the Old Commoner. During his lifetime, and subsequent to it Thaddeus Stevens (1792-1868) was praised by some and despised by others. On sev- eral points, however, there has been general agreement among his contemporaries and most students of history. Few will argue with the observation that he was the

of the Glatfelter bill as well. Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Directors, in a meeting on February 23, 1925, decided to ask the Commissioners of Lancaster County to join with their contemporaries in York and place the ques- tion of floating a bond issue, which would provide funds for building a public

of 1852. 26 As the loyal Whigs of Lancaster County slowly lost ground to a splinter group led by Thaddeus Stevens, they began to realize that the old party could no longer ex- pect to win a national election. The situation created in the early years of the decade demanded a new party under new

Lancaster County and �an anti-slavery politician who twice ran and lost for the United States House of Representatives. This left a lasting impression on his son who wanted to prove his family name capable and worthy of representing Lancaster. The elder Griest owned and edited the county newspaper, the