Peace lovers in Lockport?
Peace or Maybe Treason Depending on Your Perspective
From The New-York Times August 31, 1861:
THE TRAITORS IN NIAGARA COUNTY.
he Baltimore Exchange is happy in being permitted to copy the following letter, which has been addressed to Hon. J.C. BRECKINRIDGE, inclosing a peace petition:
LOCKPORT, NIAGARA Co., N.Y., Aug. 1, 1861.
To Hon. John C. Breckinridge:
DEAR SIR: Within a few days past the inclosed petition has been circulated in three or four towns of our County, in one of which, where there are less than 600 voters, 200 of the very first men of the town readily signed the petition. Some of these petitioners are, or were, Republicans, and when remember, that our country is so strongly Republican, and that two of our newspapers warned the people against signing such a petition, we are surprised that so many are signing it. There are over 600 names upon the inclosed, and as many more have not yet been sent in. As we have no Senator from our State who would present such a petition, and believing that you represent the conservative men North and South, we take the liberty to forward you the petition, in order that the voice of the Cataract County may be heard. If the other petitious should be sent to us soon we may forward them. Very respecfully yours,
JOHN T. MURRAY
WM. S. fARWELL,
GAYLORD J. CLARK.
It was probably a good bet that the petitions would not get a warm reception from New York’s senators, Ira Harris and Preston King, both of whom were Republicans. In fact,
King is generally considered as the principal founder of both the Free Soil and Free Soil Democratic Parties, which ran creditable third party national candidates, and one of the two main organizers of the successor Republican Party.
On the other hand, John C. Breckinridge, a U.S. senator from Kentucky, opposed the Lincoln administration and its war policy.
Preston King (LOC - LC-BH82- 5373 B )
Ira Harris LOC - LC-BH82- 4773 B)
