Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-09-09
Brief History OF Third PARTIES
PART OF THE CAMPAIGN SPEECH OF HoS
JOHN L. STEVENS.


State and of this country fully established by
experience, it is that third parties cannot sue
coed in their avowed objects-that they have
but sickly growth and then die, the elements
of which they are composed being absorbed
by one or the other great parties into which
the people OF this country have been and are
divided. While they are alive and active
they must necessarily be tender, secret or
open ally, of one or other of the two Leading
political organizations What does this his
torical truth these facts of experience. prove?
They clearly demonstrate that stern logic
prevails against individual schemes and de-
vices, however cunningly planned. or how
ever sincere their authors may be. If there
are present at this meeting any citizens in
clined to identify themselves with the third
party, professedly in the interests of Temper
ance, ask their candid attention TO the facts
| am about TO give. | fully share with you
10 dearly prizing the cause which aims at the
suppression of the dram shops and the pro-
lection of present and future generations
from the terrible evils of IntempersHce. The
question for US to consider is how to best
promote this cause. Now as to the facts about
third parties. 1t is more than half a century
since he who addresses you began to take a
lively interest in reading about political par
ties and political events in this State and in
this Nation As freshly as though of vester-
day | can remember the drift of politics in
this State even ffty-fve years ago. when the
old "Hallowell Advocate" came regularly to
my fathers house, and each weekly issue was
| read with eager interest. Within this period
over which my memory extends, there have
been made not less than seven carefully
planned attempts to establish third parties in
Maine. Fifty-four years ago there was the
anti Masonic party with Moses Carleton as its
candidate for Governor. 1t grew out of the
great excitement and strong feeling which
then prevailed against secret societies, es-
pecially against Free Masonry. Richard d.
Rice, afterwards democratic leader, then Su-
preme Judge, and then railroad manager, was
the editor of the third party organ at Halo
well-the News Letter"-and Arson Her
rick, afterwards democratic Congressman in
New Y"rk. was publisher. In the State and
in the Nation this anti Masonic party became
far more formidable than the present St John
or third party is now or is likely to be. Did
it maintain its independence, or did it be-
come q tender, an ally. to one of the two
great parties? 1t became an ally of the Wing
party. aided to defeat the democrats in sew
eral States, and then disappeared beneath the
ocean tide of passing events, "uDwept. I'M
honored and unsung." Then there came on
the stage the Smith party. with Samuel E.
Smith its candidate for Governor, receiving
in 1888 about 5000 votes. 1t wanted TO re-
construct the democratic party in this State.
and to accomplish this it sought to act as
kind of balance of power between the demo-
cratic party and the Wings, but in effect it
only aided and encouraged the Wings so long
~ lou rod hint a aru1f
among men. Six or seven years later, about
1889, there grew up in Maine another third
party, kind of so-called indepen-
dent party, under the lead of Fran
els O. J. Smith, man of great nerve
and ability, and at one time strong poltlcal
force in this State. This was a movement
for the reform Of the democratic party,
tough and hopeless job indeed. 1t cast few
hundred votes Ii was aided and abetted by
the Wing party. and finally in 1910, in the
great Harrison campaign. it blended com
pletely with the Wings, and George Evans,
then Representative in Congress from the
Kennebec District, and Francis O. j. Smith
stumped the State together for the hero of
"TIppecanoe and Tyler too Thus disap-
peared third party number three Then APP
peared the Liberty party. 1t sprang from the
human conscience in revolt against slavery,
sentiments of the human soul-the undying
aspiration for liberty. But it was often I'M
wisely directed 1t ignored the fact that the
Wing party of the North was already in ma
| jorlty in important States and many Congress
sional Districts, and was a strongly organized
party controlling powerful newspapers and
| other dominantlinfluences as true to Liberty
as the Liberty party itself, and able to do
vastly more against the slave power John
Quincy Adams, Joshua r. Giddngs, Will
liam II. Seward. Horace Greeley. Thurlow
Weed, Horace Mann, William Pitt Fes-
sender and score of illustrious compeers
were raised TO their commanding positions
by the Wings. The Liberty party operated
to embarrass and weaken the anti-slayerv
wings and practically aided the pro-slaverv
democracy The closing act of its mistaken
policy was its course N the great Presidential
contest of 1874, when James K Polk,
pledged to the annexation of Texas and the
trusted agent of the Slave Power,
was the candidate of the democratic
party, and Henry Clay, the illustri
Gus champion of American Labor, whose
tendencies of thought were against the ex-
| tension of slavery, was the candidate of the
wings. The result depended on New York,
where the Liberty party had some thousands
of voters, more than enough to give the State
to Clay. To induce the Liberty party in that
State not to allow the Slave Power to tri-
umph by the election of Polk, Cassius NJ,
CLAY, then in the early flush of his fame, who
had just liberated his own slaves, and had
been obliged to fortify his house with cannon
to defend himself from a pro-slavery mob,
went to New York and urged the Liberty par
ty men to vote for Henry CLAY, but he
pleaded in vain. Polk was elected, and the
consequence was war with Mexico, and the
Tariff of '46 was adopted by which American
manufacturers and American labor received
a destructive blow. This third party reached
It's limits and could go no farther 1t disap-
peared from the political arena when the
Free Soil party was organized. The Free
Soil party largely grew out of the fact that
the wings of Massachusetts, were great
ly disappointed by the nomination of
Gen. Zachary Taylor for the Pre.i-
dency, by the whig party, and a
still more important fact, that Gen. Cass had
been nominated by the democrats for the
Presidency over Martin Van Buren,, whose
special supports were the barn-burner demo
Gratis of New York, the stronger of the two
wings of the democratic party of that great
State. To defeat Cass. Van Buren, and his
baru-burner friends went into the Free Soil
| Convention at Buffalo in ls4S. and to show
| their resentment at the nomination of Gen
Taylor, the anti-slavery, wings aud former
Liberty party men of Massachusetts and
other States also went into the Buffalo Con-
vention, thus forming the Free Soil party
with Martin Van Buren, and Charles Francis
| Adams for Presidency and Vice Presidency