Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-24
Reported for the Boston Journal
Meeting of the Friends OF Hon. Harvey
Jewell,

meeting OF gentlemen representing all parts
ofthe state in favor of the nomination of Harvey
Jewell for governor was held at New Era shall
on fremont street. Boston, Wednesday fore
noon, for consultation.
The meeting was called to order by Alderman
Halves of this city, and Hon. IL. H. Coolidge
was chosen chairman, and George Homer, Esq.
of Brookline, secretary.
MI. Coolidge, on taking the chair said they
had met not as opponents of MIR. Rice or Mr..
Washbunl, or OF the friends of those gentlemen;
they are our friends and we their friends, but we
have met for consultation to see how we may
secure the nomination of our fayOrite candi-
date, the Hon. Harvey Jewell, and we felt free TO
say that if it should be found at the convention
that either Mr. Rice or Mr.. Washbun had mole
strength than Mr.. Jewell, Mr.. Jewels friends
would transfer their strength to whichever gen.
tlemen should lead, as they hoped in the event
of Mr.. JEWELS leading, the friends of those gen.
tlemen would give him their support.
The president then said it was desirable to
hear expressions from different parts of the
state, and called first on Hon. Adm Thayer OF
Worcester.
Mr. Thayer said that he responded heartily to
what the president had said in regard TO Mr..
Rice and Mr.. Washburn, but he was in IA
vor of Mr.. JEWELS nomination, both on per-
sonal and public grounds. The candidate for
chief magistrate ought to be man of integrity
and of high character, and one in whom the
people had confidence This, he believed, was
true of Mr. Jewell. So far as the city of Wor-
cester was concerned, he believed the prospect
for DIR. Jewell was very favorable, but the re-
publicans there felt they were embarrassed by
the want of unanimity in Suffolk county. If
defeated at all it would be by the want of
unanimty here. There was entire unanimity
in Worcester in opposition both to Butler and
Loring. Let it be understood there that Suffolk
county was united in favor of Jewell, and lie
believed il would be difficult to restrain the
Worcester delegation from going almost unani-
mously for him
He had heard favorable reports from the
south part of Worcester county. In the north
part of the county Washburn had considerable
strength, and in some of the towns DR.. Loring
had some strength. He believed it to he folly
for the friends Of Mr.. Rice to attempt to push
him as Il candidate, he had no strength in Wor-
cester nor in any of the four western counties.
MIR. j. L. Sanford, of Taunton, was next
called, and said he spoke mainly for himself,
having been away from home on visit, but he
thought they should support the nominee of the
convention, whoever it might be. His own
preference and that of his friends whom he had
consulted was decidedly in favor of Mr. Jewell.
He left out of the calculation entirely the two
Essex candidates, and if there were any gentle
men in favor of them he had not seen them.
Hon. Francis w. Bird was next introduced,
and was received with applause. He said his
whole heart was in this movement. He didn't
know, till he was confined day and night to his
bed, how much he thought of it, nor how much
he desired the nomination of Mr.. Jewell. 1t
was known that Mr.. Jewell was not an extreme
radical. There were no doubt gentlemen, who,
if he were to consult his own feelings if they
could be made governor he would be glad to see
nominated. But they cannot, and he could
think of no man SO well fitted 10 make a digni-
fed, able and capable administration Of the af-
fairs OF the state as Harvey Jewell. He was
very strongly in favor of bis nomination. When
he saw measures which had been taken by two
men from Essex county to force themselves on
the convention, he felt the day had come when
the credit of the republican party demanded
that they should be rebuked We have seen
one of those men stay in the democratic party
until October, 1864, indorsng all its iniquities,
including Mcclellan, Chicago platform and all,
and why he should have left it at that point,
except for selfish motives, it is hard to conceive.
If he had stayed, as Vallandigham did, we
should have believed him honest, but he could
conceive no reason why an honest man should
have gone thus far and then left them.
Gen. Butler was an old friend of his, but he
did not like the way in which he proposed TO
take the republican party. If he had had the
organization of the Vineyard temperance meet
ing, (Which Gen. Butler did not attend,) he
would have suggested as text for the first
sermon: "The kingdom Of heaven suffereth vio-
ence, and violence taketh II by force" so he
thought Gen. Butler was trying TO take the re-
publican party by force. He felt that the friends
Of the other three gentlemen ought to unite in
the support of one of them, and if they did it
they could control the convention.
Hon. ID. l.. Harris of Springfield was next
called on, and said he spoke mainly for himself,
having been away from home. His own i'm
preston, and from what he could gather, were
that only two persons had any chance, and they
were Washburn and Jewell, and Mr. Jewell had
largely the preference of those two. Not but
what the western counties would be glad to see
a governor from that part of the state, but they
felt that Mr.. Washburn was doing them great
service in congress, and they preferred to keep
him there. He was told that such was the feel
ing also in Hampshire county East Hampton,
one of the largest towns in the county, was in
favor of Mr.. Jewell. As for the two Essex gen
tlemen, he had seen but one person who would
support either, and he was in favor of Loring.
He thought that under no possibility could
either of those gentlemen receive the vote of
Springfield, and it should first be given to jew
ell,
Mr.. lilly Haynes of Springfield said he had
conversed with over one hundred people, and
had found but two Loring men, and they really
preferred Jewell. Outside of Boston Mr.. Rice
had no strength. There was no man in MaSsa-
chusettS toward whom there was such
kindly feeling as there was toward Harvey jew
ell, and the more the matter was discussed the
stronger the feeling grew.
Hon. Charles &. Davis of Plymouth said he
spoke for himself, and his impression was that
il the vote was taken to-day in Plymouth county,
DR.. Loring would have large majority, but he
noticed that everywhere men come to this CON
clusion with hesitation and doubt. He thought
there would be bolt il Gen. Butler was nomi-
mated, and large diminution of the vote if Dr.
Loring received the nomination. Personally he
preferred Mr.. Rice, but he had no chance at all,
and therefore he should heartily support the
nomination of Mr.. Jewell.
Hon. b. NJ. Morse, Jr of West Roxbury
thought that Mr.. Jewell had the preference of
many active republicans in his vicinity. lie
moved that committee OF three be appointed to
nominate state committee, which motion was
adopted.
During the absence of the committee, Mayor
Harding of Cambridge, thought that public sem
timent had not been fully developed, that Mr..
Jewell enjoyed the highest affections of the peo-
pie, and so far as there was any sentiment it was
in favor of securing his nomination.
Mr.. Goulding of Worcester believed that
Worcester could easily be carried for Mr..
Jewell.
Hon. George M. Rice of Worcester believed
the whole responsibility in the matter rested
upon Suffolk county, and he was astonished at
the folly of the republicans of Boston in press
ing the name of Dir. Rice. If they were united
upon Mr.. Jewell, there was not the shadow of a
doubt but what the convention would nom-
nate him There had been ridiculous reports
made from Worcester that Mr.. Rice could carry
five out Of the eight wards there. This was not
true. While he had no enemies he had no
friends there.
The committee on nominating state com
mittee then reported as follows
Henry l.. Pierce, Boston; Alden Thayer, Wor-
cester; Estes Howe, Cambridge; William How
land, Lynn; job NJ. Leonard, Somerset; Chas
q. Davis, Plymouth; Samuel Wells, Chicopee
jeremiah Stone, Province own; Geo. +. Homer
Brookline; d. S. Richardson, Lowell; H. j.
Barker, Adams; W, f. Arnold Northamnton