The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-06-15
Republicans to Hold Unique Gel
ebration in Philade lphia.
IT PARKTAKES OF A JUBILEE.
Fifty Years Ago This Month First Nat
i0nal Convention Of Party Held;
Fremont for President.
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
Within a few days the republican par
tv will celebrate the fftieth anniversary
of its first national convention. The pro-
gram will be carried out in Philadelphia
in an imposing manner on June Il. Is,
10 and 20 J. Hampton Moore. president
of the National League of Republican
clubs. and the originator of the jubilee,
says he expects the celebration to equal
in Importance the historic peace jubilee
of eight years ago. Distinguished repub-
leans from all parts of the country
will be present, and one of the cher
shed plans is to have the opening ses-
sion of the biennial convention of the
National league held in Music Fund
hall, where the convention which nomi
mated Fremont for president met fifty
years ago.
While as many places claim the hon
or of having the scene of the birth of
the republican party as there were cities
of old to claim Homer for their own, it
remains that in Philadelphia, in June,
1886, the republican party first became
a factor in national politics by nominal
ing presidential ticket
The political situation of the country
at that time was extremely complicated.
The shadow of the coming war was
ominously deepening. The Kansas-Ne-
braska contest had revived the agitation
of the slavery question, which the wings
had deceived themselves into supposing
had been settled by the compromise
measures of 1850. Kansas was border
ing on civil war over the contention
of the pro- slavery and anti-slavery fac
tions within and without the territory.
The democrats had reunited and carried
the country with Franklin Pierce in
1852, and the old wing party was eX-
piring. The American, the "know moth
inc" party, was also approaching a state
of eXtremis. In several parts of the
north a new political party, the republi-
Nc'''
posed largely of wings, but with liberal
contingent from the democratic party.
The new party, having tried its strength
in several states in 1855, when it car
ried Vermont and Ohio and barely
failed in New York and Wisconsin, now
strove to enter the national arena with
a presidential ticket, the time for which
seemed to be propitious.
The American party and the demo
cratic party had each nominated candi-
dates for the presidency before the re-
publican national convention met. The
former selected for standard bearers
Willard Fillmore and Andrew j. Donel-
son. and the latter selected James Blu.
chanan and John c. Breckenridge This
was the situation of the country and
of politics when the republican con-
vention convened i'm Musical Fund hall
in Philadelphia.
Every free state and Delaware, Kan
lucky and Maryland sent delegates.
These numbered 5G5, and among them
were Thurlow Weed. Horace Greeley,
Lieutenant Governor Raymond of New
York, General Webb, Speaker Banks
and Israel Washburn of Maine The
convention has been aptly described as
one of the most spontaneous ever known
in our political history. Those who are
charmed with red tape and imperishable
rules and regulations would have been
alarmed at the free and easy manner in
which the delegates were chosen.
As a rule the delegates were a repre-
sentative class of men, and all were in
such hearty sympathy with the move
ment that there was not the slightest
sign of friction during the three days
of the convention except for the con-
test of seats by two sets of delegates
from the first four districts of Penn
svlvania. Even this was a minor mat
ter, and the convention, upon the rec
concentration of the committee on ere
dentials, settled it very simply by de-
caring that the delegates first chosen
were entitled to seats.
The convention was called to order
by f. ID. Morgan of New York, who
nominated Robert Emmett of the same
state, as temporary chairman. Colonel
Henry S. Lane of Indiana was elected