It would seem an accurate knowledge of the Republican Party's origins would be important to be a valid Republican leader at a county level.
In the Sept. 24 story in the News Tribune, " Strange time for GOP in Duluth ," Justin Krych, the deputy chairman of the 8th Congressional District GOP, cited President Abraham Lincoln as "the founder" of the party.
However, if you refer to any American history book - I read the History Channel's website - you will find that in 1854 our future greatest president was a little-known Whig Party member of Congress who happened to have strong feelings in favor of abolition. There isn't even confirmation that Lincoln attended the original Republican convention in Ripon, Wis., in the summer of 1854. His only notoriety was that he made a speech against slavery that fall. He and the entire Whig Party became a part of the Republican Party mainly due to their agreement on slavery. In fact, the first Republican candidate for president was John C. Fremont in 1854.
Personally, I don't see how this history connects to the unruly, ungodly and unaccepting bunch using the Republican name today.
Bob Gile
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Gordon
