They Also Had a Candidate

San Francisco marked the 100th anniversary of the first Republican National Convention. That fact found a place in the oratory, but not—so far as I have been able to ascertain—the corollary fact that the Convention of 1856 nominated a Presidential candidate. One might reasonably have expected the memory of the first Republican nominee to be honored by a brief biographical notice, especially in a gathering whose speakers found so much to say about so little.

The omission is all the more peculiar because political parties rarely miss an opportunity to point with pride. It just happens that the first Republican candidate was one of the most famous men of his time, and that his fame had all the glamor of youth and adventure. Moreover, he had already established a lasting claim to the gratitude of his countrymen.

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Suzanne La Follette

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San Francisco marked the 100th anniversary of the first Republican National Convention. That fact found a place in the oratory, but not—so far as I have been able to ascertain—the corollary fact that the Convention of 1856 nominated a Presidential candidate. One might reasonably have expected the memory of the first Republican nominee to be honored by a brief biographical notice, especially in a gathering whose speakers found so much to say about so little.

The omission is all the more peculiar because political parties rarely miss an opportunity to point with pride. It just happens that the first Republican candidate was one of the most famous men of his time, and that his fame had all the glamor of youth and adventure. Moreover, he had already established a lasting claim to the gratitude of his countrymen.