The Washington herald., 1908-07-09

/ The next third-party movement was the
result OF popular agitation against the
/ Masons and other secret societies. i
grew out OF the mysterious disappearance
/ Of William Morgan. OF Batavia, y Y
/ for which Masons were held responsible
/ by sensational gossips. Politicians who
/ feared the rising sun Of Andrew Jackson
I power attempted 70 form a party which
would carry them 20 victory, based OF
/ this idea. No other third party in history
/ boasts so many distinguished names in
/ the list Of its organizers and supporters
There were Thurlow Weed. William H.
/ Seward AIiIard Fillmore, Thaddeus Ste
vens. Salmon P. Chase. John Mclean
and William Writ Il had the moral sup
port OF the great Senatorial triumvirate.
Webster, Clay. and Calhoun, although
they were never committed 10 its doc
trines. Clay was a Mason. and was Will
ing TO use the party 10 strike Jackson.
but he could not take part in its propa-
gandA.
The AnJi-MasOnic party carried several
state elections. sent many members TO
Congress. and for d time seemed to be a
live proposition IL carried but one State
for its Presidential candidate in 1872 and
very soon thereafter sunk to its death. Il
has the distinction OF having originated
the delegated nominating convention. soon
adopted by all other parties, and other
than that Il left no impress upon the poll
tics OF the nation.
The Abolition. or Liberty Party. was a
third-party movement. which never sue
ceeded IN getting anywhere in a political
sense. although IL was entirely successful
in It's agitation Of the anti-slavery doc
trlnes. This party and its successor, the
Free Soil party. never carried a State in
Presidential election When the time
came. its followers Joined with the rem
nants OF all other parties under other
leaders 10 form the Republican party,
which was never a third party. The Re
publiCans at the very beginning took the
position OF legitimate opposition. which
had been forfeited by the temporizlng
Wings. In their first race they We're sec
ond, and IN the second race they were
successful, although casting a minority
Of the popular vote.
In view of the fact that Tammany has
twice allied itself with the Hearst party,
it is interesting to recall the career Of
the 'LOcofOcoes." Beginning in 1928 there
was workingmen's party started In New
York City. which six years later devel-
oped into the Equal Rights party. This
organization started out by going back 10
revolutionary and JeffersOnian DemOc-
racy Of the most practical kind urging
reform in Democratic party ranks. Ii was
the old tight Of city against the upstate
Tammany Hall Joined the reformers. and
the new party had phenomenal successes
in the city and IN portions OF the State.
IL attempted TO control the general as
sembly, with the result that there were
two legislative organizations in the same
hall The old-line leaders turned out the
lights. The Equal Rights men religbted
them with ''locofOco" matches-then a
novelty. That gave them the name Loco
foco. The Democratic party throughout
the nation was affected by the movement.
and In later years the Wings derislvely
called AL Democrats 'locofocoes."
The anti-Catholic sentiment has sew
eral times manifested itself In a political
movement The demands made for a di-