During the Civil War, Union Leagues were established to support the Union and the policies of President Abraham Lincoln. After the Civil War, Union Leagues in northern states organized in support of Republican priorities. During Reconstruction in the south, these Republican organizations mobilized “freedmen” (former slaves) to engage in the political process. (Eric Foner, 1990, A short history of Reconstruction) The Union League was organizing in Elk County in 1868 but it was generally not covered in the Democratic-leaning newspaper, the Elk County Advocate. However, when contacted by "a Republican in Benezette," the editors of the paper did publish the following.
A Republican in Benezette sends us the following, with the request that for the “sake of justice &c. that we will give it a place in our columns.” Whether what he states is true, we cannot say, nor do we care, but as our columns are always open to Republicans as well as Democrats, we give the letter. – Editor. (Elk County Advocate, 16 September 1868)
Benezette, Aug. 30, 1868.
D. R. W. [known by initials only; has not been identified] – if this gentleman will give me his attention for a few minutes, I will set before him a few plain facts and thereby give him an opportunity to retract the base charges he brings against the “Union League of Benezett.”
In the first place, we do not require of any one an initiation fee of $10 – or the one tenth of it. All honorably discharged soldiers and sailors of the United States are exempt from the payment of an initiation fee. No soldier has been refused admission into the League. We do not swear any one to vote for the candidates of any political party. There was no attempt on the part of any member of the Union League, or any Republican, to prevent the occupation of the school house by the Democratic party. We had occupied the school house on two occasions, and felt it to be our duty to quietly acquiesce in its occupation by the Democracy for the same number of evenings, “Fair play is a jewel.” We are conscious of having acted in no unkind or vindictive spirit, and were therefore very much surprised to hear of these unwarrantable reports of our conduct.
Not only in the letter of D. R. W., but a member of the Seymour & Blair Club [see note below] of this place, circulated the report, that they (the Democracy) had occupied the school house in defiance of the Union League. I will rankly admit, Mr. Editor, that I do not think there is a decent, respectable, law abiding citizen of the Democratic party in this district who would endorse so base a calumny, or who would by such action invite a strife between the two parties in this district. No obstacle whatever has been thrown in the way of the meetings of the Democratic Club, nor has the Union League of this place ever entertained a though of interfering in any. Much as we may differ in politics, we all should have a regard for the truth. We will yield nothing, but are ever ready to allow others the privileges and blessings we enjoy.
I hope Mr. D. R. W. will have manhood enough to acknowledge the wrong he has committed.
A member of the U. L. [No author was identified; did the editor know this author or was this an anonymous letter?]
Note. In the 1868 Presidential Election, the Democratic Party’s Northern and Southern wings were reunited for the first time in eight years. The reunited party held a disastrous national convention in New York where it nominated Horatio Seymour for president and Frank Blair as his running mate to challenge Republican Ulysses S. Grant. Democratic newspapers included references to the restoration of white rule. From blog by Patrick Young.
