Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-05-01
New Hampshire Politics.

the Boston Globe, writes to that pc.
per from Concord under date Of
April Goth
The assembling of tho New
| Hampshire Legislature Is looked
forward to with an unusual degree
OF interest. One can hardly take
up y State paper that does not con-
! tain a leading article upon the sub
ect, while, At the hotels, the stores
and Offices. 1t IL the chief item Of
conversation, engrossing the atten'
ton of all, that it may DO more fully
understood why so much interest is
taken in the assembling of the Gen
eral Court, l will state briefly the
Political situation, IA seen from this
stand point. Full returns from oil
the cities, towus and places in the
State, have been received, showing
that the House. or lower branch Of
tho Legislature, will be composed
of 1913 members. This includes two
Democrats elected from Harris L0.
cation, u place In the uppermost
parts OfUarroll County, casting only
thirty one votes ut the last election.
OF tho 1913 members elected, 191 are
claimed by the Republicans, 1872 by
the Democrats, making, according
to these figures, a solid majority OF
nine for the former, which will give
them the organization Of the House.
As there is no choice of Governor OH
the popular vote, and the Senate
stands five and five, leaving two va.
cancies to be filled on joint ballot of
the Senate and House, it will at
once be seen that tho party that
controls the House holds the key of
the political situation.
1t has for some time been rumOr.
ed that the Democrats were to make
a desperate effort to capture the
Legislature in June. BY what
means they hope to overcome the
Republican majority of nine was not
stated; but it was understood that
it was to DO by keeping off the rolls
q sufficient number OF Republicans
to enable the Democrats to organ
ize, elect their Governor and 6ll the
vacancies in the Senate. s'uch q
course would be in direct viola ton
OF the Constitution and tho law,
even if, as they claim, that majority
was illegally elected. The fact that
nearly all of the leading Democrat
ic papers in the State have persist
emily refused to acknowledge, edit0-
rally, a Republican IN ajority in the
House; the frequent visits Of late Of
the Hon. Harry Bingham, his mid
night interviews with prominent
Concord editor, who has the manip-
uIation of the wires for Judge Rob.
erts, would seem, perhaps, to give
color to the report. The power to
accomplish such an outrage is to be
found in the fact that the Demo.
cratic officers will supervise the
preliminary organization through
the Clerk Of last year. 1t would
seem almost incredible that any
member Of that party, who has any
influence, or whose Judgment or
opinions are Of any value whatever,
should mediate such course. The
rumor may be only valuable as a
political straw, showing the spirit
and temper Of few malcontents in
the Democratic party.
The New Hampshire Legislature,
with the exception of the United
States House Of Representatives, is
the largest legislative body in the
Union. To manage SO large a |
body requires rare powers and abil. !
tiles, especially as very few of the !
members have any conception of !
parliamentary law, or the customs |
and usages of legislative assem-.
blies. The Speakership is there.
fore, no sinecure. Among the
more prominent names mentioned !
ia connection with this Office is !
that of o. G. Moore of the Nashua
Telegraph, formerly Chairman of
,he Republican State Committee.
Only four other names have, as
yet, been mentioned III connection
With the Office. They are the Hon.
n. G. Ordway of Warner, the Hon.
Levi W. Barton OF Newport, the
Hon. John Y. Mugridge Of Concord
md the Hon. Charles P. SaubOrn
If Concord.
The reports that the vote for
Matt Head, the Republican
for State Senator in the
Second District, will be thrown
,ut. owing to his Christian name
icing spelled "Natt" instead of Ma.
,haniel on the ballots used, and
hat John Proctor of Andover,
Democratic nominee in the Fourth
District, is elected over George E.
Todd, Republican, because A.
)eering, the Prohibition candidate,
vh0 received ninety votes, has not
esided in the State long enough to
make him eligible to the office,
eem little premature, to say the
east. General Head informs your
correspondent that he had never
igned his name TO any document,
ficial or otherwise, as "Nathan-
ell" but had always signed it
Matt" The Governor and Council
ave nothing to do as regards the
onstitutionality of the election,
heir duty being simply to examine
be returned copies Of the records as
by the Clerks of the towns ,
nd fourteen days before the first
Wednesday, in June, the Governor
hall issna his I,otica t0 such nor