Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-14

its Fifty Years Existence ana RECORD OF its
Measures and Leaders. 1854 1904. By Francis
Curtis. New York: @. p. Putnam's Sons.
The praise which has been bestowed on
Mr.. Curtis work by Senator Frye, presi-
dent pro TEN. of the Senate, and Speaker
Cannon of the House of Representatives
leaves little to be said by minor critics
but in corroboration Mr.. Curtis has judi
ciously awaited himself of numerous news
paper excerpts treating of events contem-
poraneously, the effect of which is to por-
tray the public sentiment current at tie
time history was being made which is
sometimes quite different from what 1t is at
the time history is recorded. The style of
the writer is devoid of rhetorical embelIish-
ments. 1t depends for it's attraction upon
the interest of the story. The Introductory
chapters show the causes which led to the
birth of the party and make political
history of the country up to 1854. AS the
history Of the republican party since that
time is. with the exception of two years
when the democratic party was In full con-
troll of the government the history of the
country, the work be regarded as
complete political history of the United
States.
Senator Frye remarks in his introduction
to the book: This record of the past. SO
admirably presented by Mr.. Curtis will be
appreciated by all republicans and should
be possessed ard studied by all students of
our political history and every citizen who
would intelligently and conscentiously ex-
ercise the right and privilege of elective
franchise"
Speaker Cannon says: Mr.. Curtis has
succeeded in placing before his readers
most important work and in a manner
most readable and entertaining. while at
the same time it must prove invaluable
as a work of permanent reference"
Regarding the period covered by the work
"a n No Lao
of power has been given to any other party
in the history of the nation. and to bring
within the scope of this work, limited to
loo pages, the mass of matter relating
to the subject has taxed severely the ca
pacity for restraint on the part of the au-
thor"
Mr.. Curtis work does not indulge in ex-
travagant claims for party achievement
nor in reviling and belitting of oppo-
nents. Facts generally have been related in
plain language, and. as the author says,
Those who may look for the usual cam
paign document of a presidential year will
be disappointed"
The work is largely a. compilation of
facts gathered from many sources-from
the files of daily and weekly papers from
magazines. from books and political his
tories and encyclopedias.
One of the most interesting parts of the
book is that describing the origin of the
party The repeal of the Missouri compro-
mise caused those men of the north who on
posed the extension of slavery to consult as
TO the means of combining all the anti-slav-
cry groups into one party. There was no
concerted action, though the same thoughts
penetrated the minds of men in different
parts OF the country. For this reason there
mas been considerable controversy as to
exact birthplace of the republican party
Mr. Curtis says: 1T is quite likely that
there was no considerable gathering of
mer nor discussion of plans and policies
untll Mr.. A. E. Bovay. WING of Ripon,
Wis. together with Mr. Bowen, demo-
crat, and Mr.. Baker, a free soiIer. issued
call for a public meeting to consider the
now alarming situation"
The meeting thus called was held in
church al Ripon February o. 1854 reso-
luton was adopted that If the bill then
pending IN the Senate to throw open to
slavery the territories of Kansas and Ne
Draska should pass the old party organiza-
ton In Ripon should be cast off and new
party, to be called the republican formed
on the sole issue Of opposition to slavery ex-
tension, II VIII be noted that although the
new party was universally styled in the
south The abolition party, yet 1t did not ad-
vocate the abolition of slavery, merely its
Testrlction 1t advocated abolition in the
District of Columbia merely. The Kansas
NEBRASKA bill passed the Senate March 2
and March 20 the second meeting was held
at Ripon A committee of five-three wings
one democrat and one free soiler-was an,
Iointed to begin the task of forming a new
rarty- Mr.. Bovay was an intimate friend of
horace greeley, and as early as 1852 fore
seeing the fall of the wings, he urged the
lame republican. That year the wings were
overwhelmed. The Kansas Nebraska bill
brought on the crisis, ard February % 1854
TWO days before the Ripon meeting. Bovay
wrote 10 Horace Greeley urging him to call
on all opponents to slavery extension to
combine. urge them to forget previous po-
htlcai names and organizations, land so
oand together under the name I suggested
TO you at Lovejoys Hotel in 1852 / mean
the name Republican, 1t Is the only one
mat VIII serve all purposes. present and
iuIure-the only one that will live and last
Greeley wrote doubtfully: Your plan is
an right II the people are ripe for IT.
Later, June "a, 1854. he suggested in the
combination
Meanwhile other meetings and other con-
Ierences were being held. In May many
representatives met in Washington and
agreed on a new party. july & a mass
meeting was held at Jackson Mich of All
opponents of slavery extension and a state
ticket was nominated which was later
elected In New York A. ~ Cole. an editor
or Wellsville, N. Y. called q meeting at
Friendship, which resulted in the origin of
,the republican party in that state For
years Mr.. Cole was spoken of as the Faith
ier OF the Republican Party, but research
has taken that title from him. He obtained
the name for the party from Horace Gree
ley but the latter had it urged upon him
Iby Bovay. Then a convention was held
August at Strong Me-, where the rennh-
lIlcan party in that state was Organized.
MANY minor gatherings might be added
"hich lor every purpose were republican
and which were afterward looked upon nv
the participants as republican gatherings
IT was the unanimous feeling of tndiena-
ton against the passage of the Kansas
tNebraska act which asserted itself at tie
polls during the fall OF the year 1854
Ihe result was an overturning of the
House of Representatives and a consider
liable nroad into the Senate Fifteen states
ishowed and-siavery extension pluralities.
Eand eleven United States senators were
teiected al republicans or afterward acted
with that party. while the new combina-
tIIon succeeded In organizing the House
TThe growth of the new party was more
rapid In the west than In the east. and
eastern leaders were slower to ally them
selves with the organization than were
those of the west
HULDAH; Proprietor of the Wagon Tire House
and Genial Philosopher of the Cattle Country
by Grace MACEDONIAN Cooke and Alice Mac
6owsn Illustrated by Fanny d. Cory Indian
apoiis' The Bobhs-Merrn Company
Huidah kept a boarding house in the
Iexas cattle region. often moving as the
occasion suited or required. but always
known by the sign of the wagon tire hang
Ing before the door. on which she rang her
resonant summons to dinner But Huldah
WAS q far more fmportant ueu,har o>