Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-09

aolAty TO carry them In the November election
are hardly understood at this early stage in the
contest for the reins Of government for the
next four years. The uncertainty which hangs
sion, and will be subject that will be FULLY dis
cussed and anxiously watched by both Of the
great national parties. Neither party can look
Tor an avalanche or walk over, and neither
can AFFORD to lose even one Of the states con-
ceded to 1t. This intruder, therefore, upon
ground considered sacred to the democratic AZ
tne republican party must give us pause ="
This third party claims to be able to carry states
In the south heretofore considered as certain for
the democratic nominee. If the claims are JUS
tined by the result the solid south. the reliance
OF the democratic party, will be no
longer solid; An inroad will be made
there and there is almost a certainty that
the votes OF the silver states will be cast against
the nominees Of the two great parties, who are,
10 use the phrase by which they designate them
gold bugs" 1 am informed by well-known
men from North and South Carolina that the
alliance is dead against them in those states
mere this element is really formidable, and, if
the element is strong enough to awake appre-
nension In those states, we may well expect to
find 1t elsewhere in that section A glance at
the history Of third parties in the past their rise
and their fall and the influence upon the voters
OF the country, would seem to be an interesting
study while awaiting the opening of the cam
paign.
ONLY TWO THIRD PARTIES CARRIED STATES.
But two Of the many third parties which have
existed in our political history ever carried a
single state. The anti Masons in 1882 in the
presidential election carried Vermont and the
electors Of the state voted for William Vert
the candidate Of the anti-Masons for President
and Amos Ellmaker for Vice President The
state OF Vermont continued to be controlled by
the antl-Masons for several years. The anti
Masonic candidate, Rittner. was elected gov
ernor OF Pennsylvania in 1885 BY division in
the democratic party. In the state Of New
York this party held an important position in
the politics Of the state for many years. In
the other portions Of the country it poon dis
appeared. The abolition party rose from a
most insignificant body Of voters In 1889,
when they had nominated James G. Birney for
the presidency, they polled but 1859 votes
In 1874 they put q ticket In the field with James
g. Brney again at its head and that wear thew
cast 81, 800 votes In 1S4s convention was held
at Buffalo OF free democrats or free soilers
and nominated Mr.. Van Buren, and Charles
Francis Adams, and "the Liberty League or
aboiitionists, nominated John P. Hale for
President, but he declined in favor OF Mr.. Van
Buren,. The banner under which that canvass
was fought was inscribed, Free Soil Free
Speech, Free Labor and Free Men" and the
ticket received 291 1853 votes. In 1852 the free
soil democracy met in convention at Pittsburg
on the 18th of August. All the free states and
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky
were represented. John p. Hale was nominated
Tor President and George W. Julean for Vice
PRESIDENT The republican party was organized
before the next presidential election in 1856.
and the abolition party was absorbed by it, and
In its ranks fought every shade of opposition to
slavery. The native American movement was
started In New York in 1874 and elected James
Harper, the elder Of the Harper Bros mayor and
four members Of Congress, and in Pennsyl-
yan1a they elected two members of Congress.
It was only formidable in the cities. however. In
1928 native Americanism was revered and
for a time had large following. The religious
element introduced in the ritual tended to its
downfall. 1t was known as the know nothing
party, and even now the evil influence It
exerted extends to those who were members of
the party, as one of the candidates for Vice
President at the recent Chicago convention was
charged with being member Of that party,
and his friends went to considerable trouble by
afndavlts to purge him from the charge
THE KNOW NOTHING PARTY.
This party carried good many states, and
the wings, to beat their old opponent, the
democratic party, availed themselves Of this
new element, which bid fair to sweep.the coun-
try. It was the most formidable party ever
raised in this country, but it met its Waterloo
In Virginia after it had carried cities and states
and electing members Of Congress. Henry A.
Wise fought 1t in every county in the state
1t was too widespread, however, to be crushed
in one battle, and in 1856 it met in convention
at Philadelphia and nominated a presidential
ticket, with Mr.. Fillmore at its head. At that
convention every state but Maine, Vermont and
South Carolina was represented. The ticket
received 874 ,534 popular votes, but carried but
one state, Maryland. At the state elections
that year they carried both Maryland and
Rhode Island In the Thirty-fifth Congress,
10 hare Gt,n
tors and from fifteen to twenty "know nothing
members Of the House. In the Thirty-sixth
Congress there we're two 'know nothing" Sena-
tors from Kentucky and Maryland and twenty
three Representatives. 1t soon became power
less, however, and in 1860 the remains of the
once powerful organization met at Baltimore,
abandoning the secrecy and oaths and advocat-
ing naturalization after twenty-one years.
Their convention nominated John Bell of
Tennessee for President and Edward Everett
for Vice President. This ticket carried three
states, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia, and
received 6S9, 58l Of the popular vote.
This notice of the know nothing party recalls
an evidence Of the intolerance of the organiza-
ton. After the laying Of the corner stone of
the Washington monument the reigning mon
archs OF Europe sent handsomely prepared
marble blocks with suitable Inscriptions to be
placed inside in the walls Of the monument
Among those inscribed testimonials to WASH
ington the pope Of Rome sent block taken
from some famed spot in or near Rome. One
night it was taken from the shed where the
blocks were kept and, being unable to carry it,
1t was broken and cast into the Potomac. 1t was
brought up from its long resting place only
little while ago, but it was said its remains were
again stolen from the finder. With the war
know nottingham ceased, and heaven forbid it
may ever raise its head again in this commu-
nifty.
THIRD PARTIES SINCE THE WAR
The advent Of the third party movement,
after the war had consolidated the two great
parties, was in 1872, when the liberal republi-
cans met in convention at Cincinnati and NOM
mated Horace Greeley for President and B.
Crate Brown for Vice President. The demo-
cratic party In convention at Baltimore adopted
this ticket, and II was badly beaten. There
were many democrats who refused to support
the ticket, and who met in convention at Louis
Vile and nominated Charles O'Connor for Pres
ident and John Q. Adams for Vice President.
These gentlemen declined the nomination.
The labor reform party Endorsed the nominal
ton, however, and the ticket received nearly
$1,000 votes. The prohibitionists for the first
time in 1872 made their appearance as a politi-
cal party and nominated James Black of PENN
sylvania, who received ,60s votes. In 1876 the
greenback party came into existence. As its
nams suggests IL was opposed to the resumption
Of specie payments and advocated the issuance
Of paper currency, the issue to be CHASED on
the resources OF the country" They nomi-
mated for President Peter Cooper and for Vice