Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-10-25

EOr tue spy.
The ReEieier of Probate and insolvency.
Two extraordinary documents appeared in the
Worcester papers-One published as Especial
| notice or advertisement petition address
! ed to George NJ. Prentiss, Esq.," and purport-
ing TO be signed by few citizens Of Worcester
and few in each Of several other towns IN the
county. The prayer of the petition was, that Mr..
Pfeutiss would allow these signers "to put him
in nomination as the independent candidate of
the people of Worcester county for the office Of
Register Of Probate and Insolvency" No re-
I Spouse nom Mr.. Preutiss appears in connection
with the pettian. We presume that we do no
injustice to MIR. PTentiss in stating. what is gen
orally understood, that this petition to himsefwas
drawn up by himself, and put in circulation by
himself, or was caused by hiIn to be so drawn up,
aud put IN circulation ; in snort that this petit
ton 10 George NJ. Prentiss, Esq" first emana-
ted from George NJ. PreDtss, Esq.
The other document is note from "Chas. g..
PTentlss' to the editor of the Palladium, in
which, after saying that he does not feel in
ehned to compete with J. Piper for the Office
OF Register Of Probate and Insolvency." he rec
ommends his nephew, George NJ. Prentiss,
Esq" for election to that Office In this note
occur the following paragraphs;
Gle Mr. Ptpe-l cains the Office as the reward for
services rendered in il of N P Banks and suppose
the managers Of the publican party have promised he
LAS do b,long to that party, must be laid upon
the shelf 'Phs party, says Transcript, lis noS in
its infancy predict that it will t die of old age"
1t is to be regretted, for Mr.. Premises own
sake, that he should have been persuaded TO issue
such an unseemly appeal to the public. We say
"persuaded;'' for the present strange attitude Of
MI Prentiss is quite contrary to his first inten-
ton. brief statement will set the whole mat
ter in its true light
Early in the season, Charles g. Prentiss, Esq,
the present Register of Probate, announced that
he should not be candidate for the new office
which had been created by the last Legislature
This is susceptible of proof. He voluntarily
withdrew all claims to the Office and on every
account it was highly credilable in him to do.
He had held his present Office for nearly a quar-
ter of a century he had grown rich by its elnol.
uments; his office was abolished aud there would
be no tuning out; he could retire with wealth
and honor. In this mind he remained until few
days before the County Convention Of the It'll
when II was suddenly limited about that he would
be candidate before that convention for the new
office. Why was this sudden change? We have
no hesitation in saying that it was for the sake of
the nephew. 1t well understood that the
latter would be candidate before the conven-
ton for long time before, active Wotces
ter politician, Influenced by "a lively sense OF ia
VOLS to come" had been busy in engineering his
cause But, as the day of the convention ap-
preached, it became manifest that the nephew
would stand no chance before the delegates of the
people. in his own name 1t decided, there
FORE to use his unce'S name in his behalf II the
idlNtf udU Dteu nominated ana elected, the emOl.
unents OF the office wOnld have Injured chiefly to
the benefit Of the former. We say this, not, of
course, as being within our knowledge but as be-
ing the general impression, justified by the pecul-
lar circumstances, and now confessed by Mr..
Preniiss's note to the Palladium. The nephew,
then, did not go before the convention. and the
uncle dtG. 1t was probably the largest County
Convention ever held in Worcester, nearly every
town being represented and nearly two hundred
votes oeing cast Among body so abundantly
representing the people, and especially the Re-
publican portion of them, Mr. Prentss received
81 votes on the first ballot and l6 on the second.
Having thus gone into Republican Convention
to securesa nomination for himself and his neph-
eW, and having thus tailed, he now says LAS /
do not belong to that party, l must be laid upon
the she'll" We repeat, this is not seemly in Mr..
PIentss
Having failed in his own name, lie and his
nephew now return to he original programme,
and make their double appeal to the Republican
party-'for as this party constitute three fourths
of the people Of the county, the appeal is sub.
stantially to them-to repudiate the doings of
their own chosen delegates and put George NJ
Prentlss, Esq in the place of &" j. j Piper"
But why should they do this Because SAYS
Mr.. Prentiss in his note, George M Prentiss,
Esq has had sixteen years " experience in the
office. But this is argument in favor of keep
ing him in during his lifetime In other words
the people of Worcester County are invited to
make this Office hereditary IN the Poatiss fanat
ly. The people are hardly prepared for this
They long since decided in favor of reasonable TO-
taton against life tenure The old notion that
valuable office is to be the property Of the same
family, generation after generation, belongs to
monarchlal and arlstocraue, not to republican
and democratic state Of society. And as to the
argument from . experience it is the common
resort of veterans in office. II it were of much
force, where would Mr.. Prentiss haveibeen when
he took Office twenty odd Years ago? Where
WOuia all the inPUm Of Offpa in fho tn
have been, when first brought forward Our
Senators and Representatives have experience"
why should they be superseded by new men I?
The truth is, the argument has very little com
paratye force. Any man, fit for the Office on
other grounds, can acquire what experience is
necessary. in a very brief period. After child
has once learned the alphabet, repeating il over
and over again does not add to his knowledge
| So. when the routine of Probate or Insolvent
| office has been once learned-and, as we said, it
is soon learned-going through it year after year,
even for "slxteep years, imparts additional
| experience. But let the value of experience be
| what it may, the argument derived therefrom
| should avail for Mr.. Piper, not less, surely, than
for Mr.. Prentiss for the former has held the Of
| flee of Register of Insolvency quite long enough
to have made himself thoroughly acquainted
| with its duties; that is to say, with the duties
| pertaining to one great branch of the new court.
| At best, then, the Republicans are invited to
| abandon their own regular candidate who has had
large experience in office, for the sake of self.
nominated person, on the sole ground that he,
, too, has had experience !" When to the fore
| going considerations we add that if common ru
NOR be true, the younger. Prentiss has accumu-
| lated handsome fortune during his sixteen
| years connection with the Probate Office, chiefly
through fees for " outside advice" we have said
| enough to dispose of his claim.
The whole case now lies in a nutshell The
| Republicans have nominated Mr. Piper for the
office of Register of Probate and Insolvency
| The nomination was fairly made. The nominee
has the qualification of experience, as we'll as
| other qualifications for the office. No reason has
| been presented why he should not receive the
| united support of the party at the polls Moth.
| ing, then, remains but to give that support when
| the proper time arrives. We have no doubt that
it will be given, especially when it comes to be
| understood that the scheme of Mr.. Prentiss il
connected with plan, in which Democrats take
an active part, to divide, and so break down, the
Republican party. JUSTICE.
| For the Spy.
| Mr.. Rdtor-I perceive that the Boston Jour
nal has taken up its cudgel against the opponents