Ohio History Journal

EARLY HISTORY OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

IN OHIO.

ON July 1₃th, 1854, the anniversary of the "Ordinance

of 1787," there assembled, at Neil's New Hall, Columbus,

Ohio, a large delegate convention, representing every

town in the State, having for its purpose to fuse into

one practical organization all political elements which

opposed the repeal of the "Missouri Compromise," and

were ready to resist the extension of slavery into Kansas

and Nebraska.

A similar convention met, on the same day, at Indian-

apolis, in the State of Indiana, and its presiding officer

was the Hon. Henry S. Lane.

The Ohio convention was a fair representation of the

anti-slavery elements which belonged to the old Whig,

Democratic, Free-Soil, and Liberty parties. Among the

delegates were those who had been the special friends of

Birney and John Van Buren, as well as those who took

part in the legislative action of 1848-9, which first placed

Mr. Chase in the United States Senate.

Benjamin F. Leiter, Esq., Democrat, who, as a member

of the Legislature in 1848-9, had figured prominently at

the opening of that session, was elected Chairman of the

convention, and J. H. Baker, Esq., Whig, with J. H. Her-

rick, Esq., Free-Soil, were made Secretaries.

The following Committee on Resolutions were selected

for the twenty-one Congressional districts:

First district, Benjamin Eggleston; 2d district, James

Elliott; ₃d district, David Heaton; ₄th district, T. Cun-

ningham; ₅th district, Dr. J. J. Paul; 6th district, Wm.

Allison; 7th district, W. H. P. Denny; 8th district, J.

Corvin; ₉th district, Homer Elliott; 10th district, E. Nye;

11th district, Joshua R. Giddings; 12 district, Henry B.

Carrington; 13th district, Joseph Root; 1₄th district,

Norton S. Townshend; 15th district, Joseph W. Vanze;

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328   Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.

16th district, Davis Green; 17th district, John Daven-

port; 18th district, E. N. Sill; 19th district, Rufus P.

Spaulding; 20th district, George F. Brown; 21st district,

Ephraim H. Eckley.

This committee assembled at Room 18 of the Amer-

ican Hotel, and unanimously adopted the following reso-

lutions:

PREAMBLE.

WHEREAS, The positive prohibition of slavery in the

territory to the north and west of Missouri, imposed by

Congress, in the year 1820, at the instance of Southern

statesmen, and as an equivalent for the admission of

Missouri as a State without that restriction, has been

removed by the passage of the bill to establish territorial

governments in Nebraska and Kansas; and,

WHEREAS, It becomes important to ascertain if the

popular mind in regard to slavery has retrograded in Ohio

during the last thirty-four years, notwithstanding the

benign influence of the Ordinance of 1787, which made

them perpetually free, and which has been the principal

means of our unexampled prosperity and happiness;

therefore,

Resolved, First, that we hail with gladness and grati-

tude the anniversary of that glorious day when the Con-

gress of the confederacy imposed upon the Northwest

Territory that ordinance of freedom which has given

character and confidence to five great States, now contain-

ing five million of freemen, but not one slave.

Resolved, Second, that in humble imitation of the

virtue and patriotism which inspired our fathers in

the enactment of that ordinance, we solemnly renew this

day our covenant vows to resist the spread of slavery,

under whatever shape or color it may be attempted.

Resolved, Third, that to this end we will labor assidu-

ously to render inoperative and void that portion of "The

Kansas and Nebraska Bill" which abolishes freedom in

the territories withdrawn from the influences of slavery

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Early History of the Republican Party in Ohio.  329

by the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and that we will

oppose by every lawful and constitutional means every

further increase of slave-territory, or slave States, in this

"Republican Confederacy."

Resolved, Fourth, that in order that public sentiment

on this great subject may be concentrated and developed

in the State of Ohio, at the earliest possible period, we

will proceed to place in nomination suitable candidates

for the Supreme Bench and Board of Public Works, and

invite to their support, at the approaching election, the

votes of all good citizens, without reference to parties.

Resolved, Fifth, that we concur in the recommendation

of the people of Michigan, that there be called a general

convention of the free States, and such of the slave-

holding States, or portions thereof, as may desire to be

there represented, with the view of the adoption of other

and more effective measures, in resistance of the encroach-

ments of slavery, and that a committee of five persons be

appointed to correspond and co-operate with our friends

in other States on this subject.

Resolved, Sixth, that a committee be appointed by this

convention, as a pro tem. State Central Committee, with

power to call another convention of the friends of liberty,

and to take other measures that may become necessary to

perfect the declared designs of this convention.

Resolved, Seventh, that the soil of Nebraska and Kan-

sas shall be appropriated for free homes, for free men."

During the noon recess of the convention, and before

the committee on resolutions had fully completed their

work, Hon. Wm. Dennison, Jr., handed to his law partner,

Mr. Carrington, who was on the committee from the

Columbus district, a Detroit paper, stating that at a meet-

ing held in that city the name "Republican" had been

suggested for the "Fusion party."  Mr. Giddings and

Messrs. Townshend, Root and Paul opposed the selection

of any distinctive name, as premature, until at least one

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330   Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly.

State election should determine whether there was a

genuine fusion of all the anti-slavery elements of the old

parties, or simply a device of the two old parties to

swallow up the original Free-Soilers. The expression

"Republican Confederacy," in the third resolution, took

shape from this discussion.

The resolutions, as above reported, were adopted by the

convention, and the committee "To correspond with the

committee of other states on the subject of a National

Convention," consisted of the following persons, viz:

Henry B. Carrington, of Columbus, chairman, and J. H.

Baker, of Chillicothe, Whigs; Joseph R. Swan, of Col-

umbus, and Rufus K. Spaulding, of Cleveland, Demo-

crats; Dr. J. B. Coulter, of Columbus, Free-Soil and Lib-

erty party representative. Messrs. Carrington and Swan

were known as belonging to the anti-slavery wings of

their respective parties, so that all shades of political in-

terest appeared on the committee.

During the closing hours of the Convention, the follow-

ing telegram was received from Hon. Henry S. Lane, then

presiding over the Indiana Convention: "The Indian-

apolis Convention repudiates the Nebraska swindle and

has organized for a victorious contest."

The Ohio Convention nominated Judge Joseph R.

Swan, Free-Soil Democrat, for Supreme Judge, and he

was elected by a majority of more than one hundred

thousand. Henry S. Lane presided, subsequently, and

Wm. Dennison, Jr., was a Vice-President, at the Philadel-

phia Convention, which placed the first National Repub-

lican ticket in the field.

Nearly all of the actors who took part in that Conven-

tion have passed away, Judge Spaulding reaching the age

of eighty-four. More than seven-eighths of the parties

with whom the special committee had correspondence are

no longer among the living. The notes, interlined by

Mr. Giddings, at Room number 18, of the American Hotel,

ave become fragmentary and almost illegible, but the

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Early History of the Republican Party in Ohio.  331

 

record may have some value as a souvenir of issues

whose consequences were to be the completer unity and

the more perfect fraternity of the citizens of this great

Republic.

HENRY B. CARRINGTON.

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