Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/296



part of the Whigs. Their rallying cry was “hard cider” and “log cabins,” and with songs, public meetings, and rallies throughout the country, General Harrison was borne into the Presidential chair on a wave of popular enthusiasm. Party feeling ran high and extended into the new Territory of Iowa, although its citizens had no voice in the election. The two parties in Iowa now organized and made strictly partisan nominations and the enthusiasm of the national contest spread over the Territory in the pending election.

The first call for a Democratic convention in Iowa, was written by Edward Johnston, in January, 1840, and is as follows:

“The undersigned, members of the Democratic party of the Territory of Iowa, conceiving it highly necessary that immediate steps should be taken to effect an organization of the party, hereby pledge themselves to use all honorable means in the several counties where they reside to bring about that result, and they further agree to use their exertions to have Democratic delegates sent from their respective counties to a Territorial convention to be held in the ensuing summer for the purpose of nominating a candidate to Congress.”

“Edward Johnston, Shepherd Leffler, Laurel Summers, Jos. T. Fales, G. S. Bailey, John B. Lash, Jacob L. Meyers, Daniel Brewer, W. G. Coop, S. C. Hastings, J. M. Robertson, Jacob Minder, H. Van Antwerp, Thomas Cox, J. W. Parker.”

“January, A. D. 1840.”

A Democratic convention was accordingly held, and General A. C. Dodge was nominated for Delegate in Congress. The Whigs held a convention and placed in nomination Alfred Rich. General Dodge was reëlected by a majority of five hundred fifteen.

A proposition had been submitted to the people of the Territory at this election to call a convention for the framing of a constitution, preparatory to the admission of Iowa as a state. It was defeated by a vote of 937 for the convention, to 2,907 against it.

The census of the Territory taken in 1840 showed a population of 43,112, of which 172 were negroes. The