THE

HE political contest of 1855 commenced, as was then the custom in Ohio, with the very beginning of the year. The Democratic State Convention assembled at the City Hall, Columbus, on Monday, January 8th, with Clement L. Vallandigham as Temporary and Henry B. Payne as Permanent Chairman. A letter from Allen G. Thurman was read declining another renomination to the Supreme Bench, whereupon the following ticket was nominated: For Governor, William Medill, of Fairfield; Lieutenant Governor, James Myers, of Lucas; Judges of the Supreme Court William Kennon, of Belmont, and Robert B. Warden, of Franklin; Auditor, William Doane Morgan, of Columbiana; Treasurer, John G. Breslin, of Seneca; Secretary of State, William Trevitt, of Franklin; Attorney General, George W. McCook, of Jefferson; and Member of Board of Public Works, James B. Steedman, of Lucas.

Three changes had already occurred in the Supreme Court since its organization under the new Constitution, February 9, 1852. It first consisted of William B. Caldwell, of Hamilton; Thomas W. Bartley, of Richland; John A. Corwin, of Champaign; Allen G. Thurman, of Ross, and Rufus P. Ranney, of Trumbull, to serve respectively one, two, three, four and five years in the order named. Judge Corwin resigned in 1853, Robert B. Warden, of Franklin, was ap

pointed to fill the unexpired term, and Judge Swan was elected in 1854 to succeed him. Judge Caldwell was elected in 1852 to a full term, as his own successor, but he also resigned in 1854 and William Kennon was appointed to fill the unexpired term until a regular successor should be elected.

The platform adopted demanded the revision of the tariff of 1846 so as to reduce the revenue and exclude bounties; the restoration of gold and silver as our sole currency, and the acquisition of Cuba and the Sandwich Islands. It declared slavery "an evil to be mitigated and finally eradicated;" affirmed the equal and independent sovereignty of each State; and insisted upon the equal protection of all citizens, native and naturalized. The annual Jackson banquet was held at the American House that night, George E. Pugh presiding, and addresses were made by Henry B. Payne, Rufus P. Ranney, Samuel Medary, Samuel S. Cox, Hugh J. Jewett, George W. McCook, Daniel Leadbetter and George W. Morgan.

On July 5th the American or Knownothing Convention assembled at Cleveland. It did not nominate a State ticket, but its resolutions demanded the repeal of the Missouri Compromise; declared that slavery was local, not National; opposed all political organizations composed exclusively of foreign-born citizens; and insisted, as to foreigners, that twenty-one years' residence

was the proper requisite to citizenship. Delegates were elected to the Philadelphia National American Convention, on June 14th, where many of the Western delegates objected to the pro-slavery dictation of the Order, and withdrew from it. Thomas Skinner, of Hamilton County, was among the most active of this number. But, to anticipate the action of the Republicans somewhat, it should be stated that an American, or so-called "Anti-Chase Convention, was held in the City Hall, Columbus, on August 5th. Ira Kelly, of Cuyahoga, and John Davenport, of Belmont, were respectively Temporary and Permanent Chairmen. A platform was adopted denouncing the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and demanding a radical change in our taxation and currency systems. The principles of the American party were re-affirmed and the venerable Allen Trimble, of Highland County, nominated for Governor.

James

R. Stanbery, A. Banning Norton and Joseph H. Geiger were among the principal actors in this movement.

If, in the early days of the Republican party its leaders were at all superstitious, they did not manifest it, for, at half-past ten, Friday morning, July 13th, they assembled. in State Convention at the Town Street Methodist Episcopal Church, in the city of Columbus.

The new church was well filled,

and the proceedings were interesting and spirited from beginning to end. Perhaps the most accurate, and certainly a very interesting, inside history of the Convention, is that written in 1889 by Oren Follett, of Sandusky, editor of the State Journal at Columbus from 1854 to 1858, and Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee during part of that period. It is given in full in Alfred E. Lee's ex

cellent history of Columbus. Another entertaining and reliable sketch is that prepared for the writer by Richard Pullan, of Cincinnati.

The day meant much to them, as it had to the members of the old Liberty party, for July 13th was sometimes called Liberty Day," in commemoration of the fact that on July 13, 1787, the Ordinance creating the Northwest Territory, and dedicating it forever to freedom, had been adopted by the Congress of the Confederation. Like the great meeting of the previous year, it was essentially a Fusion State Convention, representing all the different, and frequently discordant, anti-Nebraska elements in Ohio, Old-time Whigs, Freesoilers, Liberty men, and many new recruits from the Democratic party and Knownothings, met together, determined and earnest in the one great cause, and harmonious in that aloneresistance to the extension and spread of human slavery.

Immediately on assembling, Joshua R. Giddings, of Ashtabula, moved that Benjamin S. Cowen, of Belmont, be selected as Temporary Chairman, and the motion was unanimously adopted. adopted. William B. Allison, of Wayne, since the distinguished Senator from Iowa, and John S. Herrick, of Portage, were elected Secretaries. Mr. Allison was born on his father's farm in Perry township, Wayne county, Ohio. He attended the country schools until sixteen, and several terms at the colleges at Wooster and Hudson, Ohio, and Meadville, Pa. Subsequently he taught in the district schools, studied law in Wooster and was admitted there in 1857. From early manhood he took an active interest in politics, his first office being that of Deputy Clerk of Courts of Wayne county, as a Whig.

As one of the founders of the Republican party, he was an active participant in the State conventions of Ohio in 1855 and 1856, but the next year he removed to Dubuque, Iowa, with which State his subsequent useful and illustrious career is more properly identified.

On motion, Rev. Mr. Walker, of Mansfield, was invited to implore divine inspiration for the work of the Convention." A resolution was adopted that each of the twenty-one Congressional districts select representatives to serve upon the following Committees, in the order named: Credentials, Permanent Organization and Resolutions. Whereupon the following were named:

Credentials: J. R. Skinner, Hamilton. 2. Rutherford B. Hayes, Hamilton. 3. David Oliver, Butler. 4. Barton S. Kyle, Miami. 5. Samuel B. Scott, Lucas. 6. James H. Rothrock, Highland. 7. Robert McBratney, Greene. 8. Cornelius S. Hamilton, Union. 9. David Miller, Wyandot. IO. Lucius V. Robinson, Scioto. II. Andrew J. Van Vorhes, Athens. 12. Uriah Shipp, Licking. 13. John Sherman, Richland. 14. Smith Orr, Wayne. 15. Jacob Blickensderfer, Sr., Tuscarawas. 16. Melvin Clark, Washington. 17. Charles Hare, Noble. 18. John Harris, Stark. 19. Charles W. Palmer, Cuyahoga. 20. Milton Sutliff, Trumbull. 21. George K. Jenkins, Columbiana.

Permanent Organization: 1. John K. Green, Hamilton. 2. Edward Harwood, Hamilton. 3. Moses B. Walker, Montgomery. 4. Edward B. Taylor, Darke. 5. John Paul, Defiance. 6. Archibald Liggett, Brown. 7. Amos McKay, Clinton. 8. Sherman Finch, Delaware. 9.

Robert G. Pennington, Seneca. 10. John McNeil, Jr., Ross. 11. James Taylor, Perry. 12. Joseph C. Thompson, Pickaway. 13. Samuel T. Worcester, Huron. 14. Norton S. Townshend, Lorain. 15. Columbus Weirich, Holmes. 16. Israel Green, Morgan. 17. William Steele, Morrow. 18. Edward N. Sill, Summit. 19. Lester Taylor, Geauga. 20. John Hutchihs, Trumbull. 21. Jonas D. Cattell, Co

lumbiana.

Resolutions: I. John M. Gitchell, Hamilton. 2. William Schouler, Hamilton. 3. Daniel A. Iddings, Montgomery. 4. Justin Hamilton, Mercer. 5. William A. Hunter, Williams. 6. David Fagan, Clermont. 7. A. H. Dunlevy, Warren. 8. Benjamin Stanton, Logan. 9. Cooper K. Watson, Seneca. IO. Elias Nigh, Lawrence. II. Alfred Thompson, Meigs.

12.

John W. Andrews, Franklin. 13. F. D. Parrish, Erie. 14. Hiram E. Peck, Lorain. 15. George W. True, Knox. 16. Cydnor B. Tompkins, Morgan. 17. Hugh Forsyth, Guernsey. 18. Thomas Earl, Portage. 19. Rufus P. Spalding, Cuyahoga. 20. Joshua R. Giddings, Ashtabula. 21. James Robertson, Columbiana.

The Committee on Organization was authorized to formulate rules for the government of the Convention. A committee of three was constituted to extend messages of greeting to like assemblages then in session in other States, but the various reports fail to name any of its members excepting Joshua R. Giddings, at whose suggestion the committee was appointed. A message was received from the Republican Mass State Convention of Indiana, declaring that

the 15,000 to 20,000 persons in attendance were harmonious and enthusiastic," and that the platform of the previous year