Grand Old Partisan

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I honor John Wentworth, born in New Hampshire, March 15th 1815. The ambitious Dartmouth graduate relocated to frontier Chicago. He soon became editor of its first newspaper and made it a regional influence. He won five congressional terms. Opposition to slavery led Wentworth to join the Republican Party. In 1857, friends of freedom elected him mayor. Highlights of his administration were improving sanitation, reducing deficits and combatting vice. It was Wentworth who advised Abraham Lincoln to name a campaign manager for the 1860 Republican National Convention. This 6'6" dynamo known as "Long John" returned to Congress for a sixth term. Receiving his vote were the 1866 Civil Rights Act, the 14th Amendment and other GOP achievements. He merited being remembered as "a legendary mayor" "who found Chicago a sw...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I highlight the U.S. Department of Labor. Republicans separated it from what had been the Department of Commerce and Labor. Their goal was to improve working conditions and increase employment opportunities.  Authorization had been introduced by Republican Senator William Borah and passed by the GOP-controlled 61st Congress. President William Howard Taft signed it on his last day in office, March 4th 1913. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see  www.grandoldpartisan.com .  Here is a  YouTube Video  about this article. Here is a  TikTok Video  about this article. Here is an  Instagram Video  about this ...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I denounce Democrat devilry. In a fascinating C-SPAN program from March 4th 2011, historian Michael Holt discussed his book,  By One Vote: The Disputed Presidential Election of 1876 . It shows that in fact the Republican nominee, Rutherford Hayes, really did deserve his victory over the Democrat, Samuel Tilden. Discussing horrors inflicted on African-Americans by Democrats trying to suppress the Republican vote, Holt explained the origin of the term "bulldozer". According to a reporter, Democrats gave African-Americans "a dose of the bullwhip if they dared to think about voting Republican". Later, the term "bulldose" or "bulldoze" came to mean using overwhelming force against an obstacle. When the mechanical tractor was invented, the blade in front was called a "bu...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I appreciate Republican dedication to protecting the environment. March 3rd 1899, President William McKinley signed into law the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act. It had been passed by the GOP-controlled 55th Congress. Obstruction by debris of rivers and coastlines had become a serious problem. This legislation declared that "all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide (tidal action) are navigable waters of the United States." Without a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, nothing could be dumped in navigable waters. Without permission from Congress, no dam or bridge could be constructed in navigable waters. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more i...

Grand Old Partisan celebrates more than seventeen decades of Republican heroes and heroics. Today, I commemorate the Judiciary Act of 1891. This law created the U.S. Court of Appeals. Introduced by Republican Senator Williams Evarts, it was signed by President Benjamin Harrison on March 3rd. Established were nine regionally-based courts to handle most appeals. This markedly reduced the Supreme Court caseload. And, no longer would Supreme Court Justices have to "ride circuit" for sitting as trial judges in lower courts. Back to Basics for the Republican Party  is my civil rights history of the GOP. To quote the book: "The more we Republicans know about the history of our party, the more Democrats will worry about the future of theirs. For more information, see  www.grandoldpartisan.com .  Here is a  YouTube Video  about this article. Here is a  TikTok Video  about this article. Here is an  In...