Nor was the small vote for Hale a matter of serious discouragement. It was much smaller than that cast for Van Buren in 1848; but that was a deceptive epoch. Multitudes, and especially in the State of New York, then voted the Free Soil ticket who had never before shown any interest in the slavery question, and did not manifest it afterward. They were not Free Soil men, but Van Buren men, who hated Gen. Cass. The vote for Hale represented the _bona fide_ strength of our cause after this element had been eliminated, and its quality went far to atone for its quantity. The proper test of anti-slavery progress was a comparison of the anti-slavery vote of 1844 with that of 1852, and this showed an increase of nearly three-fold in the intervening space of eight years. This steady evolution of anti-slavery opinion from the deadening materialism and moral inertia of the times could not go backward, but in the very nature of things would repeat itself, and gather fresh momentum from every effort put forth to stay its advance. CHAPTER VII. THE EVOLUTION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY (CONTINUED). A notable fugitive slave case--Inauguration of Pierce--Repeal of the Missouri compromise--Its effect upon the parties--The Free Soil position--Know-Nothingism--The situation--First steps in the formation of the Republican party--Movements of the Know-Nothings --Mistake of the Free Soilers--Anti-slavery progress--Election of Banks as Speaker--Call for a Republican National Convention at Pittsburg--Organization of the party--The Philadelphia convention and its platform--Nomination of Fremont--Know-Nothing and Whig nominations--Democratic nomination and platform--The grand issue of the campaign--The Democratic canvass--The splendid fight for Fremont--Triumph of Buchanan--Its causes and results--The teaching of events.