The Portland daily press., 1884-07-30
REPUBLICAN PARTx,s ORIGIN.
Hon. J. j. Perry Claims that Oxford
County Gave HI Birth.

Hon. J. j. Perry Claims that Oxford
County Gave HI Birth.
Qetter to Oxford Democracy
Our political brethren in franklin county,
set MP claim that the Republican party ORR
gnated there in the fall of 1854. They say
that upon certain occasion the wings, free
sellers and boiling democrats met-each had
convention at the same time and place-that
to wind up, they all met together-made one
convention of the three, which met in the
morning-indorsed the coalition ticket and
named the new organization the Republican
party"
Admitting all this to be true-we take issue
with oar Franklin county friends, and propose
to vindicate the truth of history, by showing
that the Republican party had its origin in
Oxford county-that it was born there in truth
and in fact. We propose to show tnat the POI
litical revolution which resulted in the forma-
ton of the Republican party, originated in
"Old Oxford; )" that the franklin county meet
ing owed Its very existence to this revolution;
that the child was born in Old Oxford, long
time before the Franklin county meeting un-
dertook to give it christening.
IN 52 on PARIS HILL
Up to 1852, the old Democratic party in
Maine had successfully stood the assaults OF
wings and free soilers, and with the exception
OF two years-When
''Maine went
Hell bent
For Governor KENT
It had held political sway for over twenty years
Ii was in 1852 that it received its first stunning
blow in the great "bolt" which occurred in
Oxford county.
In the month of July of that year, the reg
ular democratic county convention was held
on Paris Hill. Every town and plantation
was represented. The convention consisted of
two wings, Familiarity known as the wild CATS
and the wool heads" Between these two
wings there existed a bitter political feud Its
principal cause was the action of the wild
CATS in boiling the nomination of Gov Hub
bard, the year previous, on account of his sign
ing the Maine Liquor Law. The ant-Maine
Law wing of the party voted for Anson G..
Chandler-which defeated Hubbard and threw
the election OF Governor into the Legislature.
wool HEADS AND wild CATS"
Messrs. Walker and Holman were in 1852
members of the Senate from Oxford county,
and voted for Crosby, the Wing candidate who
was elected, and against Hubbard, the regular
democratic candidate, who was by democratic
votes defeated
Walker and Holman came up in this July
convention for denomination, and against them
were the late O'Neil w. Robinson aud Judge
Lyman Ransom. The battle between these
two wings of the party was fierce Que, last
ing until 3 O'Clock the next morning, when the
wild cats" won Walker and Holman were de-
clared nominated.
The wool heads" were so incensed at what
they deemed the outrageous proceedings of
this convention, that they went away, declar-
ing eternal war on the wild cats"
mass meeting of the democratic opposed
to these proceedings was called and met in
Norway. 1t was large, enthusiastic gather
tring of the ''bone and muscle" of the party
IL was presided over by Hon. Noah Prince Of
Bucktield, then President OF the Senate. Hon.
". w. Bolster was secretary; and the late DIR.
I. 81. Brown, chairman of tne committee OH
resolutions. Hon. Isaac N. Stanley of Dix
field and Jonathan Moore, Esq, of Stoneham,
were nominated for the Senate.
Walker and Holman pulled through by a
small majority; but the bolt was the end of the
old Democratic party in Oxford county-then
one OF the strongest Democratic counties in the
State. This bolt was really the great procur-
ing cause of the subsequent overthrow of the
old Democratic party in Maine and the organ
ization of the great Republican party upon its
ruins. This will clearly appear from the
sequel.
The next year, 1858, the Democrats held
State convention at Bangor, at which Albert
Pillsbury was nominated for Governor. 1t
was disorderly, disgraceful convention, In
which good many of its members very clearly
illustrated" their opposition to the Maine
Law.
By this time, the better element in the party
became ripe for revolt, throughout the State
Political revolution and reform was in the air,
and the Oxford county boilers of 1852 were
just the men for the emergency. They sound
ded the war cry for State convention; and
without any formal request from any one two
of its leading men issued a call for a mass
State convention to be held at Portland for
the nomination of a candidate for Governor.
WET BUT ENTHUSIASTIC.
When the day for the meeting came, amid
a drenching rain, about 800 of the unterrified
Democrats of Old Oxford, accompanied by
two bands of music, attended the convention,
And there were men there from nearly every
county in the State, and the old City Hall In
Portland was well filed.
The convention was one OF the most enthu-
siastc ever held in Maine. Hon. Arson P.
Morrill, was nominated for Governor by ac-
clsmation. The supporters of Morrill, made
the best fight they could, and at the election
gave their candidate II ,027 votes. They also
elected 10 members of the House and by an
awagamation with Wings and Free Soil men
elected four members of the State Senate
Now what followed These Morrill, Demo.
Gratis as they we're then called, held the bal
ance OF power between the Democrats on one
side and the Wings and Free Sellers on the
other. BY an arrangement, the Wings, Free
Sellers and Morrill, Democrats practically be-
came one party,-and this coalition resulted IN
the election OF Hon. Noah Smith, speaker of
the House, and john J. Perry, clerk. In fill.
ing vacancies in the Senate, they acted to-
gether, and had it not beeu for an unpardon-
able pressure brought upon Wing member of
the Senate, by some of the Straight Wings in
the party, MIR. Morrill, would have been elected
Governor.
AS it was, Hon. VIM. Pitt Fesssnden was
elected to the United States Senate. His
eleci ion consolidated these three parties into
one. 1t was here that the Republican party
was formed to all intents and purposes; and
II was here that It was agreed and understood
that these three parties should thereafter act
together And SO early as the next June fol-
lowing, the three parties in the second con-
gressional district hal agreed to support one
and the same candidate. 1t should be borne in
MUD that all these things took place long
time before the Franklin county convention,
at which it Is claimed the Republican party
was born.
BORN AND CHRIsTENED.
Now my point is this: Had there been NO
belt In the Democratic party in Oxford county,
1852, which resulted in the Norway conven-
ton, there would have been no bolt against the
Bangor convention in 1858.
1t is equally clear that even the Franklin
county meeting had its origin in Oxford coun-
ty, for the union Of the three parties at that
meeting was the logical result of the union of
the same parties at Augusta the Winter pre-
vious. The most that our Franklin county
friends Can claim in this matter, is, perhaps,
that they gave formal name to the new party.
But being born, and being christsned, are two
distinct things, and as matter of necessity
one must ante-dats the other
Another thing should be borne in mind:
That the Oxford Democrat was the only paper
in the Democratic party in the State that sup
ported the political revolution which resulted
in the formation of the Republican party. This
newspaper, single-handed anu alone, as a par
ty organ, fought this great battle with the guns
of every other paper in the party pointed at
its Notifications fought good fight
and kept the faith"
The evidence here offered, think, is con-
elusive that the Republican party had its
origin in Oxford county, and that grand old
county has a good right to claim that it
was "Dorn there"