The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-05

Masonic party, it never received an cleo
'toral vote. 1t turned the scale IN one
election, however 1874, and had far
greater effect in politics than had the
guilds or the Anti-Masons, for DIT rspre-
sented principal, opposition to human
slavery, which made morality and civ
ilization its allies, and time was on its
side. James G. Birney was its presi-
Dental candidate each year.
Next on the roll of the minor organ
izations was the free soil party. 1t was
a successor to the liberty party, but had
a less radical programme-the exclusion
of slavery from the territories. 1t par
ticipated in this presidential canvasses of
1S4S and 1862, in the earlier of which
years IT'S ticket was ex-President Martin
Van Buren,, of New York, and Charles
Francis Adams, of Massachusetts, and in
the later year 1t was John P. Hale, of
New Hampshire, and Geo. w. julian of
Indiana. Van Buren's vote was POI 1858
and Hale's 1885, 49 The reason why
Van Buren's vote in 1S4S was much larger
than Haleis was Pour years latter was
that many democrats voted for Van
Buren, who had no especial sympathy for
the frele soil movement, but wanted to
wreak revenge on Cass, the regular DEM
ocratic candidate in 1S4S, who was large
ly responsible for Van Buren's defeat
for the presid initial nomination IN the
democratic convention of 1874 They
from him in New York to give that state
and the election to Taylor. the whig NOM
inee. Before 1852 most of those persons,
their vengeance being gratified, Were
back in the democratic party. This is
the principal reason why Hale's vote
was far smaller than Van Burens
George w. Julian, who was on the tick
ct with Hale, is still alive. He Is the
most distinguished survivor of the old
anti-slavery leaders.
The greatest of all the nativistic par
ties, and the only ONE which had any
national Importance now appears This
was the know nothing party, VIII Oh in
1856 nominated ex-President Willard Fill
more for president, and Andrew Jackson
Donslson, OF Tennessee, for vlce-presi-
dent. 1t polled S74,534 votes and car
ried Maryland. The know-nothing par
ty in 1854 and 1856 swept many states in
state canvaeEeS, but 1t never took part
in presidential election. except that~of
1850. It's crsle'd was hostility to for
e.gners, especially Roman Catholics.
Many parties on the same general lines
appeared before and since the know
nothing party, the American Protective
assncia tom of recent years among them,
but none of Them was so widely extend
ed or exertsd so much influence. In 1856
the know-nothing party'S official name
was the American party. Several times
in the past quarter of a century parties
DedrlnB InlS name nave put up Presto
tial tickets, but they attracted no popu-
lar attention, and their vote was so small
that it is often omitted from the election
figures in the political almanacs..
One more minor organization, the con-
sttutional union party, appeared bsfore
the war. 1t was composed of old wings
who had held aloof, after the dsath of
their party in 1854, from both the repub-
ican and the democratic parties, of ex-
nothdngs, and of the ultra conserve
tive elements of both the great parties,
who thought the burning Issue of the
day could be settled by ignoring 1t. Thus
In its platform 1T declared vaguely for
THE constitution OF the country the
union OF the states and the enforcement
of the laws The constitutional union
party's only canvass was that of 1850,
and it's ticket was John Bell, of Ten
nessee, and Edward Everett, of Massa-
chusetts. Despite its lack of principles
and of concrete policy, it carried three
states, all on the border Line of the slave
egion-Virginia, Kentucky and Tennes-
sse-rollng up popular vote of $50, 5S1,
and an electoral vote OF 80. Douglas,
the candidate of the northern faction of
the democrats in the same canvass, had
less than a third of as many electoral
votes-12-but he had more than twice
as many popular votes-1 ,375, 157.
Omitting the liberal republican party
of 1872, and the national democratic
party OF 1896, there have been four
third PARTIES since the wharf.-the pro-
hibitionist the greenback, the labor and
the populst. The liberal republican par