The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-24
A BIT OF POLITICAL HISTORY.
How the Republican Party Was Organized
in Maine.

! William II. Smith, in Portland Proes.
| The Republican State convention in 1856
was the first State assembly OF delegates held
by this party in Maine. 1t was composed Of
l,1S6 members, representing every section.
No gathering ever had more important
bearing upon our political history. In
moral worth and ability none ever was
superior in the country. 1t met to take
measures to resist the extension of slavery,
and was composed of men who had been po-
litical antagonists for lifetime upon other
issues. The Missouri compromise had been
repealed, and approval of that act was
then a test OF fealty to the Democratic party.
The Wing party met its Waterloo IN 1852.
I Seven-eightS of it in our State, under the
lead of William Pitt Fessenden, became Re
publican, while the balance followed George
Evans, Eben F, Pillsbury, and Marcellus
Emery into the Democratic party, and be-
came the most intolerant portion of that
party, and during the war were noted for
their disoyal acts. As l look over the
names OF the men who were active, Repub-
licans at that time | find that the great
majority of them have passed away! Hardly
one of the officers or single member of
the committee is known to our politics now
The convention met in Deering Hall July
8, 1856. The committee on permanent
organization reported the name OF a we'll
known mechanic for president viz, Hon.
Freeman H. Morse, of Bath. He was a self
made man, block maker by trade, and one
or our able men. He would be a
| stranger to our people to-day,
for he has resided in London,
| England, for the past twenty years. He was
in the Legislature from Bath for years, and
| in ata nf
the Wing party for Governor in 1915. A
| leading Southern statesman had called our
mechanics mud-sillS, and it seemed appro-
i pirate to select one to preside at the conyen-
ton. A vice-president from each county
was chosen The nomination for Governor
vain that he and his personal friends pro-
tested, for they feared it would cost him the
Senatorship, The answer to this was: I'VE
will make him BOTH" and they did it.
| the campaign that year in our State was
| one not soon to be forgotten Mr.. Hamlin
I bad an ovation from Kittery Point to
| Quoddy Head, and from Pemaquid to Aroos-
took. 1t is no disparagement to others to
/ say that no man in our borders ever had so
many devoted friends or was more loyal to
them than he. How calamity
he bore. the banner on which
was inscribed the motto of his party,
| Free soil, free speech and free menI' For
| years he had looked slavery in the face with
out finching With him jefferson, Van
| Buren,, Wright, Rantoul and David Wilmot
were the true expounders of Democracy.
He had no more love for Calhoun and his
theories than honest old Andrew Jackson
The Democratic party in Maine, from the adj
mission of the State into the Union to 1853,
| had been true to freedom. From the latter
date Calhounism ruled its councils. In that
| year came the Oxford bears to Portland
headed by Hon. Noah Prince, and nominated
/ 4 I. IL IL
| for Governor From that time there was no
>more union in the party. Mr.. Hamlin was
the noted leader of the Wlmot proviso
wing, and it was proper that he should
lead party who had adopted
| the free-soil resolutions of the Demo
cratic State convention in 1S49. His
! opponent, the Hon Samuel Wells, was Gov
ernor of the State, an honorable, able man,
| who came to Hallowel, Me-. from New
| Hampshire, and as a Wing had represented
| that town in the Legislature. He changed
| his politics, and was one off the leaders OF his
/ party in Kennebec county. He was a Judge
!. of our Supreme Court from 1S47 to 1854. He
was boy in comparison with his opponent
as political campaigner; his voice was
/ hardly heard amid the applause of the peo-
/ pie for Hamlin, who beat him by $4,000
/ votes. Governor Wells left the State and died
| in Boston.
L Mr.. Hanlin was returned to the Senate
|. twelve years in the Senate. But for Massa-
chusetts's influence he would have been re-
elected Vice President in 1864 That State
preferred Andrew Johnson, and secured his
nomination. Mr.. Hamlin's physical endur-
ance was remarkable. Fatigue to him in
such times was a stranger. His mem
ory of men was wonderful. I sometimes
think that he was personally acquainted in
every town in Maine The last time he was
nominated for Senator he did not want to be
a candidate, but his close political friends
made a personal appeal to him not todechne
and be was not the man to resist such an ap-
peal. That the duties of Senator were no sine
cure to him is shown by the statement to
me from his own lips that he never retired
at night with an unanswered letter on his
table where an answer was required. To do
this four hours OF every, day of his public
service was consumed. In addition he at
| tended to the business of his constituents at
the various departments. 70 him it mat
tered not'who the constituent was, Demo
Graf Oh Republican. rich or poor, he was
there tc attend to his wants.