from 1860 to 1912, the republicans took advantage of the association of the democrats with "rum, romanism, and rebellion". rum stood for the liquor interests and the tavernkeepers, in contrast to the gop, which had a strong dry element. "romanism" meant roman catholics, especially irish americans, who ran the democratic party in every big city and whom the republicans denounced for political corruption. "rebellion" stood for the democrats of the confederacy, who tried to break the union in 1861; and the democrats in the north, called "copperheads", who sympathized with them.