Semi-weekly herald., 1912-06-17

sion on the lake, which acceptance was
afterward reconsidered. The conven-
ton thought it necessary to adjourn
cne evening because the hall had been
previously engaged for an exhibition
drill by Zouave company.
1t was lively, fun-loving body.
Horace Greeley was present as dele
gate from the then almost inaccessible
state of Oregon and the delegates
twitted him as the gentleman from
Oregon" All the free states were rep
resented and there We're delegations
from five of the slave states-Ken-
tucy. Missouri, Delaware, Texas and
Virginia. Only those states present
were read out on the first roll call. A
delegate asked for full roll call and
the names of Tennessee, Arkansas,
Mississippi, Georgia, South and North
Carolina and Florida were called while
the delegates laughed, groaned, jeered
and hised. There was a great fight
On the report Of the committee on Gre
dentials, the question being whether
the slave states present were entitled
to full vote in the convention. Then
began the wrangle over the southern
states delegations which has continued
through every Republican convention
from that day until this. Horace
Greeley, in his fear of Seward at
tempted to secure the adoption of
rule that would have had the same
effect as the Democratic two-thirds
rule, but he failed. The convention
did, however, affirm the electoral ap-
portionment.
The convention had fight over the
platform, once actually voted down a
proposition to reassert the truths pro-
claimed by the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and was never unanimous Oh
any question. The platform declared
against the extension of slave terri
tory, specifically declared that it was
the right of states to control their
own local institutions without inter
ference, and denounced the armed in
vasion of a state upon any pretext
whatever as "the gravest of crimes
This was reference to John Browns
raid. The Republican party of 1860
knew full well that it could not counte-
nance the attitude of the extreme abo-
litionists. 1t was not its purpose to
free the slaves in the south, it looked
only to the issues of the moment, the
prevention of the extension Of slav
cry to the territories and to new
, states.
, Yet today it is easy to see that the
, attitude of the people of the north
which made the organization of the
! Republican party possible was essen
TALLY an anti-slavery attitude. II was
, not so apparent at that time, as the
careful utterances of the early Re-
publican leaders give testimony. How
, ever, when the Republican convention
| in the Chicago Wigwam chose Abra-
ham Lincoln as their nominee for pres
ident they knew they had selected
man who had said: "A house divided
, against itself cannot stand. | believe
this government cannot endure per
manently half slave and half free"
| Later he wrote to Horace Greeley Mat
, if he could save the Union by free
l ing the slaves, he would do it; that
| if he could save the Union by not
1 freeing the slaves he would not free
them; that it was his purpose to save
the Union. He did, and for that serv-
ice not only the Republican party
which he led, but every man, woman
and child who owns to the name Of
. American, calls him blessed Kansas
City Journal.