Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-13
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS.
X-The Birth of the Republican Party.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

iii Dy AS0SA -
In The year of 1856 were held the
first national convention OF the TO-
nublican party, the last united conven-
ton of the ante-beilum democracy anu
the last national convention "hicn
sought to galvanize into lie tho coip'0
of the old whig party.
The democrats met in Cncinhau
June 2-the first national convention
ever held west of the Aie8hahy
mountains. The extension OF the teio-
graph by this time had so increased
the scope OF newspaper reports tnA1
for the first time columns upon Columns
vere printed about the pre-convehtioh
campaign President Pierce was a canoi-
date for reelection. but the supporter
If James Buchanan were confident tnat
their favorite would win Stephen A.
Douglas OF Illinois was a candidate carly
in the year but. so the newspapers sAio'
ia had realized that Il was impossible
successfully TO oppose Buchanan, and
therefore he would be content to make a
showing OF strength In the convention
with a view to winning the nomination
FOR himself four years after.
e.
The interest IN the convention was
manifested by the fact that there were
no less than 1000
Throngs Attend strangers in Gin
cinnati-the big
and Spend Freely. sest crowd that.
IN 10 that time. had ever been attracted
by a national convention. 1t was esti-
mated by the newspapers that the dele
gates and Iookefs-on spent no less than
a quarter Of a Inillion dollars in Cincin-
natl one hotel, the Burnet House. alone
sold 1900 bottles OF champagne. This
feature of the convention was sufficient
" unusual to attract the attention Of the
100 newspaper correspondents VINO were
In the press gallery. the largest gathering
OF teIegraphic newspaper reporters tnat'
up 10 that time, had ever met In the
world
The democratic national committee. just
before the convention met, undertook TOT
the first time to pass on contested deie-
cations. establishing precedent that mas
s.nec been followed by all parties, ana
that has been brought into especial
prominence BY the pre-convention cam
paign in the republican party this year
There were only two contests in Gin
cinnati one from New York and one
from Missouri. The two Missouri fac
ions-Bentonian and anti Bentonian-suo-
mtted their case to the national COM
mittee, which decided in favor OF the
anti Bentonians and placed the names
of those delegates on the temporary roll.
The two New York factions. known as
.'Hards'' and "Softs," refused to acknowl-
edge the jurisdiction of the national COM
-11sv vxnIs 0t1 oOb
hands of the convention itself.
few minutes after the convention had
been called to order and opened with the
usual prayer
Pap" Price Leads there was
Fighting Bentonians. ton in IN.
rear of the hall. which threw the whole
gathering into confusion. many thinking
the building was collapsing and others
that il was on fire. 1t turned out to be
the Bentonian faction from Missouri. led
by Gov Sterling NJ. Price-afterward
Pap Price Of the Confederate army
Engaged In getting into the convention by
means Of kicking down the doors. After
a great deal Of trouble the Bentonians
were silenced, and the New York con-
test was settled by compromise, which
gave the two factions equal voting
strength, but which favored to q slight
degree the "Hards." The "Hards" we're,
generally speaking. successors to the Ola
''Hunkers,r and the "Softs had In
herited the traditions OF the now oeIunct
''Barnburners."
Pierce had considerable vote on the
first ballot. but his strength rapidly fell
away and on the seventeenth ballot
James buchanan Of Pennsylvania, having
received the necessary two-thirds. was
unanimously. After one test vote In
which ten favorite sons were compliment
ed, John G. Breckenridge Of Kentucky
was unanimously named for the second
place on the ticket.
The platform adopted declared unequiv-
ocally in favor of the policy Of non-inter-
ference OF Congress In slavery In state
and territory or in the District or Co
lumbia, asserting that all questions had
been settled by the compromise OF 1850.
This was the apple of discord.
-
Although the split did not como at once.
md although the nominees Of the Cipcin-
natl con-
Platform Death Knell vention
of 0ld-Time Supremacy. tined to b.
elected at the polls. the Cincinnati plat
form was the death knell Of the old-time
democratic supremacy That some demo-
Gratis saw this is evident from the fact
hat the day after the convention ad-
journed the newspapers carried a dis
patch from Bangor announcing that the
chairman OF the democratic state COM
mittee Of Maine Lot Morrill, had de-