New-York tribune., 1867-10-17
BOSTON.

Prov. Oar s.ssai Cou,sP-udut
Boston, Oct 10. 1907.
II is a fortnight since the Democratic State
Conven, pu for this STATE was held at Worcester, and
those h,,c and in other States, who have paid any
attention 10 its proceedings, have boon engaged in
Commenl upon the curious spectacle OF the old Cop
pcrhead organization supporting scion OF that old
Abolition family the Adamses How the nom
ination effected. is question few people
have thought it worth while to ask. There is now.
However, curious story adOat concerning the modus
Operandi of that performance, which shall proceed
e. give yen, with the reasons for and against its
ciedibliiy. Suppo5ng that you and tho public gen
orally ha long ago forgotten the proceedings Of the
Convention as TO matters Of detail begin by say
ing thai on the first ballot, informal, for
Gubenatnnal candidate, Mr.. SwectSer OF Lowell,
last vet' candidate. had 143 majority over
nu OtheIs. and on the second. formal. ballot,
Mr.. Adams had lS5 majority over all others The
common solution of this strange occurrence Is that
the H. i. Is took the matter in hand during the
cess and tiyed it up. But the following statement
comes to me from such good authority that am COM
PEELED 20 say that II s considerably moro than prOba-
he. and il accounts for the phenomenon quite clearly
though not precisely IN way to enhance the repu
tatiOn for honesty of the Democratic managers IL
has been the custSm for several years past-I have
seen it done repeatedy-fOT the Committee
Credentials, at those Democratic Conventions to
Iakc false reports OF the number OF delegates pres
rnt. This has been considered voly shrewd way OF
imposing upon the public, and as long the nOm-
nations were fairly made and each cOntesting cand-
date was allowed tO receive his share of the manu-
iactured votes. no special harm was done except to
the persons engaged in the fraud. If Mr.. SweetseT
or Gen COuch, for instance desired 10 have it appear
that they got thousand votes in convention. i'll
stead of five hundred, il was thought an
easy way to crafty them At the Convention
whose proceedings am relating, II was reported
that 963 delegates had been chosen from 80 places
In point of fact, as am informed credentials of
oty $50 were presented. OF this number, more than
eO failed to appear either by themselves or by sub
Ettutes Thus. while Charleston had chosen "a only
Blk were present, and while Lowell had elected ~
Ony 10 were present and so with several other large
places. At no time were there more than 500 dele
gates present The State Committee of the party.
eUpposlnR that Mr. SweetSer would be Tenonlnatcd
by acclanation, had not placed in the hands of
the presiding officer any list of members
So constitute Committee for receiving the
votes. and when il was determined to proceed TO a
ballot the T. L. LIS. tocked in front of the platform
pRd Justify shouted ont the of their men, and
H. is believed that the entire Committee was made
Up OF members of the secret order The fayOrite
ddate of this branch of the party was Mr.. Adams.
The vote nearly as follows: Mr.. Sweotsers vote
j. given to entirely correct and the vote for the
others is believed to be almost exactly 80:
S1Gf s%eetser R%@esG Of votes sSs + J. C. 6 bs5oyy sssoy
g adams ~ Scattering eat -, 81 q
uumbers in order to keep up the pretenSe made by
the Committee on Credentials as to the number pres
cnt. but instead of doing it fairly the Committee ex-
tcnded Mr.. Adamss vote considerably more. IN pro-
portion than Dir. SWeetsers. They reported rs fol-
Whole number. E. c. Bailey ......... ss
q H. syeetser .aSi J. G. Abbott .-.--. 20
OF the actual ballot MI SweetseT had about two
thirds of the ballot as reported only about sixty
more than one-half After the first ballot was taken
bat before it was declared, there was adjourn
nient for dinner and some seventy OF the delegates
did not return to the Convention. The formal bal
lot was taken, and the following was substantially
the vote
$d$ss:5sy tSs choice p q
OF course this had to be extended to make it con
sistent with the fraudulent report OF the Committee
on Credentials, but this time Nr. Sweetser had no
dividend. aud report was made as follows:
Eeifs'ss1y M sRstssst fSs sohoice s7s ss Scattering
OF the vote actually cast Sweetser had nearly per
cent but only 81 per cent of the vote declared.
L have given you the tale as it is told to me. do
mot vouch for its accuracy, but my informant says
that he has unquestonable evidence from Demo
cratic sources of its truth. That many of the Old
Line Democrats believe it is certain. have not the
pames Of the Committee which counted the votes
bat it, stated. they have superadded TO their natu
raj COpperhead prOpensities the qualifications of
character which have made them active and inhuen-
tal members of secret society based on attachment
60 the interests of the Tum-selng fraternity. they
cannot be supposed to have had any scrupes to the
morality of the transaction. As to motive, il may be
thought that the impOssibty of electing any other
than Republican Governor of this State would have
been apparent that such act OF rascality would
have been dlstasteful and repugnant to practical
men. You're an unnecessary rascal p said some
IL a fellow who had committed Ofensc out of
which no apparent result of any sort could come But
it must be remembered that there some men fools
enough to think It possible 70 elect Mr. Adams In
1S62 the Joel Parkeres or Peoples party, organized
a grand movement against Mr.. Sumner and Gov. An
drew and by putting Cen Deyens at its head thought
they could overthrow the Republicans Here is
precedent for the present idiocy. Moreover
1t is thought, and not perhaps with
Out some reason, that the nomination of candidate
vino has generally acted with the Republicans may
heip to throw into the Senate and House consdera
Die number Of Copperheads, by splitting their oppo-
nents the Liquor question. Here is sufficient mo-
tive. 1t may be plausibly asked, why was not the
cheat committed on the first ballot instead Of the
secOndi and there is force in this defensive sugges
tiOn In reply 10 the general consideration as To the
Smprobability of any such sudden change of opinion
among the delegates the declared result OF the bal
lots indicates IL may also be said that the recess
furnished sufficient time for an active and wellOr
ganized clique to win over to its side sufficient num-
Der of Mr.. Sweetsers friends to put him into mi
HOrty Giving the Committee and the Convention
the benefit of these pleas, and of the record, which
ia in their favor perhaps II is not fair to say that the
Iartes accused are TO be declared guilty But my IN
formation is so positive and from such authentic
sources to the nature of the proof which exists
that am compelled to say that the matter looks ex-
cecdingy black for the party managers, and that
some explanation is due from them 70 the public.
The canvass in this State, especially for members
of the Legislature, is getting quite interesting Tie
Republicans, at their late Convention; were pressed
IL make declaration of opinion on the question of
the PrOhibitory Liquor law. They pursued tho only
possible and only honest course 10y declaring that
they had never made the question test oil party
fidelity, and bad no intention OF dong So Mr..
Adams, in his knavish letter accepting the nomlna-
fion of the Democratic Convention for Governor,
complains of ths.as dodge but II is frank, manly
aud straightforward declaration Of the actual fact as
TO the position of the party. The prOhibitory law
proper. was passed in 1852. and amended ana
pefected in 1855. Ia its present shape, it bears
The signature of Henry }. Gardner now Boston
Rum Democrat. The COnStabuary law was enacted
by a Republican Legislature, but was drafted BY
Gov. Andrew himself, now the leading advocate OF
license law, and was voted for by any number OF
Ioston men who now Joining secret organizations
tO effect its repeal, among them Mr A. " Alien VINO