The garlands of victory and a sudden defeat
When war wing'd its wide desolation,
And threaten'd the land to deform,
The ark then of freedom'm foundation,
Columbia rode safe thro' the storm;
With her garlands of vict'ry around her,
When so proudly she bore her brave crew;
With her flag proudly floating before her,
The boast of the white, red and blue,
The boast of the white, red and blue,
The boast of the white, red, and blue,
With her flag proudly floating before her,
The boast of the white, red and blue.
When war wing'd its wide desolation,
And threaten'd the land to deform,
The ark then of freedom'm foundation,
Columbia rode safe thro' the storm;
With her garlands of vict'ry around her,
When so proudly she bore her brave crew;
With her flag proudly floating before her,
The boast of the white, red and blue,
The boast of the white, red and blue,
The boast of the white, red, and blue,
With her flag proudly floating before her,
The boast of the white, red and blue.
Following the Yukon war, most citizens of Columbia felt disillusioned with the policies of Jingo that the Young Columbian Party espoused. Many felt that they were lied to, as the Russians proved a far stronger foe than they were originally reported to be. The bravery and strength of the Russians soldiers at Wrangel was widely reported by several leading journalists, and despite their desire, Wright and his party respected the institution of free press too much to make any attempt on censorship. Among the lower classes, people pointed out that the war was a pointless bloodshed for the harsh, snow-draped land that most saw as useless. The upper class grumbled about the war taxes and most citizens had no desire to grant the largely Aleutian and Eskimo occupied territories statehood, as President Wright intended. Furthermore, many feared that Wrights saber rattling would anger Great Britain now that she had no need of Columbia making war. Others pointed to radicals in the United States who called for reclaiming the Oregon territory, though they were in a minority.
With an election coming, the Young Columbia Party found itself in a sudden crisis, with support for the current government dropping by the day. In a brave move, Esmond Wright decided to ignore politics until he decided to start his campaign, instead focusing on improving Columbia's standing on the world stage. Throughout October, President Wright went through detailed negotiations with Bavaria, and while he never met King Maximilian II, an arrangement was made with Ambassador Ralf Doersam for a massive exchange of technology. Considerable funds were spent in the endeavor, but even Wrights critics had to applaud the move as plans for the designs of Breech load rifles, naval fire control systems, and Iron muzzle loaded Artillery were given to Columbia's military scientists.
It is also during this time that Esmond Wright has the government establish ties with several private businesses, particularly those in the railroad industry. One man of particular note who prospered from this policy was Leland Stanford, who with his brother Prentice transformed their small business of selling supplies to men who sought to strike out for the Yukon, into the fastest growing rail and steel company in the northwest.
By the start of 1858 the election campaign had begun in earnest and Wright could no longer avoid the mounting troubles that faced his party. Throwing his hat into the ring for a second term, Esmond Wright faced off against only one serious challenger, Delcan H. Silver. The Unionist party candidate had risen in opposition to the faction led by Brady Fitz-James and Fulton Duff, and had actually had a seat in Parliament since the days of the Conservative party. An old hard-liner, Representative Silver had managed to subtly sabotage Fulton Duff's reputation and dug up enough dirt on Fitz-James to win his support.
Early in January, Declan Silver revealed his campaign platform to be one that preyed on the fears of the elite within Columbia, warning them of the encroachment of their rights by the increasing growth of the immigrant population. He made promises of a right and proper Anglo Columbia and warned of Wrights secret agenda to grant citizenship to the various tribesmen of the Yukon.
In an attempt to win favor for the Young Columbia Party candidate, General Duran organized a loose federation of veterans and on February 1st began a propagandistic campaign to re-elect President Wright. The veteran movement is surprisingly effective and Duran's passion for taming the Yukon draws many back to the Young Columbia camp. Though in his later speeches, he draws some controversy from his ill-thought comments on all Russians being treacherous and inbred.
In late April, Daniel "Duke" Silesi, a popular editorial writer in the Seattle Liberty, writes a harsh column on both candidates. In the column "Duke" details the importance of moving against nativist urges and embracing the metis, Cree, and foreign immigrants into Columbia's bountiful fold. The following week, Declan Silver burned a stack of the Seattle Liberty's papers and bitterly replied to Daniel Silesi's opinion.
"It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he has entered. Civilization was brought to this land by the white man and fools like him [Mr. Silesi] would readily give away all we have struggled for." -- Declan H. Silver, 1858
Saddly, much of the fire that Wright carried in his speeches during his first campaign had went out, mused to be a result of his injuries and the death of his friend and Vice-President Bruce Catton. This made him quite ineffective against the vicious politics of Declan Silver.
In an attempt to bolster support for his government, Prime Minister Albert released the 1858 census report that revealed that literacy had risen to 80% under President Wright's first term. Unfortunately, while most Columbians were proud of this massive literacy, few attributed it to anything the government did. Further damaging the campaign of the Young Columbia Party was the growth of the activist group Open Hands of Columbia. Throughout the summer months, Open Hands of Columbia held rallies against Militarism in Seattle, Olympia, Donald, Spokane, and Glenora. The stunning success and impact of these rallies can be attributed to the parade of wounded soldiers who came out against the Yukon war and dispelled myths about its glory. While they did not support Rep. Silver, they nonetheless helped his campaign as he ran an anti-military platform.
Sensing defeat looming by late July, Peter Albert gathered his supporters together and began plans to pass several controversial bills that increased the rights of all citizens in Columbia. Though the Unionists raised complaint and cited abuse, there was little they could do. On August 29th, 1858 - six days before the election, Peter Albert's government, seeing that they were going to lose almost all their seats in Parliament, as well as the executive position, decided to act on his July plans and push through an amendment to the constitution that the Unionists would have a hard time altering. Still holding a heavy majority, over eighty percent of the seats in Parliament, an amendment is passed that "grants liberty to all men within the republic". With the amendment, the right to vote was suddenly extended to all citizens, regardless of their wealth or income bracket. This however did not extend to those who were not viewed as true citizens, such as metis or most immigrants.
The Parliament of Columbia, McKenzie Hall
This last ditch attempt did increase the Young Columbia Party's votes, but they still lost the elections by a landslide. Of their 81% hold on Parliament, they lost 72% of the available seats. The Unionists swept the liberals and most of the Young Columbia Party out of Parliament, including Peter Albert, though they were far less successful on a state level winning few if any judicial and gubernatorial elections.
An excerpt from an editorial found in the Victoria Daily, the article was followed by a humorous cartoon depicting the ejected members of the Young Columbia party lying in a heap on the street outside Parliament. Extending from the doors of Parliament a large silver boot with the words Unionist can be seen. Peter Albert's hand tries to rise out of the heap with an amendment in his grasp.Young Columbia Party tossed out onto Belleville Street!
Victoria - It's a great day to be a member of the Unionist party and an absolutely miserable day for the forward-ho Young Columbian's. Not only will Esmond Wright have to find a new house to live in, but Peter Albert will have to find himself a new job. The only notable member of the Young Columbia Party to retain his seat is the charming Shelby Foote. Another representative to hold his seat was the independent Joesph Lafayette Meek, who has clung to Parliament since Columbia's founding. I do hope Mr. Meek isn't shy, because there are going to be a lot of new faces in McKenzie Hall.
With his victory, Declan H. Silver made a short speech congratulating the outgoing President Wright on an exciting campaign, before moving on to promise greater prosperity for Columbia under his watch. President Silver selected the relative newcomer Christian Nedrow as his Prime Minister and Parliament almost unanimously decided on the gruff, former mayor of Kitimat - Abraham Near. That evening, President Silver and his party were said to have thrown a raucous party in the Parliament building.
Declan H. Silver, 3rd President of Columbia