to resist the-acquirement of any
more territory, unless the prohibition
Of slavery therein forever shall have
been provided for. l9a1~ald 1s36z ~ f.eB
a Resolved, That in furtherance of
these principles, we Willsus such con-
lstltutional and lawful means as shall
seem best adapted to their accomplish
lment, and that We will supporting man
Flor office under the General orgState
who is not positively and
fully committed to thesupport of these
principles, and whose personal charac-
tel and conduct is not a guarantee that
he is reliable SOC 81. .s
Resol0ed, That we. cordially invite
all persons, whether Of native or for
elgn birth, who are in favor of the OBJ
jects expressed in the above resolutions,
to unite with us in carrying them into
leffect. @s.
At the first gubernatorial election
after the adoption of these resolutions.
the Republicans elected Bashford Gov
ernor, and from that day to this, there
has been but one Democratic Governor
of Wisconsin-W. r. Taylor-Who
served one term only. At every ma
tional election. since the organization
OF the party it has been carried by the
Republicans, and to-day the party is
stronger in the faith than ever.
In al Ma . 9 q