Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1847-04-22
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NEWPORT: 'e,7'S
Thursday Merning, April %, 1871.


Is WI. ii ordinary lalr dealing had been
practised towards Mr.. CRANsToN, after
receiving the nomination Of the Conven.
ton and the pledge Of every member ol
that body TO use-all honorable means to
secure his election, he would have OBJ
tanned as decided majority in the dis
trict as any of the nominees on the State
ticket. Instead of this result to which
he was fairly entitled, more than seven
hundred scattering votes we're cast in the
election by Law and Order voters-the
election OF Wing Representative to the
30th Congress brough. into jeopardy
and the exact result of the contest rem
dered matter of doubt until the official
canvass can finally determine it.
Two causes, we think, have been main
ly instrumental in producing a state ol
things so greatly to be deprecated. First,
the bringing forward in this town, on the
very eve of the election, the Hon. Will
LIAM HUNTER as a candidate for the Dis
trict, without any previous inrimaton OF
such purpose on the part of his support
ers, when difficulties on the question OF
Temperance, and some slight collision in
the selection of our Town Representa-
tives, had created an unexpected excite
ment and diversion in his favor And,
secondly, the very singular course taken
by The Law and Order voters of the town
of WARREN, in Withholding their suffrages
from Mr.. c. as Representative, and be-
slowing them on candidate, whom, but
a year ago, they had Indignantly repuda-
ted for an office of much less response
bility and Importance.
We have no disposition to treat with
disrespect the claims Of Mr.. HUNTER to
the support of his fellow citizens, or to
deny his acknowledged capacity and at
tainments, or the Difference we owe to
his advanced age and ripe public expert
ence. But conceding thus much to Mr..
II. and saying nothing of the unfairness
of springing nomination upon the pub
lie, when scarcely three days notice in
tervened before the vote must be taken
on it j.; or of the obligation which every
consistent political man feels to abide by
the decision of his party, when fairly an
nounced by regularly organized Con-
vention-it must now be admitted, we
think, by all the Law and Order support
ers Of that gentleman, that in giving him
their suffrages they did him no possible
service, but inflicted, by that act, very
serious injury on the cause they espouse,
the extent of which it is impossible even
yet to determine.
As to the course of proceeding in the
town of WARREN, it may seem difficult
to conceive the motives which led to it,
when we consider that the electors of w.
were fully and very competently represent
ed in the District Convention which
nominated Mr.. Cranston that their dele
gates made no avowed opposition to the
nomination, but united. it is believed,
with every other member Of that body in
the pledge to use all fair and honorable
means to sustain it. But singular as it
may seem, it is nevertheless true, that in
consequence of some action Of the Gene
raj Assembly on the petition of CooMER
Halle, and others, praying to be set
off from the town to Bristol, and annexed
to the town of Warren, which came on
for trial during the late session, and was
decided unfavorably to the prayer of the
petitioners, the whole aspect of things in
the town of Warren, in reference to the
Congressional election, was Immediately
affected by it, and intimations were given
to Mr.. C. from responsible sources, that
for his course on that petition he must
not expect to receive the suffrages Of its
respectable and law-abiding electors
We need not say, that every imputation
on Mr. c. of any unfair proceeding on
this subject, either in his capacity Of
Speaker, or of member Of the House,
was altogether gratuitous and that one
of the members for Warren, before the
close Of the session, was distinctly ap-
priced by him of his entire course Of ac-
ton on that subject, which directly re-
futed every one ofthese imputations.
The petition Of Coomer Halle and
others had been pending in the General
Assembly for several sessions preced ng
that of May last, without any final action
on its merits, when it was taken up at
the session last mentioned and referred
IN n select committee. Mr.. Cranston nj