The First Republican Banner in the Territory
A local correspondent celebrates the arrival of a new political voice in Whatcom, marking a rare moment of partisan pride in the remote frontier.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Letter from Whatcom.
WHATCOM, R. T., Dec. 4, 1860.
MR. EDITOR: —A Republican newspaper in this portion of our country has heretofore been an institution heard of, but not often seen. I must, therefore, congratulate you as the first and only Editor in this Territory who has the courage and independence to unfurl the great Republican banner to the breeze.
That such an organ is much needed, cannot be denied, and as the ancients have, prior to this time, had unlimited sway and almost unparalleled success in all their undertakings in Washington Territory, 'tis to be hoped that the advent of the STANDARD will produce a change in their well laid plans, and also, by placing Republican principles in a light before the people, bring many into the Republican ranks who otherwise would blindly follow the leaders of one or the other factions of the ci-devant Democratic party.
We also want a medium (and I hope in your paper that want will be supplied) through which we can, to some extent, refute the foul slanders cast upon us by the "great untierified," and to advocate the claims of the Pacific coast which have been for the past eight years so outrageously neglected, and that too, by the very party who have promised so much.
Now, Mr. Editor, I must tell you one thing that occurred here last week. On receiving the gratifying intelligence by last mail of Mr. Lincoln's success in many of the States, a few Republicans assembled, brought out the big gun, and gave ten honest Republican rounds for the "Hail Splitter" and his party.
So much for WHATCOM.
This letter captures the intense political polarization that defined the 1860 election, where the victory of Abraham Lincoln triggered secession in the South. For residents of the remote Washington Territory, aligning with the Republican party was a significant act of defiance against the long-standing Democratic dominance in territorial governance. It highlights how national political fractures immediately reshaped local identities and allegiances on the frontier.
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