The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1821-1823, 1823-05-28
For the Massachusetts, Spy.1
Retrospect.
SOUR NEXT GOVERNOUR.n


Although the disappointments and calami-
ties incident to human life are necessary
part Of the discipline of kind Providence to
prepare us for a better, and are therefore often
visited upon the innocent'a as we'll as the i'll
deserving, yet we should ever take care that
we be not Immediately instrumental in bring
Ing them upon ourselves. Adversely is not
very bitter to those who are conscious that it
did not result from their own misconduct and
1t is borne with patience, if not with cheerful
ness, by those whose powers have been OK
erted to prevent it. Under such crcumstan-
ces, 1t is profitable to inquire how far we
have been the guilty cause of our own suffer-
mgs, and TO see if we oan derive any oonsola-
tion from a conviction that they were una
voidable. Many of our most worthy and in
.telligent citizens are disposed to lament the
result OF the late gubernatorial election, and
TO consider If inauspicious to the best interests
OF the Commonwealth. There are but few
federalists who are willing 10 admit the recent
change in the government as proof of any
considerable revolution in publick opinion |;
and none seem to be n0ao at loss to point
out the prominent causes by which the late
election was lost to that party. Most mon
moV agree, that il is the misfortune of federal
ism to have disbeleved the existence of those
causes, to which it owes its recent defeat. at
time when they might have been obviated :;
or at least, to have so far overlooked their
magnitude and extent as to consider them un-
deserving attention. feel myself justified in
saying, that the election Of State officers has
terminated as anticipated. Long before the
nomination of the candidates for GOVERNOR,
believed that it required no uncommon share
OF discernment, much less spirit of prophecy,
to foresee, that any nomination from the Cap
ital, would be attended with extreme danger
to the party, and that the chance of the can
didate who was ultimately agreed upon by
the convention, would be much less than that
Of any other. With this conviction, deemed
it my duty to obtain, if possible, the nomina-
tion of gentleman from the country sincere
by believing, that 6 a country candidate woud
harn,onase the greatest rariety Of interests, unite
the greatest number Of uotes, and giue satistuc-
ton to the greatest portion Of citizens" | en-
tered upon discussion of the subject in sew.
eral numbers in this Journal. After the nom
ination was regularly announced, laid aside
my pen, that might not be thought to have
contributed to produce the result | had pre-
dicted, and was contented to submit the cor
rectness of the opinions, | had advanced, to
the test of experience. In the Spy of the LIST,
18th, and Goth of January last, are contained
the numbers to which | refer. Two reasons
were stated and urged upon the attention of
the pubick for taking our next GOVERNOR
from the country. The first was, that an
opinion was prevalent there, that the city of
Boston, and the towns in its vicinity had long
possessed and exercised an unreasonable share
OF influence in the several departments of the
government-that st there were individuals in
that part of the State, who, for several years
past, have endeavoured to give a direction TO
all official measures; to influence if not virtu-
ally make most of the executive appointments,
and who had not ceased to interfere in con-
Germs of the most triAng nature :" and that
"a removal 0! the seat Of Government was