An American political party was organized in 1869 whose chief aim was the abolition of the liquor traffic. Five hundred men and women delegates gathered in Farwell Hall, Chicago, Ill. September 1, 1869 to form a new political party. James Black of Pennsylvania was selected as the first presidential candidate of the new party at a national convention held in 1872 in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike the Prohibition Party, the Anti-Saloon League believed in working within the existing party system and did not desire to form its own separate political party.