Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-16
rAN EARLY-DAY REPUBLICAN
MEMBER OF CONVENTION OF 'B8
HELD IN PHILADELPHIA.
Interview Concerning Men Then
Prominent - Bat Few of the
Members Surviving.

OF the members Of the Philadelphia re-
publican convention of June II, 1856. which
was composed of $50 delegates. few are
probably now living. One of the survivors.
Judge r. L. B. Clark, who was delegate
from Iowa, is now in Washington, visiting
at PIG New Jersey avenue southeast.
In an interview with a Star reporter to-
day, Mr. Clark referred to the convention
and the men who composed it, and said:
II was a delegate from Iowa to the first
national republican convention in Philadel-
phia, June H. 1856. 1 was there several
days before the convention met, and. with
Rush Plumley, then correspondent of the
New York Tribune set things to working
which filled all the hotels and public places
with enthusiastic crowds of shoutey5 Tor
Fremont, mostly young men without DIS
ttnction of party.
Henry s. Lane the modest Roman OF
them ALL. was chairman Of the convention
and made a grand speech-indeed. several.
think during the three days sitting. He
was enthusiastic for Lincoln but presented
his name finally for Vice President for
which position Mr.. Lincoln received over
100 votes out of some $50 in the convention.
The speeches made by Emmet. the tenn
porary chairman, and Lane, and many
others. have never been surpassed In any
convention for force and eloquence. 1 was
on the committee of permanent organiza-
ton, but otherwise took no active part In
the proceedings.
ThOse Who Have Passed Away.
What a congregation of noble men was
there. yet Of the $50, good and true, few
remain with us. and the men of fame and
high standing who noobly aspired to the
presidential position have nearly all passed
away. Among these last are Lincoln,
Chase. Seward. Cameron. Blaine. Mclean,
Stevens, Sumner and others.
My first vote for President was for Har-
rison in 1910. I was at the state convention
at Syracuse that year, when Horace Cree
ley made his first bow to a political gather
ing and delivered the state address.
voted for Clay in 1874, was editor and joint
proprietor of the first paper the Rochester
Evening Gazette, which placed Zachary
Taylor at the head Of its columns for
him in 1913 In 1850 1 returned to Iowa.
A Wing In 1854.
II was delegate to the wing convention
in Iowa City. February %, 1854. and from
the committee resolutions made a min
GRITTY report embracing the first anti-Ne-
braska, anti-slavery resolution ever passed
by a state convention. OF this proceeding
the Burlington Hawk Eye, in September.
1875, said. editorially: Mr.. Clark rs well
known by many of our readers as one OF
the prime champions of republicaniSm In
Iowa He has the honor of having been
the author and advocate of the antt-Ne-
braska, anti-slavery resolution Of the state
convention held in Iowa, City February o.
1854, the adoption of (which resulted in the
first republican triumph in Iowa He was
one of the ablest members of the constitu-
tional convention of 1857, and distinguished
himself by taking advanced ground in favor
of equal political rights of all persons,
without distinction Of race or color
This was just two years before the
Pittsburg convention at which the new Or
ganzation was merely christened."