The indicator., 1904-07-02

Andrew Gregg Curtin of PennsyIyanln
VI the Know Nothings. former Whiys
or democrats who drifted Into tn. new
organization. were Henry Wilson. N,.
thaniea +. Banks, Anson Burlinynlnr
and Schuyler Colfax. To the Ecvub.
hcan standard from time to time MISC
rallied the original abolitionlsts-Josh.
ua X. Giddlngs, Elijah p. I.ovejoy.
William Lloyd Garrison md Wendell
Phillips, while the Democratic pnrty
lost to its new opponent such men ms
Hannibal Hamlin, Simon Cameron, Ly
man Trumbull. Montgomery Blair,
william Cullen Bryant, Gideon welles,
oliver P. Morton Of Indiana and Fran
els Preston Blair. Jr.
Repubheanism's First Year.
In the first year of It's existence the
Republican party gained popular ma
1orities In fifteen OF the thirty one
states. elected eleven United States
senators and obtained plurality In the
house of representatives. These sue
cesses were mainly achieved In the
west.
In December. 1855. the state commit
tsss Of Ohio. Massachusetts, Pennsyl.
vania. Vermont and Michigan issued a
call for convention In Pittsburg Feb.
22. 1856, to perfect national organiza-
ton. A national committee was select
ed and call was Issued for a national
convention to meet in Philadelphia.
June II, 1856. When this convention
met with Francis p. Blair In the chair,
1t was found to be free state body
with the exception Of delegations from
Delaware. Maryland and Kentucky.
The platform adopted opposed the re-
peal Of the Missouri compromise, the
extension Of slavery to free territory
and the refusal to admit Kansas as a
free state. 1t declared that the power
OF congress over the national territory
was sovereign and should be exerted
to prohibit those twin relics Of barba-
rism. slavery and polygamy"
Fremont tbe Firyt Nominee.
On the FIRST ballot for president John
G. Fremont received $50 votes, John
Mclean of Ohio 1876, Charles Summer
8 and William H. Seward /. William
L Dayton Of Ohio was nominated for
vice president on the second ballot.
Fremont was nominated In the hope
that the party. In presenting candi-
date free from antagonisms on the
slavery question. might attract votes
from all sides. The nomination of
Dayton was 4 recognition Of the Whig
element The Democrats nominated
James Buchanan and John @. Breck-
inridge. while Millard Fillmore made
the campaign as . Know Nothing can
dtdate. Buchanan and Breckinridge
were elected by q narrow margin; the
votes Of Pennsylvania and Illinois
would have elected Fremont and Day
ton. In the following congressional
elections the new party lost ground. In
he congress Of 1eo7-59 there were but
o7 Republicans out Of 237 members,
but In the development Of the organiza-
ton the doubtful members Of the coali-
ton had been shaken of and the
party was becoming fairly compact.
Before the next elections the Know
Nothing party had gone to pieces. most
Of its members becoming Republicans.
Besides these re-enforcements. the
Dred Scott decision and the Lecompton
bill brought the Republicans many re-
cruits from the ranks of the Deuoc-
racy.
The D,ed Scott Case.
The Dred Scott decision. one Of the
most vital ever rendered by the su-
preme court Of the United States, de-
clared the net of 1850. the Missouri
compromise, unconstitutional and prac-
tically set up the theory that negro
was not human being. The decision
was given In the case Of negro By
whose name the decision Is known.
Scott, having married in 1896. while on
free soil, a slave. also the property OF
DR.. Emerson, determined to take steps
to legally establish his freedom. He
brought suit In the supreme court OF
Missouri, which held that his slavery
had reattaclied to him upon bis return
to q state in which slavery was per-
mitted and that. being slave, he could
have no standing In court. Scott took
bis case to the United States circuit
court, which decided against him on
the main questions, though holding
that he was a citisen Of Missouri and
- such had q standing In court. The
matter was then appealed to the su-
prsme court of the United States. which
declared that the circuit court had
erred In entertaining the suit. mas
much 40 Scott, not being a citizen. pos
sssssd none Of ths rights Of cidsen,
and necessarily could have no standing
n the courts Of the land.
The Lecompton bill was proposed
act Of congress recognizing the slave
government of Kansas, which had 10
sat at Lecompton. It passed the sen
~, but was beaten in the house.
Ths slavery question, shelved for
time through the Missouri compro-
mise, was thus again brought to
hsad. forcing the foes of serfdom to
mt together for the impending batue.
when the congress Of 1S50-81 met, the
Republicans had twenty-five senator's
the Democrats thirty-hve. In the house
ths membership stood: Republicans
ia: Democrats, 98; anti-Lecompton
Democrats, 8; Know Nothings. %.
Nomination Of Lincoln.
When the national convention OF isoo
~ in Chicago on the 10th Of May,
u hopes of the party were high. 1t:
eessaisstsss hAd been perfected and
- policy for the future determined.
ssysfai sismeutg had been 20 weld
~ te~esnsr that facttonal lines had
ersc1caily disappeared, but 1t wss a.
eadsd that 70 far ~ these lines remain
Fl ti,s former whiss should have tns
,srsuaAsnslai nomination snd write tns
nlstfwm. while the vice presidency
ehoun - to the former DemocratA
I'm Ae,eeAtup w0e an from free state
~ ~. .rc.,t,on Of those from Mary.