Page:California Historical Society Quarterly vol 22.djvu/239



The annual municipal election was scheduled to be held in San Jose in April 1 86 1. In anticipation of this event, the Republicans of San Jose passed a resolution which demanded that each nominee of the Republican party pledge himself to that party and, if elected, dispense no political patronage upon anyone who was not a Republican.^ Local Democrats probably passed a similar resolution.

Although local Democrats had failed to see eye to eye regarding their two Presidential candidates, nevertheless, by April they united to elect their members to municipal offices. In the elections of that month, "Sham Democracy," according to the Mercury, received 306 votes as against 236 for the Republicans.^ Shortly after this Republican defeat, Owen resolutely proclaimed concerning the Mercury: "We intend that it shall be an efficient [Republican] party organ."*

The national losses of the Democratic party did not daunt its leaders. They pointed to the coming fall elections with confidence. The Placerville Times saw the prospects of the Democratic party as "brighter. . .than they have been for a year past."^ The Republicans for their part desired a sweeping victory because they were convinced that the Democrats in Sacramento were either outright secessionists or advocates of a peace policy.^

Shortly after the Democratic schism of 1860, a national movement was begun to unite the followers of Douglas with the Republicans. This coalition was to be known as the Union party. Owen at first was not in favor of such a union on the grounds that its "elements were too inharmonious and too sluggish."^ No further attempt was made to unite the two groups in San Jose that year.

Before the end of the first week of June 1861, the Republicans of Santa Clara County elected forty-eight delegates to a convention which was to be held in San Jose on the fifteenth. With one vote to each delegate, San Jose and Santa Clara together accounted for twenty of the total of forty-eight votes.^ On the eve of this convention, Owen charged that the Democratic party was chiefly responsible for the war.^

The county meeting was held as scheduled. Santa Clara County Republicans passed resolutions to support the national administration in the war effort and then added that all other issues should be subordinated thereto. They further declared that the Republican party was the only real Union party and thus further disqualified any other attempts to unite with the Douglas Democrats at that time. At the same time, however, they invited the cooperation "of all men who are in favor of sustaining the Administration in its efforts to preserve the Union and enforce its laws." Leland Stanford was endorsed by the convention as its choice for governor.^^ This was a most crucial election for the Republicans of California because it was to be contested with a firmly entrenched Democratic group headed by the incumbent governor, John Downey.