The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-23
Dramatic Incidents i'm
Presidential Nominations

placed John Tyler in office for nearly
a fun executive term.
Slavery Looms Up.
Although for long years the qucs-
tent figured in the politics of the
country. ii was vet hardly Il real issue
when Franklin Pierce. democrat, de-
fcated General Winfield Scott, "A whiS,
though there was a certain %crNstal'i-
zation of the anti-slavcry sentiment in
the nomination nf h free DEM
ocrats" of John =. Hale and George
w. julia" both pronounced abolition-
lists. as candidates for the presidency
and vice presidency. They received a
few more thar 156.O0O of the ~opular
Vote, but not IN electoral vote.
Then came the organization of the
republican party. differing in spirit
entirely from the former republican
party. whose name had been abandon
cd. All of the elements opposed to
tho extension of slavery to the ncW
states, democrats, wings, free sellers.
Joined in the formal organization of
the new party, aroused by the Kansas
Nebraska bill. which ave the people
of territories admitted to the union the
right to decide whether slavery should
or should not be permitted. The fugi-
tive slave law. giving owners of slaves
the right to pursue runaways into II
S'AN "a'1 AlNo UNIV "A"S ( u IN
to bondage, also incensed the feeling
of all who were in the least opposed
to slavery.
1t was a distinct declaration. how
ever, of the first republican owen
ton which met at Philadelphia June
II. 1856, hat it was not the intention
to interfere with slavery in states
where it had existed, and there Were
other pronouncementS tending to pop
nlarize the movement. John c. FIRE.
mont. famed for his Rocky Mountain
exploration and for the part he play
cd in the annexation of an immense
area of the Mexican Pacific coast.
which became California. was nomin-
ated for president. and William l"
DAYTON Of New Jersey for h vice
presidency. James Buchanan of Penn
sylvania and John C. breckenridge of
Kentucky were nominated for presi-
dent and vice president. There was
an offshoot called tho "American," or
know-Nothing party, which nominat-
ed Willard Fillmore, who received
nearly Il million of the popular Vote
and eight electoral votes. OF the peo-
pies vote Buchanan received 1,s3s,165
and ia of the electoral vote. while
Fremont had 1,341.000 and ia cleo
tors.
1t was the first alignment under cur
rent names of what are still the two
great parties. and the slavery fight was
on to stay until it should forever he
settled a few years later by the hloodi-
est n most destructive civil war of
all history.
smashing of Parties.
In 1850 came a smashing of parties
which embodied the very life or death
of the federation of states. The slave
states, more especially those not stu
ated on the border between the north
and the south. apparently were as
sured that the north would no longer
tolerate the extension of negro slavery
to territories admitted to the union
nor to the pursuit and dragging back
to their masters of escaped slaves on
free soil. Secession doomed up, and
this divided tho democratic party of
the north n to some extent that of
the south. Excitement was intense
preceding all the conventions. Solemn
f~orebodins oppressed the entire ma
ton. A terrible war seemed imminent
if secession came n if the union
element attempted to coerce the sep
~arating states into enforced adhesion
to the federation. 1t was beyond all
comparison the darkest campaign year
in tn" history of campaigns.
Abraham Lincoln was nominated at
chicago for the presidency by the re-
publicans. stephen A. Douglas was
the choice of the northern wing of the
democrats. John Bell of Tennessee
was the candidate of the union con
tingent of the southern democrats, and
John G.. breckenridge was selected as
the standard-bearer for the extremists.
IT might be said the secessionists. of
the democratic patty. Lincoln swept
the north and h opposition of all
shades were hopelessly divided. The
popular vote stood: Lincoln. 1885,
49,. nn1u11c - -. Io,.xi-...1 -,
s4'.93@. and Bell, 59O,631. OF the
electoral vote Lincoln had $50, Brock
enridge -. Bell 80 and Douglas j..
Ihen came the tragedy of secession
and the long civil war, followed by the
first assassination of an American
president. April IA, 1865. and the clc-
walton of Andrew Johnson. vice presi-
dent, to almost a full term of the
presidency. The campaign of 1854
was not one of great excitement. Cen
eral George b. Mcclellan was nomin-
ated by the democrats. There was
some dissatisfaction among republic
cans with Lincoln on of his
southern policy, and with the nomina-
ton OF Andrew Johnson for the vice
presidency, but the president was re-
elected by a popular majority of close
to half a million in a total vote a few
more than 1000. 900, and had 2l2
electoral votes to 81 for Mcclellan.
With 1865 came the political day of
General Grant, the Hero of Appoma-
toX.' and the rise of an Inscriptions
group who took advantage of the
great generals ignorance Of civil af-
fairs. Horatio Seymour of New York
was the nominee of the democrats and
received only so electoral votes to PA
for Grant. Scandals, political and leg
i%slative. due to the political group re-
ferred to, beclouded the term Of
Grant. but failed to defeat him for the
renomination, though the conditions
had a remarkable result. In 1872 a
liberal republican party sprang into
existence. which for a time threaten
ed disaster to the republican party. In
one of the most enthusiastic conven-
tons ever held, assembling at Cincin-
rati. Horace Greeley was nominated
for the presidency and Governor b.
Gratz Brown of Missouri for the vice
presidency. Then came the amazing
action of the democrats. in convention
at Baltimore, when. after an exciting
and prolonged Wrangle. the nomina-
tions of Greeley and Brown were en-
dorsed and the old abolitionist, and
dire former foe of democrats, was
made the nominee of the democratic
conservative and the southern wing
of the party by his kindly views of
the problem of reconstruction, and
with Others OF the old abolitionists had
gone On the bail bond which liberated
Jefferson from confinement. and all
save a few of the eXtremer ones of the
party said that Horace looks good
enough for U.S." The dissatisfied held
a little convention of their WI at
lo'Connor and George w. Julian.