The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-11-03
THINGS IN MASSACHUSETTS.
WoRcEsTER Co., MASS, Oct. %, 1853
To the Editor of the National Era:

WORCESTER Co., MASS, Oct. %, 1853.
To the Editor of the National Era:
few words from the Old Bay State, es-
pecially in these intensely stirring times, may
not be unacceptable to your readers Because
! write from position nearer the centre of the
State than heretofore, | am doubtless more
sensible of the activity now 80 manifest in all
the great progressive and humanizing enter
prses of the day. Let me assure you, Mr.
Editor, that the heart of this old Common
wealth is sound and healthy, as heretofore.
This augurs well for the whole body polite 1t
Id in the State as in the individual "Out Of
the heart are the issues of life' Therefore
am of the opinion that the life of Massachu-
sets is becoming more aud more glorious
The present campaign is far more important
and interesting than any before for many years
Next month the people are to decide whether
they will have the new Constitution, prepared
for them by the late Convention, or whether
they will try the old one till they can do bet
ter than to accept either Some politicians
have said that the question is not "a party one.
This TaS true in theory, but is not in fact. The
Wings apparently had much difficulty in sha-
ping their course with reference to it. So many
of their leading men had committed themselves
forms proposed, either in whole or in part, that
it was almost impossible to harmonic There
was fierce conflict between their convictions
of propriety, consistency, and expedency. But,
as consistency has long been out of the ques-
ton with the leaders of the Wing party, and
as they had long since decided that, first, we
must do what is erpedient, second, we must do
what is right; and as the only chance for the
salvation of the Wings of the State was to over
throw the new Constitution, therefore they re-
solved to oppose it, "a unequal and oppress-
i've" Hence, they will unite to say that they
will not have the new Constitution, but will
have the old one revised, either by Lcgsla-
ture or by new Convention though many of
them have confessed that the new is much bet
ter than the old, nearly all have said that the
old Constitution was good enough, and that u
Convention was totally unnecessary, and even
unconstitutional
Still, great many of the Wings will 60 for
the new Constitution, and, though neither
money nor talent will be spared to defeat it,
the people now give good promise to accept il,
by u large majority.
The political parties are very much alive
but the Wings seem more apatbetic than the
Others, and the Free Democracy the most Wig
OrOus wide awake and powerful. They have
noble and popular cause an indOmitable
energy, and candidates especially acceptable to
the people. ! predict for Wilson the largest
vote ever given for any gubernatorial candidate
Of the Free Democracy in any State unless,
indeed, the late election in Ohio may prove an
exception. This, however, is very doubtful.
The Temperance question will probably enter
into the canvass somewhat though, from pres
ent appearances, less than last year. There is
no doubt that the law will be trumphantly
sustained
The past week, az you are aware has been
an occasion Of some national interest in this
region. The first National Exhibition Of
Horses has been held during the week al
| Springfield. Extensive preparations have been
making for some months, to render the occa-
sion worthy of the object which called it forth
The managers and friends of the enterprise
have been nobly rewarded for their efforts.
Everybody seems delighted and gratified with
the orderly arrangements the fine display, the
eligible grounds, the delightful weather, and
the almost universal decOrum which has pre-
vailed This latter feature attracted the gen
eral attention of strangers from abroad. In
deed, we were all surprised, ourselves, to find
that We were such a wel-behaved people
suppose there were never 30 many persons in
Springfield at one time before and yet, in all
that mighty gathering Of from twenty to forty
thousand persons, | saw only one man drunk,
in two days; nor was there any fighting,
brawllng or rOwdyism, visible to any extent
This is not to be placed wholly to the credit of
New England morality for there were thou
sands from other sections Of the country-some
of them by no means the most respectable
specimens of their own communities More
laat ~ A
by visiters at Springfield that they had never
witnessed so much drunkenness in that place.
Whence, then, this wonderful reformation IL
may serve to help pluck out the heart of this
mystery if we mention the fact that for the
last few months the friends of Temperance
have been putting the prohibitory law into
pretty thorough operation, to the no small EN-
barrassment of the friends Of legal liberality
and the rights of all sorts of trade
With the exhibition tself there is great sat.
isfaction among all Interested No doubt it
will result in national benefit by promoting
an increasing interest in the breeding, train.
ing and improving, Of the noble animal exhib-
tied Yesterday afternoon, a grand banquet
was given on tho exhibition grounds, in NAM
moth tent There were good many thousand
eaters, but they were ali fed, with no apparent
miracle, and an abundance of fragments y
remained There were speeches after dinner,
by NJ p. Wilder, President of the National
Agricultural Society Gov. Seymour, of New
York Abbott Lawrence, Of Boston j. N Bolts
and ex-Gov. Floyd, of Virginia, and several
others They were all eloquent entertaining
and excellent There was slight dash Of
Union saving, though the diminutiOn in the
supply of this commodity has been very notice
able Of late still the supply il fully equal 10
the demand. Yours, truly, g. NJ S.