The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-09-14
How the Parties
We're Organized

| An interesting stoIy III SonnoS'.o-
with the history OF the organization
lof the two big national political par
ties is told by the Kansas City Sta!
lin the following:
The democratic party is tae ciaes,
political organization in the Unlted
States, and was inspired by the prin
iciples laid down by Thomas Jener
son. From the time of Wash ,ng-on
second administration 1t WIS known
ias the democratic-republic1n party
and after 1929 as the democratic
party.
/ The party had its origin with the
question of the adoption of the fed
eral constitution. Before then AL
men were united in their effort TO
establish order following the trying
days of the revolution. However. on
the question of adopting the ctnsti-
tuition public opinion was divided.
One group, led by Alexander Hamil-
ton, advocated its acceptance by the
states without alteration; another
group declared against such centrsh-
cation of power as the constitution
/ threatened to impose upon ,ae coun.
I, try and maintained that the states
should be invested with almost
sovereign authority, to assure local
self government. The faction led by
Hamilton won, but the opposition
obtained promise that congress. as
one of its first acts, should propose
series of constitutional amendments
guaranteeing certain alienable rights
TO the people Hamilton and other
Spokesman for the constitution, in
the form in which it was adopted,
became known as the federalists. The
natural designation of the opposition,
headed by Thomas Jefferson. was
anti-federalist, and this party was in
every essential the beginning of the
present democratic party.
After the adoption of the consti-
tuition the distinction between the
federalists and antifederalists be
came almost meaningless. All unite'l
in an effort to get the new govern
ment established as quickly as pos
sible, and for few years party
names were forgotten. On the eve
of the second presidential election,
in 1892, there sprang up two active
groups, the cid federalist wing be
coming known as national republi-
cans and the followers of Jefferson
as neutrality-suspicious.
Since the days of Jefferson the
democratic party has come down to
the present time, closely associated
with the figures of Andrew jackson,
Samuel J. Tilden and Grover Cleve
land
The republican party was organ
lied in the years 1854 to 1856 as
protest against the extension of
slavery. The name republican as
used by the followers of Jefferson,
about 1892, and by the adherents OF
Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams
al bout 1925, was current in each case
only few years, but in common
usage the name republican is given
only to the party which elected Lin
coin to the presidency in 1860.
The republican party owed its
slavery into the territories, and to
the inability or unwillingness OF the
wings as a party to take vigorous
steps in opposition. The northern
wings were already displeased by the
passage and enforcement of the fugi-
tive slave law of 1850, but the Kan
sas-Nebraska bill led to open revolt
In 1854, three months before the lat
ter bill was passed, a local mass
of voters opposed to slavery
met at Ripon, Wis, and adopted
declaring that if the bill
became a law they would throw old
party organizations to the winds, and
organize a new party on the sole
issue Of the non-extension of slavery"
The local party was soon organized.
and the name republican was sug
gested as suitable for the new party.
1t was in Michigan, however, on July
s, that the opposition to the extern
sion of slavery first led to a real
party organization which formally
adopted the name republican In
Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois,
and other states, conven-
tons were held during the summer
of 1854, and almost at once the re-
publican party became a power in the
north. In the fall of 1854 the repub-
Leans elected eleven United States
senator's and secured plurality in
the house of representatives.
This sudden growth was due to the
fact that nearly all oppopents to the
extension of slavery at once Joined
the party. Among the republicans
were most of the anti-slavery wings,
including Lincoln. Seward and Gres-
ley; all the free-soilers; most Of the
now-nothings, including Nathaniel
P. Banks and Schuyler Colfax. and a
few abolitfonists who felt that the
new party offered the best means Of
real opposition to slavery. Besides
these complex elements there were
a few northern anti-slavery demo
Gratis, among them being Simon Cam.
eron, Hannibal HamIin and William
Cullen Bryant, who favored the re-
publican cause