Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-06-03
REPUBLICAN PARTYS
BIRTHPLACE DISPUTED
Ripon, Wis, and Jackson, Mich,
Both Claim 1t.
Authorities Seem to Favor the Wis
consin Claims Grant County
Men Had Hand in 1t.

Discussion concerning the birth
place of the Republican party has
been started again by the attempt
that is being made to introduce in
the schools of Milwaukee Wood
burn 81 Moran's History of the
United States, which teaches that
the Republican party was not born
at Ripon, Wisconsin but at jackson,
Mich, under the oaks" as has
long been claimed by that state.
The language of the history, on
page 364, under the heading 1.-THE
Origin of the Republican Party" is:
The new Republican party was
formally organized at Pittsburg,
Feb. %, 1856. The party's name
and principles had been announced
at a massmeeting held under the
oaks at jackson, Mich, in July,
1854"
Ripon is not even mentioned in
connection with the origin of the
party or with the announcement of
its name.
However, there is another side to
the story, for the great majority OF
modern historians give credit to
Wisconsin for having oficiated at
the firth and for having given the
name to the party, which has &C
complished so much for the nation
in the last half century.
Elson's History of the United
States, page $50 states: las early
as March 20, 1854, in the little town
of Ripon, Wis, several hundred
citizens met in the town hall, and
passed resolutions declaring that a
new national party should be
formed, and they suggested the
name Republican"
'tJohnson's American Political
History, 1853 re" page 209 has the
following: Wilson states that this
name (republican) was settled upon
by a meeting OF some thirty mem
bers of the house, on the day after
the passage of the Kansas-Ne-
braska bill, that is May, %, 1854
Another contemporaneous move
ment was in Ripon, Wis, where the
name was suggested at coalition
meeting, March 20, 1854, and form
ally adopted at the state convention
in July"
Says Legler's Leading Events IN
Wisconsin History" the immediate
impulse, that led me to the R1pon
meeting on the last day Of Febru-
ary, 1854, was the feeling excited
by the Nebraska bill pending in
congress. A suggestion was made
that the new party which It seemed
would soon be formed should be
called the Republican party"
The Century History company's
Wisconsin in Three Centuries"
vol. 8, page 50, says: AT the Sec
ond meeting which was held March
20. in little schoolhouse, MIR.
Bovay urged that the new party
should assume the name Republican.
He wrote to the same effect to the
editor of the New York Tribune,
giving his reasons for the selection
of the name"
Sparks 1.-The United States of
America" page 2OS, vol. IL, says:
This common purpose brought
about a meeting in a schoolhouse
on the prairie near Ripon, Wis, in
which a new party to be known as
the Republican was freely dis
cussed"
Meeting held at Ripon," says
Thwalt's ''Story of Wisconsin,"
''called by A. E. Bovay, Jediah
Bowan and others to organize the
Republican party Name Republican
then suggested by Mr.. Bovay, Feb,
2S."
Manchester, page $50, says: THE
breaking up of old parties over the
slavery issues naturally brought up
the question of forming a new
party. and at meeting in Ripon,
Wis, in 1854, it was proposed to
call the new party Republican"
Henry Wilson's Rise and Fall of
the Slave Power, published IN 1874,
while its author was vice president
of the United States, in its chapter
on the E'Origin of the Republican
party contains these words:
lone of the earliest, if not the
earliest of movements that con-
templated definite action and the
formation of new party was made
in Ripon, Fond du Lac county,
Wis. in the early months of 1854,
in consequence of very thorough
canvass, conference, and general
comparison of views inaugurated by
A. E. Bovay, prominent member