Evening star., 1940-06-23


Lewis Clephane, factor in
launching the Republican party in
this city, was the business manager
| OF the National Era. He was born
here March 13, 1924, on the site
now known as 1908 G. street NV.
| and has descendants living here.
Apparently the people of WASH
ington were even more interested
in the second campaign of the Re-
publican party than they were in
the first. However, upon both oc-
casions-as well as upon all subse-
quent occasions-they had no vote
to cast for either party, though they
keenly felt the discrimination Just
as they dc today.
In 1860 their champion at the
convention was James A. Wise, and
in the Defense of the Rights of
the People of the District Of CO.
lumbia," he declared before that
body then convened in Chicago:
"Mr. President: 1 come from the
Capital of this great and mighty
Republic, and like my friend, Mr..
Armour, I am descended from old
Maryland. tApplause1 I stand in
this mighty convention congregated
in the Queen City of the great West.
the representative from the District
OF Columbia Of the great Republican
party. loud cheers I stand here
the representative Of the prosecuted
and down-trodden and dtstraa-
chised people that have no vote for
President, no voice in Congress ara
no voice anywhere to legislate for
us; and yet our territory contains
a hundred thousand free men.
i came TO this city as repre-
sentative Of the Republican party
for no sinister purpose. but for the
people of that disfranchised District.
We claim from the people of this
country the right of franchise; We
claim the right of citizenship; We
claim to be heard in this discussion.
and not to be silent longer in this
Republic. We have no legislature.
We ask of Congress a legislature,
and we intend that they shall give
us a territorial legislature and a
Representation in Congress-that we
shall make our own laws and that
Congress will confirm them-that
we will be people and have a work
) in this great Republic.
Il came here to tell this people
that the sham democracy has
} trodden down the Republican party
with the iron heel of despotism,
worse and more tyrannical than that
of Russia or the Austrian Empire.
What has the Buchanan admin
istration done? Why sir, they have
! gone into the workshops of the
Government to seek out Repub-
lican, and then turn him out to
grass, taking the bread from his
family if he did not bow down to
the slave power.
Charges Corruption.
And, sir, to carry a municipal
election in the City of Washington,
Mr.. Buchanan laid tax on all the
employees of the Government, from
, the highest to the lowest, for a
corruption fund, and compelled
every man in the employ of the
Government, at the Navy Yard, on
: the water works and on the public
: buildings, to vote the sham Demo-
!, cratic ticket to sustain the slave
| power Five hundred were brought
from the water works alone to per-
petrate this wrong upon the people
, OF the District of Columbia. These
| not being enough to overcome the
; people, the marines were ordered
: out, under pretense of preserving
order, and seven of the citizens were
killed and about 20 wounded by this
: unrighteous use of an armed force
, all to this unrighteous use of an
{ armed force-all to sustain the
. damnable cause of slavery But
, thanks to God, we come here fellow
gentlemen from Maryland, daring
{ to be Republicans; not to baptize
f that District of Columbia over again.
and, in the sight of God, we will
, exclude slavery from it in less than
{ three months, provided Congress
= will give us territorial legislation.
, Referring to the city directories
for 1860 and 1865, we find in the
) former that the James A. Wise, who
t delivered the foregoing remarks, was
! at that time law student residing
' on Four -and-a-half street (now
= Fourth street,, south of Maryland
avenue. BY 1865 his name appears
as James Andrew Wise and he had
Y become full-fledged lawyer with
an office in what is now John Mar
t shall place. AS a youngster, accord
! ing to the report, he certainly COW
S cred himself with glory upon this
. occasion.
: Let us hope that We may have
7 several good speakers to champion
our cause at both of the forthcoming
J conventions, and then maybe four
years hence we all can vote as
American citizens and have national
representation, for which we have 20
long fought.