New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-20
MIR. Summers First Election.

When Charles Sumner was elected a
Senator, in 1851, George s. Boutwell, was
Governor Of Massachusetts; Henry Wilson
President OF the Massachusetts Senate. and
Nathaniel p. Banks, Jr., Speaker Of the
House in the Massachusetts Legislature.
Sumner and Wilson represented q ,S03 Free
Soil votes, and Boutwell, and Banks repre-
sented 36,363 Democratic votes, in ''coali-
ton" against 1864 Wings. The "coali.
ton" shocked the established order in Mas
sachusetts in more ways than one. 1t was
raid by young and aggressive men, of
whom the current inquiry was, "Who are
they " 1t was trick in politics so shrewd
that subsequently, by common consent the
way to its repetition was barred by consti-
tional amendment, introducing the plurality
system in all elections with a fixed number
Of seats in the Legislature
To explain how it was done: The Goal
itionists' voted seperate party tickets for
Governor, and united on candidates for the
Legislature, electing, in the House, 2IO
members against ia Wings. The majority
in the House filled the vacancies in the
Senate. which was made to consist of
twenty-seven COalitiOnists and thirteen
Wings. Then the two bodies in concur
renee, elected the Governor and other State
ofhcers. 1t was comparatively easy to carry
out that part of the programme which in
volved BOutwells election as Governor,
and it was also easy to elect Rantoul Dem
ocrat) to the unexpired six weeks of the |
Senatorial term; but to elect Sumner, an |
abolitionist, to the full Senatorial term, |
there was the rub. The contest was pro. |
tracted at the State House from January /
to May large number of Democrats scat. !
tering their votes, fearing to go on the /
Iecord as voting fo- an Abolitionst, but
Gearing more that by absenting them
1elves Wing Robert c. Winthrop
should be chosen. In that Legislature |
were. we belive, Ben Butler, Caleb Cush-
ing, Democrats, not openly voting for Sum-
ner, and Samuel Hooper and Henry l..
rally the Legislature framed, what was ia.
4nously known in Massachusetts until
Apolished), the "sealed ballot act" for an
Election, and on the first count of votes uu-
ger the "sealed ballot" Charles Sumner was
9pund to be chosen. When, subsequently,,
caleb Gushing was in Pierce's Cabinet, and .
3Sen Butler was the Democratic can.
2idate against Banks, Republican, for
Governor of Massachusetts, and when
Democrats had patronage and
Southern constituency, responsibility for .
Charles Sumner in the Senate was
readily shirked by an appeal to the record t
Ot viva voce votes, and the secrets Of the |
sealed ballots were ever sealed. The CO. Il
Anton was in power two years, but could
not survive the presidential election of 1852; F
and with the ascendency of the Democrats
n the nation, and the reascendency of the n
Wings in Massachusetts,, it looked gloomy
'hough Tor the young men who had so
lravely seized State in defiance of hered. s
tary rules and tradition. Who, then, could
rave predicted that these young men of II
soi0Sumner, Boutwell,, Banks, Wilson II II
md burlingame-were SO largely to fill the ! b,
, "a OF history since written 3 Chicago h,