Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-09-20
EARLY-ENENTS IN THE HISTORY OF
REPUBLICaN1sM.
JUST F0RTY-oNE YEARS OLD.
FREMONT AND DAYTON IT'S FIRST
NOMINEES IN 1856.
A.Review Of the happenings at the
Genesis of a Great POLITICAL Or
ganizntioh = Principles on
Which the Party Was
Founded.


ers here last Thursday and Friday calls at
tention anew 10 the remarkable inception
and growth of this great national organiZa-
tion.
Forty-tive years ago the old Wing party
was going through the throeS of disruption
and the whole party was eventually disinte-
grated. Then the Know-Nothing craze
swept the country like a prairie fire. only
10 be consumed by its own heat. The Free
Sellers We're in Il hopeless minority and the
Republicans We're few. scattered and dis
organized, consisting merely of Il few local
and state organizations.
1t was while things political We're in this
demoraliZed condition that two men, Salmon
p. Chase and David n. White editor of the
Pittsburs Gazette. got together and deter
mined to inaugurate Il conference looking
toward the coalition of their party. The
conference was held in November. 1855, with
the result that the following declaration
was published on January 80, 1885,
The Birth of the Party.
TO the Republicans of the United States
I In accordance with what appears to be the
general desire of the Republican party. and
at the suggestion of the Republican press,
the undersigned. chairmen of the state Re
publican committees or Name, Vermont,
Massachusetts, New York Pennsylvania
Z Ohio. Indiana. Michigan and Wisconsin,
. hereby invite the Republicans. of the-union
to meet in informal convention in Pitts
burg, on February 10 1856, for the purpose
+ of perfecting the national organization and
/, providing for national delegate, iconven-
ton of the Republican party. at some sub
Sequent day. to nominate candidates for
the presidency and vice presidency. to be
supported at the election in November,
1856
C. u. Goodrich. of Massachusetts; David
'Wilmot of Pennsylvania: Lawrence Brain
ard. of Vermont; William A. White, of
Wisconsin.
cause of a general feeling of dissatisfaction
with all the then existing political parties.
The Kansas-Nebraska bill was passed by
congress and the territory of kansas' was in
the midst of civil struggle over the slav-
cry question; so the conditions We're very
favorable for the birth of Il new party.
which finally followed. in old Lafayette
hall. Pittsburg. on February >. 1856. A few
days preceding that now historic event Il
notice was published calling for d meeting
OF. Republican editors for February s21. in
order that consultation might be held.
On the Goth 4 notice was printed by the To-
cal Allegheny county organization, appoint
ing committees on reception and arrange
mentS, also naming the place of meeting.
The call was responded to by the opponents
of the extension of slavery, and the result
was this first convention.
The First Meetings.
February q. bright and early. the dele
twenty-four states and the District of Co
lunibia. Pennsylvania was represented by
forty delegates. Among the well known
men there may be mentioned Hon. S. *,
Bingham, governor of Michigan: G. d.
kimball, attorney general of Ohio; James
Elliott. of Cincinnati; Editor Grey, of the
Springfield Republican; while from Penn
sylvania Were met SUCH political lights as
John Allison, General Joseph Markle. ].
II. Moorhead, w. w. Wise, j. WeyarGl. J.
P. Markle, Z. o. Goodrich and r. B. Nc
Cabe. col.
On February % committee on perma-
nent organization was appointed, the meet
ing adjourned and the general convention
convened at ii a. m. Lawrence Brainard.
of Vermont, called the convention to order
and nominated John A. King. of New
York, temporary chairman and DIR. Stone.
of Massachusetts,. and w. Penn, Clark of
Iowa. secretaries. Rev. Mr.. Owen Lovejoy, of
Illinois. opened with 4 prayer Then Il
committee of one from each state was APP
pointed on permanent organization. \
committee of one from each state on ad-
dress and resolutions was ordered and after
a lengthy paper had been read by Francis
journed until 3 p. m. At the afternoon
session news was impaired to the effect
that a serious breach had occurred in the
American party in Philadelphia. This in
teliigence was received with vociferous
cheering.
On Saturday, the sd. the convention de-
cided in favor of a national convention as
Il means of nominating candidates for
president and vice president. E. d. Nor
gan, of New York, was appointed chair
man of the national executive committee.
place to hold the nominating convention,
and Philadelphia was finally agreed upon,
and June II, 1856. was the date fixed.
For Fremont and Dayton.
In closing his report for the committee on
address, Mr.. Mann, of New York. used
authority it may assume shed one drop of
human blood in Kansas. 1t will be the end
of human slavery" This declaration was
gates rising to their feet in their enthu-
siasm; then three times three cheers were
for he neT and the r,
tional convention, and thus the Republican
party. was born; The nominating conven-
mont and William l.. Dayton. and they
would have been elected had not Pennsyi-
vania thrown her vote to Buchanan, thus
making his election certainty.
In the days of that first convention it re-
quired some courage to become identified
with such despised organization as the
termed by the opposition. That was time
when new parties, mushroom-like, were
sprinSinG mp on every side. only to as rapid
" die out, In the meantime the slave
power gradually encroached on the free
territory. while the failure of the many
parties organized to stem the tide involved
the men who composed them in political
ruin. They Were forever ostracised by the
party they had left. and in many sections
We're the subject of endless ridicule and
iil-feeling.
Conspicuous Party Men.
But when the Fremont campaign was in
augurated some months later the opposition
found that they had at last, in the young
Titan born at PittsburS. an enemy worthy
their steel The intense tierceness of the
struggle for a long time after absorbed the
attention of the public and the genesis of n
great party was thereby forgotten almost
as soon as conceived. But some of the
weld bDt
lous mass of Free Sellers into the powerful
party of Lincoln will still be remembered
by many. Chief among them. perhaps, was
Horace Greeley, whose address was the
most regarded of any in the convention.
Then there was Francis =. Blair who pre-
sided and who was nearly three-score and
Ten. but vigorous Withal, and one of the
most enthusiastic in the making of the
new organization. His advice was much
sought in the committee rooms and he was
everywhere consulted and respected
Another conspicuous figure was Joshua
r.. Giddings, of ,Ashtabula county, o. His
tan dir form ?I vas as always seen in the foremost
OF Ohio, also was one of the most eloquent
men who spoke; George w. Julian, of In.
Ted waS SpSasa anether speaker & who aways
Beaver, Pa. enjoyed the distinction of be-
iEg the youngest member in the conven-
nsed an sey word tine ago Mr.
siasm of the delegates was deep: deep as
the very natures of the men who were de-
I he country was on the verge of q great
danger and that it depended upon that cor
to save il.
An Absence of Political CIaptraps,
There was an absence of political clan
traps and uproarions cheering that usually
marks the political gathering of TODAY
Daring the forty years of the Dartv's eyisi.
ence / have, attended many OF its political
Eity, eaTnestnesS and singleness Of mr.
pose tI;it characterized the convention that