Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-24
candidates, Taylor and Fillmore, and elect

| OulldI, OI lnOlana. lIS pldtloim uohouhSeu
the fugitive slave law as unconstitutional
and of no binding force, declared slavery to
be sectional and freedom national, and in
sisted that 'the Free Democratic party is
not organized to aid either the Wing OF
Democratic wing of the great slave COM
promise party of the nation, but to defeat
them both" The Free Soil vote fell Oh
over hundred thousand from that OF four
years before, about two-thirds of the loss
being in New York alone. Pierce and
King were elected by large majority of
the popular vote and by more than zoo
majority in the electoral colleges.
This was the last appearance OF the
Abolitionists as a separate political party.
| In 1856 the present Republican party, in
heriting the broad constitutional principles
of the original Federal party, the economic
| views of the Wings and the slavery doc
trines of the Free Soilers, took the field.
| On its broad and ample platform every
shade of opinion in the opposition to slav-
cry found standing room.
The Know-Nothins Order.
Exit the Abolitionists, enter the Know
| Nothings Native Americanism, as 1t was
| called, appeared in our politics first in the
early 'Forties, and gave to New York a
| Mayor in the person of james Harper, one
| of the famous firm of publishers, and to
| Congress several members from New York
and Pennsylvania. That movement, how
ever, speedily died out In 1928 it had o
sudden and widespread revival. This
| time the movement was direct
| ed not only against citizens
of foreign birth, but against the Roman
| Catholic Church as we'll The movement
| took the form of a secret society with an elab-
| crate ritual, signs, grips, raps, passwords,
and all the paraphernalia of innocuous mys-
terry. Its cardinal principle was "Ameri-
cans must rule America" The real name
| and objects of the order were only revealed
| to members when they reached a high de-
gree. Until that time, therefore, these
members upon being questioned as to the
name and object of the order were obliged
TO answer: 81 don't know" and this reply
gave to the order and the political party it
formed their popular name, "know-No 9TH
ings." They themselves gave to their party
the official name of American"
At the State elections of 1855 the new
party carried New Hampshire, Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
York, California, and Kentucky, elected a
part of their ticket in Maryland and Texas,
and only lost Virginia, Alabama, Missis-
sippi and Louisiana by small majoritIes.
Thousands of Wings in the slave States
Joined the Known othings on the downfall
of their own party as arefuge from the DEM
ocratic party.
Third Parties Since the War.
There was no third party during the war,
nor did one appear at the election of 1868.
In 1872 the self-stvled Liberal Republicans.
whose banner bore the strange device,
Anything to Beat Grant," nominated
Horace Greeley for President, and B. Gratz
Brown, of Missouri, for Vice President, and
! Il ie& oi- olo aI h,-- bon r
was beaten out of sight The Prohibition
lists are a persevering party. They have
been in the field for 20 years and show no
signs of abandoning it, though in all that
time they have never carried g State nor
secured a single electoral vote nor
had a Senator or Representative in Con-
gress.
The centennial year saw another third
party take the field, the Greenback, which
grew out of the panic of 1873 Its chief
tenet was that the general Government
should issue paper currency and plenty of
it, 'the issue to be based upon the re-
sources of the country" Its nominees
were for President Peter Cooper, of New
York, and for Vice President Samuel f.
Cary, of Ohio. They got upward of $4,000
popular but no electoral votes. In fact,
no third party since the war has so far re-
ceived an electoral vote. In 1880 the
Greenbackers took the name National, and
nominated for President James b. W. eaver,
ofIowa, and for Vice President B. j. Cham
bers, of Texas. They received S07, 740
votes, the high-water mark for this party.
Ben Butler Is Candidate.
In 1884 General B. f. Butler, the irrepres-
sible, ran as the nominee of this party, his
sole aim being to prevent the election of
Mr.. Cleveland The bow was bent with all
the archer's skill, but the bolt fell short
He received only 5000 votes. In 1888
the Union Labor ticket, headed by Streeter,
of Illinois. polled nearly 10000 votes,
and the United Labor party, the rem
nants of the Henry George party, gave
Cowdrey few more than 5000.
Most of these elements are now in
cluded in the new Peoples party together
with those members of the Farmers Alli-
ance and kindred societies who are dissatis-
fed with the old parties to which they for
merly belonged. Their strength is of course
an unknown quantity, despite the turning
over the Alliance gave both the old parties
at the elections of 1890. This, however, is
the first third party since the disruption of
the know-Nothings to secure United
States Senator, and is the only one since the
war which has, unaided, elected Repre-
sentative. From the Forty-sixth to the
Tlllleln Congresses Ine GreeEDdCkerS naO
one or more members, but they were in
each instance elected by fusion with one
or the other of the old parties, while David
Davis was as close as they came to having
Senator of their very own.
Other Votes That Went to Waste.
Besides these third parties, votes have
been thrown away in other. directions. In
1872 faction of Democrats calling them
selves the ''straightouts" put up Charles
O'Conor. He was Endorsed bv the Labor
Reform party and got $4,000 votes In the
same year few people in whose minds
there still fingered a prejudice against
secret societies tossed away their votes on
Charles Francis Adams. A handful of radi-
cal free traders did the same thing on Will
lam Groesbeck, of Ohio. In 1876 the anti
secret society people to the number of 539
expended their energies in voting for
James B. Walker. In 1883 Known othing
ticket was in the field. IL polled 1900
votes, mostly in California In the same
year Socialist ticket got 1000 votes.
A man must indeed be infatuated with an
idea, or what he mistakes for one, when he
deliberately votes in the air. Yet strong
third party is not without its use. 1t tends
to keep the regular parties up to the mark
and makes them mind their political ps and
d.