NAWSA SUBJECT FILE Pullan, R.B. [on same subject as the preceding letters] (This paper pages 1 to 8 are a copy of recollections written in 1888 at request of Thos. Spooner. They are the papers referred to in Mr. Spooner's letter of March 23, 1889.) For several evenings the "Old Guard" met at Henry Lewis' Pack House, corner Canal and Sycamore, counselling about measures best calculated to secure a part of the delegates for Chase at the Mass Convention at Greenwood Hall. The second evening before nothing more seemed possible. Just before breaking up Pullan suggested, "Better meet next evening. Something might turn up, didn't know what, at any rate it would do no harm." The next evening brought them together again. There were two large counting-rooms on south end of Warehouse, opening into it and a door between the two. When Pullan came in a member were there already,-- Claypoole, Blackwell, Albert Lewis, Grimes, Elliot, etc. When Pullan entered Warehouse, two or three, Claypoole, Grimes, and I think Blackwell, met him to say Tom Spooner and Bill Lewis were in the office. Pullan said, "All right." He went into the office and greeted Spooner warmly. Spooer said if he was intruding he would retire. "No! On the contrary, we are glad you came. We have only one object, fair, united action in Convention." So he resumed his seat, and we all chattted together in most kindly manner. Spooner said the "Americans" only wanted a fair expression of the people assembled and to get a delegation that would be satisfactory to all, the Liberty men, as well as the Americans; that, as everyone knew they wanted Brinkerhoff, while Liberty Party were understood to want Chase. As the head of the American Council he, of course, was with them. But, first of all, wanted unity and harmony with his old Anti-Slavery friends, for he had been as active a Liberty man as any, and was no less hostile to slavery now. All he wanted was harmony, and if we could agree upon a chairman all would go well. Various names were suggested. Elliot suggested Eggleston; some one somebody else; Blackwell, Judge Walker. Objection to Eggleston was that he was a candidate for Canal Commission. Walker was acceptable to all. Spooner said he was not one of them, - i.e., and American but he was entirely satisfactory. That was agreed upon. It was then very late. Pullan and Blackwell lingered behind. Pullan urged Blackwell to see Walker to-night. "Too late." "Wake him up, and get his consent. Everything depends upon getting him to serve." Blackwell walked out to Walnut Hills, aroused Walker at midnight, got his consent. Pullan went with Elliot to get Eggleston in case Walker could not come. All had gone to bed at Eggleston's home. Next morning Greenwood Hall was packed. As they gathered, storm clouds gathered also. Eggleston there said, "Indelicate to serve." At sharp ten, Judge Walker appeared. Instantly a motion was made to elect him President came from Liberty group, by Heaton. He walked straight to the rostrum east side of Hall. Liberty men not more than twenty or thirty, seated to his left in compact group. Blackwell about center. Pullan alongside, Skinner on bench before him. The storm began. Motion and countermotions. Rash things were said on both sides. Thomas Heaton aggravating. Judge Walker vainly rapped for order. Know Nothing spread-eagle speeches were made, one after another about Americans ruling America, and denouncing attempts of abolitionists, etc., etc. The crisis came. Pullan told Blackwell to get up. He refused; didn't know what to say in such turmoil; would only make it worse; would not hear him. Pullan insisted, "Play the role of Pitt, France and England ancient enemies unite to beat back Russian bear, so we unite to beat back slavery. After that we fight again if we want to." The spread-eagle stopped. Blackwell arose. The crowd yelled "Englishman!" "Rescue Blackwell!" "Pitch him downstairs!" "Throw him out of the window!" The dice[?] grew. Blackwell tried to sit down; was pushed up; lifted up into a chair. They fury increased. Walked couldn't be heard. Put on his hat; silence for a moment, then he shouted, "I came to preside over a convention, not a mob! The young man who has the floor shall be heard, or I'll leave the hall and declare the assembly dissolved." This brought silence, and Blackwell, pale with excitement began in a trembling voice, partly choked, slowly but firmly saying that he admired the exhibition of patriotism and love of country, and if he was not born in England, he too, would be an American, etc., etc. The hall rang with applause, and it increased as burning sentence after sentence came from his lips. The motion to appoint a committee was immediately put and carried unanimously. Judge Walker congratulated all and predicted triumph. The storm had swept away divisions. All were now American. Said there were evidently two sides and wanted to divide the Committee equally between and asked for names. Liberty men pushed up in front on one side and Americans on the other, as names were suggested. The American men suggested mostly fair Americans, kept off obnoxious names, and the other the most worth Liberty men. The Committee reported names still mostly Americans, but Americans - nineteen out of thirty-four answered for Chase. The crowd didn't know this however, and adopted the report and adjourned. I hastened down to Chase's office. There he was, sitting alone. "Well it is settled," said I, "you can go into Convention and loyally abide the result. You'll be nominated. You have a majority of three of the delegation. You'll have them all before the vote is cast and that secures your nomination. Work openly for the Peoples Party from this hour." Judge Walker in coming down Main St. from the Convention was met by a distinguished lawyer fired with the remark: "Well, you let an unknown, young man run away into your Convention, and turn it over to the Abolitionists." The Judge replied, "Unknown young man? Well, I've heard Mr. Webster, Mr. Clay, and all the great orators of the country, but if eloquence is measured in its effect I have just heard the most eloquent speech that ever fell from human lips. Unknown man!" This expression of Walker's was repeated to me next day by Mr. Chase who had received it from the lawyer to whom it was made. The delegation went to Columbus. They cast a solid vote for Chase for Governor, for Ben Eggleston for Canal Commissioner, and all but two, Amos Moore and Dr. Patie, voted for Hayes' partner Corwin for Attorney General. With Chase's nomination and subsequent election was born the Republican Party, - this is what Sherman thinks. Most important to this result was Thomas Spooner, the chief of the American Party in Ohio, and President of the State Council. He was against the "Old Guard," Greenwood Hall, fighting for his order, but fighting fairly and struggling for peace a he had done the evening before, at our Convention. But when the battle was over, as between their candidate and Brinkerhoff, no man rendered greater service to secure Chase's election. He traveled with him, speaking with him, and going to every part of the State to hold the Americans to their pledge to abide by the decision of the Convention. On the evening of the day Chase was nominated, he entered the hall of the American Party over the Journal office and found it packed with members of the Council with Vice-President Fishback in the chair. The scene there, as reported to me, afterward in Cincinnati was: Spooner pressing his way to the chair, Judge Fishback said, "There is a question before the meeting that may make it unpleasant for the President to occupy the chair while it is pending." The instant reply was that there was no business could come before that body that would prevent his doing his duty whether the motion or resolution affected him personally or not, and he would therefore take his usual seat as the presiding officer," and suiting his action to his words, took the seat occupied by Fishback in his absence. He immediately answered that the motion before the house was a resolution declaring his seat vacant and expelling him from the body for conduct inimical to the order, for having secretly aided in the nomination of Mr. Chase, which he vehemently denied; but be that as it may it was for them to decide, and he would put the motion, first claiming his right as a member to be heard, to say a few words before doing so. He then declared that had those joining in the attempt to degrade him done a tithe as much to prevent what had occurred as he had, the cause of the complaint would not now exist; that he had done all an honorable man could do to secure the nomination of the candidate of the American Party, Jacob Brinkerhoff, but had failed. The Convention they had taken part in, they themselves had called as a Peoples' Party embracing those of all parties opposed to the pro-slavery propagandism of the Democratic Party. That Convention composed of nine-tenths of Americans had ordered otherwise. "Now you propose to punish me for its action, - to expel me. Do so. I will put the motion and decide as your votes proclaim, and if that vote says so, will step down from this place and go out from the Hall to work from this day to the election for the nominee, Chase, and to show that there is at least one American who will keep the pledge given by this body; that will abide by the decision of that Convention, and cordially support it. At this moment a voice cried, "I move we adjourn." The chair said, "Without a second that motion cannot be entertained." Immediately seconded. "That motion takes precedence of the one pending. All in favor." etc The ayes clearly prevailing, the body adjourned - the final adjournment of the great American Party. But for this impassioned speech Spooner would have been expelled, and the American Party would have proceeded regularly to take further action by making another nomination. This, the factional minority actually did in nominating Allen Trimble for Governor, but its power was broken. They were then but a lot of bolters faithless to pledges. Spooner did as he said. Moved under Chase's orders - travelled with him - visited the various lodges throughout the State, and rallied them around Chase and against the bolters. As it was, Chase was elected by a most meagre majority, so small indeed, that for a day or two after the election Chase had conceded the election. But for these two impromptu explosions of passion and indignation, the eloquence born of the grandest occasions; the one defying the fury of the mob threatening person violence, and the other hurling back the weapon prepared to degrade him, the representation of the pro-slavery Democratic machine would have triumphed, and there would have been no Republican Party born, as Sherman says, in the throes of the Convention over which he presided in 1855, and whose cradle he told the world at the Lincoln banquet in Columbus in February 1888, he had watched over and had seen grow under his guardian hand until it ruled the country. Blackwell's speech secured the nomination, and Spooner the election of the despised abolitionist and Liberty man, and made his Cause the Cause of the whole people. Such are the mysterious ways of an inscrutable Providence. Elliot, Albert Lewis, Blackwell, Claypoole, Gaines, Skinner, Heaton, were most active and earnest workers for Chase. Elliot came to me to be assured that Liberty delegates would support Eggleston for Canal Commissioner, if Eggleston's friends would vote for Chase for Governor. Elliot was very thick with Eggleston and thought he could hold. Eggleston wanted the assurance. Elliot said Chase would give him no satisfaction - didn't seem to care what was done - was not going to do or say anything himself. At another time Blackwell, who was a warm friend of Hayes, said that if he could give Hayes assurance that I would vote for Corwin and get other Liberty men to do so. Corwin's friends would vote for Mr. Chase; that he would not say until he had seen me. In both cases I gave the assurances asked in all sincerity, and in the Convention kept them, as did the other Liberty men in the Hamilton County delegation, except Amos Moore and Dr. Pulte whose votes I cast, one being outside the building and the other Vice-President on the platform. R.B. Pullan [*This paper Page 1 to 8 was a copy of recollection written in 1888 at request of the [referrer?]. They are the papers referred to in Mr. Spooners letter of March 23/89. For several evenings the "Old Guard" met at Henry Lewis Park House corner Canal and Sycamore counseling about measures best calculated to secure a part of the delegate for Chase at the Mass [*Mass*] Convention at Greenwood Hall. The second evening before, nothing more seemed possible. Just before breaking up Pullan suggested, better meet next evening, something might turn up, didn't know what, at any rate it would do no harm. The next evening brought them together again. Then were two large counting rooms on south end of warehouse opening into it and a door between the two. When Pullan came in a number were there already, Clay Poole, [Rhea?] Newell, Albert Lewis, Gainer Elliot ----&c. When Pullan entered warehouse two or three, Clay Poole [Gainer?] and think Blackwell met him to say Tom Spooner and Bill Lewis were in the office, Pullan said all right, sent in office and greeted Spooner warmly, Spooner said if he was intruding he would retire. "No! on the contrary we are glad you came, we have only one object, fair united action in convention." So he resumed So he resumed his seat and we all chatted together in most kindly manner Spooner said the Americans only wanted a fair expression of the People Assembled and to get a delegation that would be satisfactory to all, the Liberty men, as well the Americans, that as everyone knew they wanted Brinkerhoff while Liberty Party men were understood to want Chase. As the head of the Am Council he of course was with them, but first of all wanted unity and harmony with his old Anti Slavery friends, for he had been as active a Liberty man as any, and was no less hostile to slavery now. All he wanted was harmony and if we could agree upon a chairman all would go well. Various names were suggested, Elliot suggested Eggleston, somebody else, Blackwell, Judge Walker, objection to Eggleston was, he was a candidate for Canal commissioner, Walker was acceptable to all, Spooner said he was not one of them, ie an American, but he was entirely satisfactory. That was argued upon. It was then very late, Pullan and Blackwell lingered behind, Pullan urged Blackwell to see Walker to night - "too late," - wake him up, and get his consent. Every thing depends upon getting him to serve. Blackwell walked out to Walnut Hills, aroused Walker at midnight, got his consent Pullan went with Elliot to get Eggleston on [?] Walker could not come. All had gone to bed at NW Cor Elm & 8th St, Egglestons house. [*different [?]*] Next morning Greenwood Hall was packed. As they gathered some clouds gathered also. Eggleston there, said, indelicate to serve. At sharp ten Judge Walker appeared. Instantly a motion made to elect him President came from Liberty group, Heaton. He walked straight to the rostrum each side of hall. Liberty men, not more than twenty or thirty, seated to his left in compact group. Blackwell about centre, Pullan a long side, Skinner on bench before him. The storm began, motions and counter-motions. Rash things were said on both sides. Heaton (Thomas) aggravating. - Judge Walker vainly rapped for order. A Know-nothing spread eagle speech made one after another about American ruling America and denouncing attempts of Abolitionists etc etc. The crisis came. Pullan told Blackwell to get up. He refused, - didn't know what to say in such turmoil, - would only make it worse, - would not hear him. Pullan insisted, play the role of [Piet?], France and England ancient [?] unite to beat back Russian Bear as we unite to beat back slavery. After that, we fight again if we want to. The spread eagle stopped, Blackwell arose. The crowd yelled, - "Englishman" - "Rescue Blackwell" - "Pitch him down stairs" - "Throw him out of the window". The din grew. Blackwell tried to sit down, was pushed up, lifted up onto a chair. The fury increased. Walker couldn't be heard, put on his hat, silence for a moment - then he shouted, "I came to reside over a convention not a mob. The young man who have the floor shall be heard or I'll leave the hall and declare the assembly dissolved." This brought silence and Blackwell, pale with excitement began, trembling voice partly choked, slowly but firmly saying, that he admired the exhibition of patriotism and love of country and if he was not born in England, he, too would be an American, etc., etc. The hall rang with applause, and it increased as burning sentence after sentence came from his lips. The motion to appoint a committee was immediately put and carried unanimously. Judge Walker congratulated all, predicted triumph. The storm had swept away divisions. All was now American, said there was evidently two sides and wanted to divide the committee equally between them and asked for names. Liberty men pushed up in front on one side, and Americans on the other. The Judge looked first to one side and then to the other as names were suggested. The Liberty men suggested mostly fair Americans kept off obnoxious names, the most worthy Liberty men. The Committee reported, names still mostly American, but Americans, nineteen out of thirty four assured for Chase, the crowd didn't know this however and adopted the report and adjourned. I hastened own to Chase's office, there he was sitting alone. "Well it is settled" said I, "you can go into the Convention and loyally abide the result. You'll be nominated, you have a majority of three of the delegation, you'll have them all before the vote is cast and that secures your nomination. Work openly for the People's Party from this hour." Judge Walker in coming down Main St. from the Convention was met by a distinguished lawyer fired with the remark "Well, you let an unknown young man run away with your Convention and turn it over to the Abolitionist." The judge replied warmly and scornfully, "Unknown young man? Well, I've heard Mr. Webster, Mr. Clay and all the great orators of this country, but if eloquence is measured by its effect I have just heard the most eloquent speech that ever fell from human lips. Unknown man? - Hey." This expression of Walker's was repeated to me next day by Mr. Chase who had received it from the lawyer to whom it was made. The delegation went to Columbus. They cast a solid vote for Chase for Governor, for Ben. Eggleston for Canal Commissioner and all but two Amos Moore and Dr. Palte voted for Hayes partner Corwin for Attorney General. With Chase's nomination and subsequent election was born the Republican Party, that is what Sherman thinks. Most important to this result was Thomas Spooner, the chief of the American Party in Ohio, President of the State council. He was against the old guard Greenwood Hall, fighting for his order, but fighting fairly and struggling for peace as he had done the evening before at our Convention, but when the [batch?] was over as between their candidate and Brinkerhoff, no man rendered greater service to secure Chase's election. He traveled with him, speaking with him, and going to every part of the state to hold the Americans to their pledge to abide by the decision of the Convention. On the evening of the day Chase was nominated, he entered the hall of the American party over the Journal office and found it packed with members of the Council with Vice President Fishback in the chair. The scene there, as reported to me afterwards in Cincinnati was, Spooner pressing his way to the chair Judge Fishback said, "There is a question before the meeting that may make it unpleasant for the President to occupy the chair while it is pending." The instant reply was that there was no business could come before that body that would prevent his doing his duty whether the motion or resolution effected him personally or not, and he would therefore take his usual seat as the presiding officer and suiting his action to his words took the seat occupied by Fishback in his absence. He immediately announced that the motion before the house was a resolution declaring his seat vacant and expelling him from the body for conduct inimical to the order for having secretly sided in the nomination of Mr. Chase, which he vehemently denied, but be that as it may it was for them to decide and he would put the motion first claiming his right as a member to be heard, to say a few words before doing so. He then declared, that had those joining in this attempt to degrade him done a tenth as much to prevent what had occurred as he had, the cause of complaint would not now exist; that he had done all an honorable man could do to secure the nomination of the candidate of the American Party, Jacob Brinkerhoff, but had failed. The Convention, they had taken part in, they themselves had called as a People's Party embracing those of all parties opposed to the pro-slavery propagandism of the Democratic Party. That Convention composed of nine-tenths of Americans had ordered otherwise. Now, you propose to punish me for its action, - to expell me. Do so. I will put the motion and decide as your votes proclaim, and, if that vote says so, will step down from this place and go out from this hall to work from this day to the election for the nominee Chase and to show that there is at least one American who will keep the pledge given by this body that it will abide by the decision of that convention, and cordially support it. At this moment a voice cried, "I move we adjourn." The chair said without a second it cannot be entertained. Immediately seconded. That motion taken precedence of the one pending, all in favor, etc. The ayes clearly prevailing and the body adjourn, the final adjournment of the great American Party. But for the impassioned speech Spooner would have been expelled and the American Party would have proceeded regularly to take further action by making another nomination. Thus the factional seniority in fact actually did, in nominating Allen Trimble for Governor but its power was broken. They were then but a lot of bolters faithless to pledges. Spooner did as he said. Moved under Chase's orders - travelled with him, - stumped with him - visited the various lodges throughout the state and rallied them around Chase and against the bolters. As it was Chase was elected by a most [?] majority, so small indeed that for a day or two after the election Chase had conceded Medill's? election. But for these two impromptu explosions of passion, and indignation, the eloquence born of the grandest occasions, the one defying the fury of mob threatening personal violence, and the other ([?]) back the weapons prepared to degrade him, the representative of the pro-slavery Democratic machine would have triumphed, and there would have been no Republican Party born, as Sherman says, in the throes of the Convention over which he presided in 1855, and whose cradle, he told the world at the Lincoln banquet in Columbus in February 1888, he had watched over and had seen grown under his guardian hand until it ruled the country. Blackwell's speech secured the nomination and Spooner the election of the despised abolitionist and Liberty man and made his cause the cause of the whole people. Such are the mysterious ways of an inscrutable Providence. Elliott, Albert Lewis, Blackwell, Claypoole, Gainer, Skinner, Heaton were most active and earnest workers for Chase. Elliot came to me to be assured that Liberty delegates would support Eggleston for Canal Commissioner if Eggleston friends would vote for Chase for Governor. Elliot was very thick with Eggleston and thought he could hold. Eggleston wanted the assurance. Elliot said Chaise would give him no satisfaction - didn't seem to care what was done - was not going to do or say anything himself. At another time Blackwell who was a warm friend of Hayes, said that if he would give Hayes assurance that I would vote for Corwin and get other Liberty men to do so Corwin's friends would vote for Mr. Chase, that he would not say until he had seen me. In both cases I gave the assurances asked in all sincerity, and in the Convention, kept them, as did the other Liberty men in the Hamilton County delegation, except [?] Moore and Dr. Pulte whose votes I cast, one being outside the building and the other Vice President on the platform. Glendale Ohio Mar. 23d 1889 Hon. R.B. Pullan My dear sir The papers you left with me have been looked over, and so fully cover the ground and in the main are so precisely accurate in detail, I can hardly call to mind any addition to make or alteration to suggest; - save one. This one is your reference to the meeting of the "K.N.s" (Know nothings) over the [?] Journal Office when you state that the motion to expell was tabled by adjournment. The truth is that the Executive Council and others were in secession considering the question of expulsion all night; and about six o'clock A.M. a direct vote was taken on the question of expulsion which was defeated by a nearly two thirds vote. On the adjournment of the Council, I returned to the [?] House, where, a little later I met and talked with Mr. Chase, the nominee for Governor; this was the first time I had seen Mr. C. to exchange a word with him for months, nor had I favored the nomination of Mr. C. in the slightest; on the contrary I had support Mr. Brinkerhoff up to and during the Convention until Mr. Chase was nominated. On his nomination I publicly gave in my adhesion which was the occasion for the motion to expell at the meeting over [at] the Journal Office. I may add the Americans went to Columbus in numbers as delegates, more than sufficient to nominate Brinkerhoff; and in addition there was an outside backing. Americans arrived at Columbus by my advice, called with a view to strengthen the convention delegates and to [win?] the nomination of Brinkerhoff. The fates, the fitness of things demanded the nomination of Chase. He was nominated and elected. I may give names of a few of the members of the executive council who were my most steadfast friends and were warm and devoted friends of Gov. Chase. viz. R.S. Newton, Jus. Paul, Chambers Baird, Henry Sheets, Austin L.G. Vantyne, Jos. Barnet, Amos Townsend, J.C. Hazlest, and O.T. Fishback. And then there were J.H. Baker, Ford, Allison (U.S. Senator from Iowa) Robinson, but 'tis not called for to name more of the others who went to swell the tide that finally gave to us Lincoln as President and successfully freed the slave and unified our country. I am Very truly Thos. Spooner. [?] February 13 1889 My dear Sir This mornings Columbus report of the Lincoln anniversary banquet reminds me of the communications on the E. Gaz growing out of what was said by Mr. Sherman at the last one a year ago that the convention over which he presided in 1855, which nominated Mr. Chase laid the foundation of the Rep Party. One of those so unjustly attacked you that you asked me to write out the facts about the nomination & election. I promised to narrate what had come under my own observation, & submit it to you, if you would add your own recollections, about what had come under yours. I did write such a narrative last fall, but reading it over found that there was so much that referred to myself in it, that I laid it aside, thinking to shape another that would have no such reference. I found that impracticable in any narrative that would be intelligible, and [?] clearly account for what occurred. Besides after such a lapse of time when but few of the Actors in those scenes are living, I wished to justify it by mentioning the names of those living, in connection with the events which they would likely recall. Mr. Sherman did not magnify the importance of Chase's nomination at that time. He and your Uncle Sam'l Lewis organized the Liberty party in 1840. They labored untiringly in the cause & were vilified, abused & [?snubbed?]. It grew from year to year. It sent him to the Senate by the aid of the Dem Party. Hence the Whig party [hence] hated him, misrepresented and maligned him. The Dem party forsook him, so at the end of his time in [?] 1855 he was a political leper, avoided by the politicians of both the great parties. That such a political orphan, should be taken up by a convention of the people of a great state and elected their Governor, marked a revolution. The men in that Convention maybe call itself Republican or any thing else, but its action was nothing more than the triumph of the Liberty Party nothing more than the [scattered sessions of] rallying of the people around its standard, [and led by] in the hands of its great leader and founder. This new conquering mass, was largely comprised [of the] (at least 3/4 of it) of the demoralized vanquished Whigs, since when the leaders changed the name to Republican, they never permitted themselves to speak of the [prohibited] Liberty Party that they had so often bitterly [for 15 years had fought under] opposed [the same flag of Freedom]. The name of Sam'l Lewis, who had eloquently harangued the people year after year in every county of the state when he was several times its candidate for Governor, was never mentioned by them. That is not so bad as that you, a member of his family, who labored effectually to secure the success of the principles of the Liberty Party, then called Republican, in the critical election of 1855 should never be spoken of in the Republican organ as having then industriously sought their defeat. I do not wonder that you should want the true history of that nomination and election given, (which differs much from that impressed upon the public mind by the old enemies of the Liberty party) by those who participated in the labor of both. I [?] say here what I know with the understanding, that you will write wherever anything differs from your own [?], and such additional facts as will be of interest Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.