To turn out of a political party. The phrase is apparently derived from some kind of sectarian excommunication.
1841. Mr. Alford of Georgia warned the “tariff bugs” of the South that, instead of their reading him out of church, if they did not mind, he would read them out of church.—House of Repr., June 30: Cong. Globe, p. 133.
1841. Mr. Wise of Virginia was glad that they were not to be read out of the Whig church because they were willing to vote with the Loco Focos against a protective tariff.—The same, July 31: id., p. 275.
1842. [Mr. Crittenden] seemed disposed to read the Senator from Virginia out of the Whig Church.—Mr. Buchanan of Pa., U.S. Senate, April 8: id., p. 283, App.
1842. Mr. Wright of N.Y. did not except to the appellation of Locofoco, but insisted upon his right to define the meaning of the term…. Under his definition of it, the fathers of that church, in its early days read him out, and would not recognize his membership.—U.S. Senate, May 31: id., p. 473, App.
1843. We are not for reading him [Gov. Reynolds] out of the party yet.—Missouri Reporter, St. Louis, Feb. 3.
1844. According to the base imputations made by the political hucksters, one would think that all such were read out of the party.—Mr. Wentworth of Illinois, House of Repr., April: Cong. Globe, p. 510, App.
1846. A good deal had been said about reading out of the Democratic church members of the Democratic party.—Mr. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi in the House of Repr., Feb. 6: id., p. 320. [One of his earliest speeches in Congress:—on the Oregon question.]
1860. They proceeded formally to read [Fernando Wood] out of the party as a “disorganizer.”—Richmond Enquirer, Jan. 3, p. 2/1.
1860. Delusion [Delazon Smith] has regularly read Judge Williams out of the Democratic party. The judge read Delusion out several months since.—Oregon Argus, Sept. 15.
*** This was George H. Williams of Oregon, afterwards (under Grant) Attorney General of the U.S.
