The San Francisco call., 1896-06-19
REPUBLICANS FIRST MET.
AT PITTSBURG.
Memorable Gathering That Dis
cussed a Third Nomina-
ton for Grant.
Recalling Some of the Brilliant Scenes
and Past but Not Faded GlorieS
of Republicanism.


Republican party met at Pittsburg Feb
ruary %, 1856, but no nominations were
made there. The nominating convention
Henry S. Lane of Indiana presided.
Edward Stanwood, the author of "a His
tory of Presidential Elections" describes
the gathering which resulted in the NOM
ination for the Presidency of John G. Ere
mont. 1.-THE Pathfinder" as lone of the
most spontaneous conventions ever known
in our political history" The delegates
were not, according to Stanwood. chosen
by any settled rule, nor was there much,
if anv, regard paid TO the number of votes
to which a State should be entitled. New
York cast Sc votes, Pennsylvania 81 and
Ohio 90. All the Northern States were
represented, as were also Delaware, Mary
land and Kentucky. 1.-THE dissolution of
the Whig party commenced by the i'm
position of the Southern platform on its
National Convention of 1852 wrote Horace
Greeley in his history of the Civil War,
"was sconsummated by the eager participa-
ton of most of the Southern members of
Congress in the Reputation of the Missouri
comrromise and the passage of the Kan
sas-Nebraska bill. !"
Those of whatever party who emphati-
cally condemned that Reputation and
who united on that basis to ignore past
political denominations with view to united
action in the future. were first known simply
as "Anti-Nebraska,' but gradually and almost
spontaneously assumed the designation of Re-
publicans. As such they carried most of the
Free State elections of 1854, but were less
decidedly successful in those of 1855.
Among those who were presene were
Preston King of New York, the lifelong
friend OF Governor Morey. Here was Cas-.
sius NJ. Clay of Kentucky, a relative of the
great Senator. Here was Henry Wilson of
Massachusetts,. Here was David Wilmot,
author of the 'Wilmot Provise." There
were men of varied precedents, but they
were animated by a common purpose
which found voice in their platform, the
more material planks OF which were the
following:
ResolUed, That with our Republican fathers,
we hold it to be a self-evident truth that all
men are endowed with the inalienable right
to life. liberty and the pursuit of happiness;
and that the primary object and Interior de-
sign of our Federal Government was to secure
these rights to all persons within its exclusive
Jurisdiction; that as our Republican fathers.
when they had abolished slavery in all our
National territory. ordained that no person
should be deprived of life, liberty or property
without due process Of law, it becomes our
duty to maintain this provision of the consti-
tuition against all attempts to violate it, for
the purpose of establishing slavery in any Ter
ritory of the United States, by positive legisla-
tion prohibiting its existence and extension
therein; that we deny the authority of Con-
oF al Z of ;v5
vidual or association of individuals to give
legal existence to slavery in any territory of
The United States while the present constitu-
tiOn shall be maintained.
Resolued That the constitution confers upon
Congress sovereign power over the Territories
of the United States for the government, and
that in the exercise of this power it is both
the right and the duty OF Congress to prohibit
IN the Territories those twin relics of barbar-
ism-polygamy and slavery.
The Assem- bling of this convention was
less heralded than those of the great
parties now. Only one ballot was taken
for the Presidential nomination, which re-
suited in the choice of John G. Fremont,
he receiving 359 votes to 1876 for John Nc
Lean of Ohio.
The two conventions of the Republican
party which, respectively, in 1860 and
1864 nominated Abraham Lincoln for the
Presidency, possess peculiar interest; the
first because Lincoln was the first success
tul Ma tionai standard-bearer; the second
because it took place at a critical period of
the Civil War. The second presents more
features of dramatic interest.
John w. Forney said that it was ga
body which, almost beyond parallel, is
directly responsible to the people. Nor
has it candidate to choose. Choice is
forbidden it by the previous action of the
people" Not only State conventions, but
also State Legislatures, declared that Lin
coin must be the candidate before the con-
ventlon had embled. New Hampshire
led off in this direction, holding the first
Republican State Convention of the wear.
On the same day paper which was circu-
lated among the Union members of the
Pennsylvania Legislature was signed bv
every one to whom it was presented. This
was request to Mr. Lincoln to accept a
second term for the Presidency. The
Union Central Committee of New York
unanimously recommended the renomi-
nation of Lincoln. A resolution was
adopted by the Legislature of Kansas
Union members of the New Jersey Legis-
iature took the sans course. Connecticut.
Maryland, Minnesota, Colorado, Wiscon-
sin. Indiana, Ohio and Maine successively
expressed their desire in the same direc-
tioE. Nowhere says the Nicolay- Hay
history, except in the State of Missouri
was the name Of Mr.. Lincoln mentioned
without overwhelming adhesion and even
in the Missouri Assembly the resolution
in favor of his denomination was laid upon
the table by only majority of eight"
When the convention came together on
June Z, 1864, it had less to do than any
other convention in American public his
tory, for the delegates were bound by
peremptory mandate.
Fhis was great gathering of represen-
alive men. There were ma ny war Gov
ernors among the delegates, these being
John A. Andrew of Massach usetts, Solo
mon Foot of Vermont, Marcus L. Ward
and William A. Newell of New Jersey,
William Dennison and David Tod of Ohio,
Governor Morgan of New York and Gov
ernor Blair of Wisconsin. Other noted
men were Simon Cameron, Thaddeus
Stevens, ex-Speaker Grow of Pennsylvania,
LYMAN Tremain, Henry T. Raymond,