The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-03-10
Former Fargo Man Is
Lone Survivor Of the
Original COP. Founder:
Edwin u Judd, Well Known to Old Timers, Now Resident
of Washington, Has Remarkable Distinction-one
Time Carpenter in This City He Participated
in Historic Event

was again called. A call was drafted
for O. mass convention for either July
s or July IL at Madison, and the call
was signed by the twelve men present,
among whom were Maj. Alvin A.
Bovey, Jedediah Nowen, Garrett
Baker, Col Edward F. Daniels,
Messrs. Norton, Dellinger, Reynolds,
Martin and Delano. The following
morning Daniels called on Bovey at
Ripon and asked him what he intend
ed to do with the call they had signed
the night before. Bovey replied that
he intended to get some more names
and have it published. Daniels said:
"'You can publish the call just as
soon as you get one mans signature
"'who is hep asked Bovey.
"'Mr. Judd OF Waupun. Don't you
know that he is chairman Of the Free
Sellers, and that the vote he controlled
defeated our candidate for congress
and defeated you for. the assembly
last fall?
"'That's SO. How shall we get
him?'
"'My carriage is outside; we'll see
him now
Judd Signs the Call.
Daniels and Bovey drove twelve
miles to my home and my wife pointed
me out to them where / was at work
in the field. l knew them and knew
they were politicians and wanted
something. After the usual greetings
they produced the call and asked me
to sign it. / read it over carefully and
then asked them to go into my house
and we would talk the matter over.
We had a good square talk and all
saw the necessity Of new party ana
what it would accomplish. If we could
stop the extension of slavery much
would be gained toward abolition.
told them would sign the call, and
as I drew my chair toward the table
Daniels said: g,
today that is going down the ages.
AFTER had signed. Daniels said that
they would publish the call In the paper
that night, and so anxious were they
to get it in at once that my inVitation
THE call was published in The Rtpon
Commonwealth, Free Soil paper, OF
which G. J. Allen was editor, and whose
name, following mine, was the last one
signed to the original call for the for
nation of the new party. 1t was re-
printed and heartily endorsed by The
Milwaukee Democrat Gree Democrat
Sherman M. Booth, editor; Milwaukee
Sentinel, (Whig paperl, Rufus King
editor; Racine Advocate Gree Sold.
S. M. Sholds, editor; Madison Journal.
(Whig0, M. Roubelet, editor; Oshkosh
SSr s SaeS Of thess p
pers invited those interested to send in
their Names and in a short time sew
eral thousands were enrolled.
First Convention in Michigan.
"As a matter of history, it is said,
and rightly so, that Michigan was the
first state to hold a convention OF the
Republican party. A Detroit man, JOS
eph Warren, picked up paper and
read the Wisconsin call, and as a result
the Michigan convention was held on
July 6, 1854. The Wisconsin call was
used word for word, and the party was
named by lack Chandler upon a sug-
gestion which Bovey gave to Horace
Greeley Vermont, Indiana and Ohio
held conventions on July Is and adopt
ed the Wisconsin platform. 1t was not
can party became national organiza-
tion and held its first national conven-
"That is my story, said Mr.. Judd,
land / believe I am correct, as met
Mr.. Martin in the late '70s and Mr.. Nor
ton and Mr.. Bovey in the sos, and in
talking the matter over we were
Mr.. Judd was born in Lennox, Mass,
Aug. 16, 1926, the son of James and
Amanda Brewster Judd. He settled in
wisconsin with his parents in 1846. In
1867 he moved to Mantorville, Mimi,
where he lived for fourteen years,
coming from there to Fargo where he
resided ten years. In 1890 he moved
from there moved to Anacortes seven
years ago.
There is not an early resident of
Fargo but is well acquainted with Mr..
Judd and to whom this article will be
of considerable interest.