committee on resolutions, which consisted of Summerville and Baker, was out, Mr. Brown entertained the audience in a speech of some length, on the purpose and hope of the party; and next day the Chicago Tribune appeared with an extended account of the convention, entitling it the "First Gun from Egypt." In 1859, when the Republican party was in its very infancy in Southern Illinois, William H. Green, then a Representative in the Twenty-first General Assembly, invited to his office, in Metropolis, a few prominent Democrats, for the purpose of consulting as to the best interests of the party. "Gentlemen," said he, "you may think this meeting unnecessary, or it may look to you like a farce, but I tell you now that the time is coming when the Democratic party of this State will have to thoroughly organize, if they wish to hold political supremacy; and I may say, that even in this county the Republican party will test our strength to the utmost." The Republicans of that county were not long in working out a literal fulfillment of Mr. Green's prediction. The first Republican organization in Massac county took place at Metropolis, in the spring of 1860. There were just five persons present-W. R. Brown, R. A. Peter, L. P. Stalcup, Tillman Robey and Thos. Moore. Mr. Brown was made chairman and Mr. Stalcup secretary. The vote in that county at the Presidential election was 940 for Douglas and Johnson, 122 for Lincoln and Hamlin, 82 for Bell and Everett, and 4 for Breckinridge and Lane. But how marvelous the revolution in public sentiment. Massac county now gives a Republican majority, ranging from 300 to 700, and the same can be said of many other counties in Southern Illinois, the stronghold of Democracy. CHAPTER III. STATE CAMPAIGN OF 1856. First Republican State Ticket-Democratic-Native American-Republican Success-Aggregate Vote for State Officers-Members of CongressElectoral Tickets. The political contest opened up early in the year; that being the year of the Presidential election, the State conventions were necessarily early. There were three parties to claim the suffrages of the people. The Democrats held their convention at Springfield, May 1; the Native Americans, at the same place, May 6, and the Republicans at Bloomington, May 29, when this party was first organized of which we speak at length in the preceding chapter. The State tickets, for the most part, were made up of able, eminent men, and on the electoral tickets the reader will observe such names as Abraham Lincoln, Henry P. H. Bromwell, David L. Phillips, John A. Logan, Orlando B. Ficklin, Wm. A. J. Sparks, Joseph Gillespie, Shelby M. Cullom and Wm. H. Parrish. Heretofore the Democratic party had encountered little or no opposition in the State or Presidential elections, but the formation of the Republican party, which was composed largely of anti-slavery Democrats, had induced the belief that the party was in danger of losing its power in the State, and the campaign was therefore the more active and earnest on their part, and their activity created a corresponding industry on the part of the other parties, and the result was, that for five months the people in all parts of the State were kept in attendance night and day upon meetings of one or the other of the parties, and agreeably to the fears of far-seeing Democrats, the Democratic party lost the State election, notwithstanding its candidate for President carried it by a plurality of 9,150 over Fremont, while the Republican State ticket was elected throughout by a plurality over the Democratic ticket ranging from 4,697, to 8,191 and the Republican candidate for Treasurer had a majority of 20,213 over his Democratic competitor. The following is the aggregate vote for State officers, members of Congress, and Presidential electors: |