Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1855-10-05

and from that meeting came the cal Tor the
Chapman Hall meeting, on the 10th of Au-
gust You, and l, sir, attended that meeting
and both OF us, in rasponse to the calls of the
meeting. made speeches in favor of the union
of the people to arrest the aggressive policy of
the Slave power
On the 22d of August, the several commit
tees appointed for that purpose met at the U.
S. Hotel. You, sir, were member of this
committee, and also member of the confer
ence committee. 1t was proposed to call
mass convention of the people, adopt plat
form, organize the party, choose State COM
mittee, and then have the committee call
convention of delegates to nominate candi
dates. This proposition was wise, fair and
lust one, yet % the enthusiastic, but not very
far-seeing Friends of Governor Gardner
resisted the only plan which would give his
friends an opportunity to work for his nominal
ton, without endangering the successful inau-
guration of the new movement You, sir,
Col Brewster, Mr.. Ransom, and other active
friends of Gov. Gardner, insisted upon a del
egate convention, and your names were APP
pended with alacrity to the following call =
" The people of Massachusetts, aoho are OPP
posed to the extension Of SSaGery are requested
to assemble in primary meetings in their seve-
raj towns and cities, and elect delegates, in the
proportion of three delegates to each represent
tive on valuation year, to meet at ---, on
-, for the nomination of State officers
Men of political experience and judgment,
limited to gentlemen that they We're not only
putting in jeopardy the movement, by COM
plicating it with contests about nen, but they
were endangering the success or their favorite
candidate by i'm POSING upon the friends Of flu
sion the necessity of sacrificing any man who
=, H. &c tlo e 81,
people; but the counsels of men of political
experience and Judgment have not, of late,
been at very high premium in some quar-
tiers. The opinion was very confidently given
that {" the delegated Convention could be
controlled" You, sir, Mr.. Ransom, Colonel
Brewster, and some other gentlemen who now
sheer at and denounce fusion, signed the call
for the Worcester Convention in apparent
good faith. Clothed with authority by the
State Council to consult and act with others,
you committed the American party, without
reservation or qualification, to the call for the
Convention of delegates to be chosen by the
people, "opposed to the extension Of slavery"
To secnre the full influence of the American
party at the Convention, and to commit the
party, if possible, more fully to the fusion
movement, you, sir, issued to the Councils the
following official circular =
p5 BOSTON, Oept. 4, 1900.
Dear Sir At meeting of the Executive
Committee of the American party, held in
tits city this day, the following resolution was
unanimously adopted
Resolued, That it be recommended to the
subordinate Councils to issue calls, without de-
Law, to the people of their several cities and
towns to assemble in public primary meetings,
for the purpose of electing delegates (equal to
three times the number Of representatives to
which such cities and towns are entitled in the
General Court in valuation Year, to the Con-
vention to be holden at Worcester, on the
goth inst, for the nomination of State officers;
and that they associate with them in those
calls, the names of such persons as are favor
able to the movement.
Very truly yours, E. C. BAKER,
State Secretary.
If party was ever committed to any move
nell is by the acts of its accredited agents, the
American party was committed to the Fusion
Convention, by you, its Secretary How can
YOU participate in meetings where the Fusion
Convention is denounced-where men COM
and good faith to abide the results of that
Convention, are denounced as ''political trait
ors and disunionists''- the names of
the Hon. N. 2. Banks, Jr., Hon. Arson Bur.
lingame, and Hou. Robert 3. Hall, are sung
in wretched doggerel?
During the Tour weeks preceding the Wor-
cester Convention, l was most of the time in
Maine, Vermont, Michigan, and New York,
doing what little ] could to unite the people
in opposition to the slave power. On my re-
turn from the West, found several pressing
requests from gentlemen Of all parties, urging
me to be at the Convention, and do what |
could for union. Among these requests, was
one from Col. Brewster, urging me to go as
delegate. l went to Worcester, not as a dele
gate, not to engage in the strife about men,
but to exert the little influence i'll my power
in favor of the only movement that can, in
the present condition of the country, do any.
thing to check the aggressive policy of slavery.
Believing the union of the opponents of the
slave power in the Republican party, to be OF
vital importance to the cause of freedom, l
went TO Worcester, resolved to place the cause
above the personal interests Of men, to give
every candidate fair field, to support the can
didates nominated by the Convention, and to
strive to induce others to do so. II there is
any man who voted in that Convention, fol
or against any of the candidates. through any
influences of mine, l am not conscious of it
To this day, haye lot the slightest idea even
how the delegates of my wn town voted
Four times / was called on to address the
meetings, and my remarks were, as all who
| listened to them will bear witness, in favor O.
| justice to all the candidates, proscriptive O
| none. l attended no meeting where any ar.
| engagements were made for or against any can.
didate. l saw no intrigues Iheard of none.
You, sir, and other gentlemen who, arr
now adopting resolutions and making speeches
| denouncing men who have followed your lead
who have been committed by your pledges
and bound by your plighted faith, as "politi
! cal traitors and disunionists," insisted upon
convention of delegates chosen by the people
You and they readily assented to the call o
the Convention upon the sole issue of opposi
ton to slavery. You and they did all tina
men could honorably do to secure the contro
of that Convention. You and they attended
the Convention. You and they consented tt
the appointment of the committee on resolu
tions, and were represented upon it. Yot
and they heard the report of the committee
and welcomed it with wild applause. You AM
they voted that the "QUEsTIoN OF FREEDoA
WAS PARAMOUNT" "That to secure unit,
upon that question, no unity of opinion
should be attempted elsewhere" You anC
they voted to "accept the name of the RE
PUBLICAN PARTY, which had been adopt
ed by your fellow laborers in other States, ant
to UNITE IN THAT PARTY" to assert thu
great principles for which we contend, and t
carry them to a triumphant ISSUE"
You and they adopted the platform OF prn
ciples, without even proposing to embody on,
plank from the American platform. You ant
they voted to organize the new Party by III
choice OF State Committee, and you vote
for the gentlemen chosen on the Committee
| eli Yl 4