I have been reading some of the old issues of the New Castle (IN) Mercury. In one article the newspaper makes reference to the Nationals as a group or party that some members of the Democratic Party courted.
I am aware that both Democrats and Republicans courted other parties for a fusion ticket, specifically the Greenback Party, but I hadn’t heard of the Nationals.
Leslie W. Saint
? ? ?
Dear Mr. Saint,
The “Nationals” to which you refer are one and the same with the Greenback Party. When the first convention for the movement was held in Indianapolis in 1874, it was known as the Independent Party, but at its next Indianapolis convention to work up a platform and elect candidates in November, the term National Independent Party was adopted. By May 1876, however, that had been replaced by the Greenback Labor Party, and it has been remembered ever since simply as the Greenback Party.
Sincerely,
Jon Guttman
Research Director
World History
www.historynet.com
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