Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-02-14
Birthday of the Republican
Party.


Party.
The suggestion OF the Union Repub
lican Club Of Washington, ID. g., thai
there be a celebration this year OF thu
fortieth anniversary of the birth of the
republican party ought to meet witt
general favor among republicans Amy
general observance OF ,he Gay ought t.
be held February -, for on that day OF
that month, in 1896, took place the first
national gathering of republican;
which ever met. IL assembled II
Pittsburg, in obedience 10 call of the
chairmen Of the republican state com
mittees of Maine, Vermont, Massa
chusetts, New York, Pennsy lyania
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana aud WlscOn
sin. AS is true, of course, of all politi-
cal parties, the republican party had
state before it had "A national organiza-
ton. The Pittsburg gathering, which
was attended 10y the representatives OF
the party from tweut. -four states.
framed a national organization for the
party, and the National committee
then chosen called the Philadelphia
convention of June L, 1856, which
made John c. Fremont the pariy's
stacdard bearer for president
1t is usually difficult, and is often i'm
possible, to tx upon the precise begin
ming os great social or political up
heayal Frequently the real starting
point OF a movement is much further
back then the time when the move
ment began to take concrete shape.
This is particularly true of the
genesis Of political parties. In the
case Of the republican party, how
ever, the beginning can be pointed
out with little more confidence than
can that OF any other great political
organization, except the Federalst.
That party had It's starting point Ia the
convention OF l7S7, which framed the
constitution. It's antagonist, The re-
publican or democraticrepublican
party of Jefferson. Madison aad Gala
tin, had It's origin IN the debates in the
same gathering, but it did not begin TO
take organized shape until the discus
sion of the jay treaty in the House Of
Representatives in 1875 aud the presi-
Dental election of 1896, while the
starting point of its historical successor,
the democratic party Of Jackson,
Buchanan aud Cleveland. can be put
anywhere beteen 1925 and 1929 Con-
siderable haze also euvelops the actual
birth point of the national republican
party Of 1851, and the Wing party of
1881 the predecessors of the present
national organization.
But for al practical purposes, the
beginning of the republican party can
be pointed out with reasonable degree
of precision. The impulse, of course,
which led to its formation WAS geuer-
ated by the Kansas Nebraska bill
signed 10y President Pierce May 30,
1854, opening the territories north of
the Missouri line or $3.50 10 slavery.
which forced AL the entmies OF slavery
Observation-Disclosures, Free SolIels,
anti-sayery wings and ami slavery
denocrats-into the combination which
took the name OF the republican party
The republican name was adopted IN
Ripon, WIS, ss early as March, 1891.
before the Kansas bll passed, but
when It's enactment was seen TO be
Michigan, however, has
the honor Of holding the fist state
gathering that selected that name,
which met 'uuderthe oaks at jackson,
july 6, 1900 As We have stated, the
first nationa, gathering of the party
was that which met IN Pttsburg, Feb
ruary %, 1886. The fortieth anuiver.
sary of the party ) birth is near at hand, !
and it would have been most fitting to
have appropriately commemorated the
occasion. All of the large parties and |
some Of the small ones nave rendered |
valuable Sery ce 20 the country, but |
none OF them were SO strong ia con-
statesmanship as the republi- !
can party or had such IA giorIOns record, !
except the great party OF Washington,
Adams, Hamilton and the Pinckneys. |
which laid the foundations upon which
the edilice Of the government has been
built.
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The Red Cross Society whose presi-