Details:

Manuscript political printing order relating to the publication of John J. Morton’s speech on the Nebraska Bill, measuring approximately 7.75 x 12.75 inches. The document records advance orders for printed copies of Morton’s speech, with subscribers requesting quantities ranging from a few hundred to several thousand copies, reflecting the intense public interest generated by the debate surrounding the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

The heading reads:

“John J. Morton’s Speech on the Nebraska Bill will be printed at Globe Office at 50¢ per hundred.”

Below is a manuscript register of names and quantities ordered, including requests for 6,000, 1,000, 500, 400, 300, 200, and 100 copies, with editorial check marks indicating fulfillment. The total recorded order reaches 11,800 copies, illustrating the broad circulation anticipated for Morton’s address during one of the most contentious political controversies of the decade.

Among the names entered is William M. Tweed, later universally known as “Boss” Tweed, whose manuscript entry, signed by Tweed himself, appears among those ordering copies of the speech. Created during the national debate over the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the document places the future New York political boss within the machinery of Democratic Party politics years before his rise to dominance in Tammany Hall.

Introduced by Senator Stephen A. Douglas in 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing settlers in the new territories to determine for themselves whether slavery would be permitted. The measure ignited fierce national debate, accelerated the collapse of the Whig Party, contributed to the formation of the Republican Party, and set the nation on the path toward the Civil War. 

The verso bears additional manuscript notations and filing endorsements.

Overall good condition with expected folds, light toning, scattered edge wear.

William Magear “Boss” Tweed (1823-1878) was an American politician best known as the leader of New York City’s Tammany Hall political machine during the late nineteenth century. Rising through Democratic Party politics after beginning his career as a volunteer firefighter and alderman, Tweed became one of the most influential political figures in New York. Although later convicted for corruption and fraud stemming from the infamous “Tweed Ring,” his career profoundly shaped urban political organization during the Gilded Age, making him one of the most recognizable and consequential political bosses in American history.

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Includes a full letter of authenticity from JG Autographs, Inc.

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Reference sku: 11669 1416981-1