, 1906-06-16

60 the formation of q party to combat
slavery extension into the territories
Wore being held in all the free states.
and here and there, among the titles
proposed, the name republican APP
reared. Rlpon, however. has priority in
this movement, and the designation re
publican began to become familiar to
Wisconsin's anti-slayery people by the
time the bill which melted il went on
the statute book. But Michigan has
the honor of first launching the name
by a state organization. 1t did this in
n convention which met at Jackson on
July 6, 1854, and which was composed
of men drawn from the democratic, the
whig and the free soil parties. This
was the under the oaks gathering, Of
ten mentioned in the republican his
tories. 1t was held in an oak grove be.
cnuse Jackson had no hall large enough
to seat its members. Many men after
ward prominent in politics-Zachariah
Chandler, Isaac p. Christiancy, Austin
Blair, Jacob NJ. Howard and others
participated in that Michigan conyen
ton 1t nominated a state ticket head
ed by Kinsley S. Bingham for governor,
which carried the state in fall elections,
land that was the first ticket ever
nominated for any Offices by the parry
of Fremont, Lincoln and Roosevelt, By
ono Of its resolutions the members CT
the convention pledged themselves to
cooperate and be known as republi-
cans until the contest be terminated
meaning, of course. the contest for the
preservation of the territories for free
dom, which the Douglas removal of the
Missouri antislavery barrier five weeks
earlier had forced upon the country.
How happened it that Michigan was
first In forming a republican party as
la state organization when a Wisconsin
town took the lead in suggesting the
formation of the new Tarty. n the
adoption of the name republican for it?
Michigan got the honor in this way.
Alvin Il, Bovay had written to Horace
Greeloy several times, asking Greeley
to give an editorial endorsement of the
name in the New York Tribune, then
the leading wing and antislavery paper
in the country, and the Tribune did
this once or twice in June. 1854, in a
provisional way. From Bovay and 9th,
ers Greeley learned that the Wisconsin
antislavery men were to hold a state
convention on July 10, and put up a
state ticket, as well as adopt the repub-
lican name for their party. July 13 was
an important date-maker in the annals
of freedom, for on that day in 1887 the
congress of the confederation passed
the ordinance organizing the North
west territory, and shutting out slavery
from all the states which would be
erected out Of hat tract. These were
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wis
~consin and all of Minnesota that is east
of the Mississippi. Many persons in
Michigan also intended at first to have
their state convention on July 10, on
account of the associations OF hat day.
Greeley, however, wrote to his friend,
Jacob NJ. Howard, telling him that Wis.
%consin was to select the name republi-
can for the new party on that day, and
advised Howard to have the Michigan
convention at an earlier date, and to
adopt the republican designation. This
counsel was followed, Michigan met on
July 6 instead of July IS, and thus won
the distinction of being the first state
to organize the party which has been
governing the country for the past for
ty-five years, except for two short pc
RODS.
"A national organization for the re
publican party did not come until 1856.
Wisconsin, in her state convention of
lJuly IS, 1854, adopted the republican
name for the party, and Vermont did
likewise, in a convention held on the
same day. Massachusetts followed
this example in a convention held on
September 81. 1854, and New York did
this on September 26. Other northern
states also nominated antislavery tick
cts in 1854, but Michigan, Wisconsin,
Vermont, Massachusetts and New York
were the only states which chose the
republican name for the tickets. Most
Of the resi- pf the free ctntas pbnsn tho
name in state conventions held in 1856.
On Janaury II, 1856, the chairman of
the republican state committees of
Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan,