The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-02-28
BIRTHDAY OF NATIONAL REPUb-
LICANiSN.

On this. Washington's birthday,
efforts have been put forth in various
parts of the country to celebrate the
4Oth anniversary of the formation OF
the Republican party. And wha0
better day could be selected for such
an observance, than that when
marks the birth of the father OF his
country.
Washington guided the movement
which led TO the independence OF the
nation, and the founding OF free
government by the people Out OF
numerous defeats he organized one OF
the greatest victories the world mas
ever seen. and one which has left a
mighty impress upon the history OF
the world. Endowed with the re-
markable foresight that ne was
Washington little understood the
full meaning of the work he had &C
complished.
The Republican party was organized
70 oppose the extension or an evil
which threatened the life of the free
government which Washington had
helped to found Well did it do its
great work, and it is meet and proper
that upon the anniversary of Wash
ipgtons birth, the party should OBJ
serve it's 10th anniversary. But the
auestiou has been raised how the 4Oth
anniversary can be celebrated this
year, when the first organization or
the party was affected in 1854. 1t
is true that the first local organlza-
sion of the party was formed in 1904,
but by the following from the st. Louis
Globe Democrat it will be seen that
she observance set for today is not
only appropriate but marks the 4Oth
anniversary of the national organlza-
tion of the party, the same being per-
fected at meeting in Pittsburgh, ON
Feb. %, 1856. 1t says:
When, on January %, 1854, Stephen
A. Douglas presented his Kansas
Nebraska bill to the senate to repeal
the Missouri compromise, and give
slavery an equal chance with freedom
in the territory north of 80 degrees 80
minutes north latitude, the more sa-
gacious Wing and Democratic oppO-
uents of slavery extension began to see
that this new peril to freedom could
not be successfully cOmbated in the
old parties, and a new organization
was at length determined upon.
February g. 1854, a gathering or rep
reSentative Wings, Democrats and
Free Sellers was Leld at church in
RIpon, Wis, at which the new party
idea was put forward, and on March
20 new party was started in that
town, the party's sole issue being OPP
position to slavery extension. At
this meeting the Republican name
was adopted. The name was accep-
sed in the adjoining towns in Wis
cOnsin, and by the state convention
ON july Is. Before the latter date,
however, the movement had extended
TO many other states in the north,
and with it went the name. The
movement received an impetus from
q meeting of thirty Wing and Dem
Ocratic members of Congress held at
the rooms in Washington OF two
Massachusetts members, Eliot and
Dickinson, May 25, the day after the
bill was sent to President Pierce.
These congressman used their inf1u-
ence to extend the new party and
30 make it accept the Republican
name. Several state conventions
adopted the name in 1854, the first of
them being that which met at Jack
son, Mich, July 6.
By the close of 1855 the new party
had extended over the whole north,
slough it was yet In somewhat
nebulous condition, and many OF its
members called themselves along to
shiS time merely Anti-N ebraSka
men. A national organization was
not yet formed, but steps were taken
toward it in January, 1856, when the
ehairmen of the Republican state
committees of several states jointly
issued a call for meeting of repre-
SentatiyeS of the party throughout
the country to convene at PittSburg
on February %, 1876. This gather
ing, of which Francis p Blair, of
Maryland, was made permanent pres
jdent, and George w. Julian, of Indi-
ana, chairman of the committee on
organization, was participated in by
many of the leading antiSlavery men
of the country. At this meeting a
Republican national COMMITTEE was
formed. From the formation of this
committee at the conference or con-
Vention of representative Republicans
which met on February %, 1856, at
Pittsburg, the life of the Republican
party as a national organization dates.
This is why the Republican party will
be said to forty years old next Satur-
day and why the occasion will be
celebrated The national committee
formed at that Pittsburg gathering
called Republican national nomin-
ating convention, which met at
Philadelphia on June II, 1856 and
put up John G. Fremont for presi-
dent and William L. Dayton for vice.
nrnSidont