Labor Reform Party National Convention, 1872 |
 |  |  |
Presidential Nominee
(Declined) | Vice Presidential Nominee
(Declined) | Presidential Nominee | |
Supreme Court Justice
David Davis IL | Governor
Joel Parker NJ | Charles O'Conor NY |
Party History
The Labor Reform Party was organized in a national convention held in St. Louis in 1870 [New York Times 1/4/1872]. State affiliates ran candidates in MA in 1870 and NH in 1871.
In the first two months of 1872, state affiliates held conventions and appointed delegates to the party’s first (and only) national convention. The Connecticut LRP held its state convention in Bridgeport on 1/3/1872 [NYT 1/4/1872]; the Missouri LRP met on 2/13/1872 [NYT 2/14/1872].
Convention Organization
The National Labor Reform Party convention assembled in Wagner’s Hall, Columbus OH. There were 211 delegates present; however, after the presidential nomination, the number of delegates present began to decline rapidly.
Permanent Chairman: Edwin M. Chamberlain MA
One of the most serious internal squabbles at the convention was the credentials report. James Kilgore appeared as a delegate from Pennsylvania; there was some irregularity with his appointment, and many delegates did not want him to be seated. After an hour’s discussion, he was seated.
Platform 1. Creation of national paper money; 2. Repayment of the national debt; 3. Income from government bonds should be taxable; 4. Prohibit the sale of public lands; 5. Tariff reform; 6. End of Chinese immigration; 7. Enforcement of the Eight-Hour Law; 8. End of contract labor with prisons; 9. During times of war, Congress should have the power to assess a special tax to pay for it without issuing bonds; 10. Regulation of railroad and telegraph companies; 11. Term limits for politicians; 12. General amnesty for ex-Confederates.
Nominations.
Some delegates thought that no nomination should be made until the Liberal Republican National Convention. A resolution stating the same was defeated. David Davis was nominated for President on the third ballot, as follows:
| Presidential Balloting Labor Reform 1872 |
| Contender: Ballot | Informal | 1st | 2d | 3d |
| David Davis IL | 47 | 88 | 93 | 191 |
| John W. Geary PA | 60 | 45 | 0 | 0 |
| Horace H. Day NY | 59 | 8 | 59 | 3 |
| B. Gratz Brown MO | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Wendell Phillips MA | 13 | 52 | 12 | 0 |
| Horace Greeley NY | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| John M. Palmer IL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel Parker NJ | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| George W. Julian IN | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Joel Parker was nominated for Vice President. The convention took an “informal ballot,” followed by a “formal ballot.”
| VP Balloting LRfP 1872 |
| Contender | Informal | Formal |
| Joel Parker NJ | 70 | 112 |
| E.M. Chamberlain CT | 72 | 57 |
| Thomas Ewing OH | 31 | 22 |
| Alanson M. West MS | 18 | 0 |
| W.G. Bryan TN | 10 | 0 |
| Absent | 10 | 20 |
A committee was appointed to notify the nominees, and a national committee of one person per state was appointed.
Campaign
David Davis had not intended to run for President in 1872. At first, he was flattered that his name was in consideration. He sent a telegram to the head of the NLRP on 2/23/1872 in which he stated “The Chief Magistracy of the Republic should neither be sought nor declined by an American citizen” [NYT 2/24/1872]. This telegram was widely reported to be his acceptance of the nomination. After losing the nomination of the Liberal Republican Party, however, Davis realized the enormity of running a campaign for President. On 6/24/1872, Davis sent a second telegram in which he declined to be a candidate [NYT 6/27/1872].
A second convention was called, which met in Philadelphia on 8/22/1872. William H. Irwing OH served as chairman; when he took the chair, he recommended that the party not endorse a major party ticket but run its own. The credentials committee reported there were 158 delegates present from 18 states. When the time came to nominate a national ticket, delegate W.H. Ferris NY offered a resolution that the delegates work with the upcoming Straight Out Democratic Convention to nominate a suitable candidate. The motion carried by a vote of 138-20. A committee was named to visit that convention, and the name of Charles O’Conor was recommended as a suitable candidate. Then the convention adjourned sine die.
When O’Conor also declined to run, the NLRP faced a difficult choice. The national committee felt that it was too late to place another ticket in the field and continued to support O’Conor. The state affiliates became less active. In the election, only the Pennsylvania state convention offered any candidates for the voters, and they simply endorsed pro-labor candidates of the two major parties. These candidates ran ahead of their ticket-mates by about 1,000 votes, an indication of the support of the NLRP in Pennsylvania in 1872.
Popular vote of 1872
Electoral vote of 1872
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