The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-17
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Maine Politics in 1854.


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Maine Politics in 1854.
The Election Of Hon. VIM. Pitt Fessendeu
to the United States Senate-Row it was
Accomplished.
The election of the Hon. William Pitt Fes-
sender TO the U. s. Senate in 1854, was an
important epoch in the political history of
Maine. Many of the men in our own State
who figured largely upon the political stage
OF that day, are gone TO that bourne from
which no traveller returns" As the history
of the events attending Mr.. Fessenden's first
election to the Senate has never been fully
written | have thought brief reference to
some of the incidents which at that time
come under my own personal observation
might be interesting to your readers, espec-
Tally 10 those who thirty years ago partici-
pated in the stirring political scenes of that
day, and who still live,-"To shoulder their
crntch and tell how fields were won.''
Preliminary to this, however, in order
that your readers may have correct under
standing, of the political situation of that
day, and of the relations of the political par
ties to each other. [ will briefly give to the
State election of the fall of 1858 passing no.
tice-confining myself to the election for
Governor and members of Che Legislature.
In the Maine State election of 1853 there
were four parties in the field, and four car
didates for Governor. Albert Pillsbury.
Democrat, received 36,3S6 votes William
G. Crosby, Wing, 27,061, Arson P. Morrill,,
Independent Democrat II ,C27, and Ezekiel
Holmes, Free Soil, s,996. No one Of these
candidates received majority of the votes
cast, consequently there was no choice of
Governor by the people. The law then re-
quired majority vote, in the election of
Senators, and the multiplicity of parties and
party candidates prevented an election in
several Of the Senatorial Districts. OF the
Senators elected, the Democrats had a bare
majority which gave them the organization
of nat body before the vacancies were filed.
In the House neither party had majority.
81.
as they were then called, had ten members,
the Free Sellers eight, and the remainder
were divided up between the Old Democrat
ic and Wing parties, the former having the
larger number, but not majority of the
whole. The Morrill, Democrats held the
balance OF power between the two old par
ties, and consequently had the organization
of the House in their own hands. The Greg
ulars," understanding this, suddenly left off
abusing the "bolters," laid down the parry
whip they had dourished over their heads
during che heated contest, out of which they
had emerged, proposed peace on the basis of
Democratic organization of the House.
giving Quid pro quo, in the division of the
offices. But these independents prompt
ly refused to entertain any propositions of
the kind from their old party friends, in
forming them they had left the old Demo-
cratic party to stay-untl it was radically
reformed
The result was an organization of the
House by The election of Hon. Noah Smith,
Jr., (Whig, Speaker, and the writer of this
article (Morri'l Democracy Clerk, each re-
ceiving the entire vote of the Wing, Morrill,
Democrat and Free Soil parties in the House.
The vacancies in the Senate had to be
filed by the constitutional method, that is
by electing one from the two highest candi-
dates voted for by the people, and following
the same rule where there were two or more
vacancies. A majority of these vacancies
were filled by men friendly to reorganiza-
ton of parties-as indicated by the action of
the House.
From the highest four candidates voted
for by the people, the House sent 10 the Sem
ate VIM. G. Crosby, Wing, and Arson p
Morrill,, Independent Democrat.
The Senate elected Crosby Governor over
Morrill, by one majority-the Democrats in
that body, 10 mar, voting with the straight
Wings for Crosby. The Wing Senator who
held the casting vote between these two con-
stitutional candidates had, up to the time of
the election. expressed determination to
vote for Morrill,, but at the last moment was
over-persuaded by his political friends to
cast his vote for Crosby. The Independent
Democratic party,-consisting of Henry P.
Torsey of Readield, Hiram Ruggles of Car
mel, Job Prince of Turner and Hiram Hub
bard of Paris, from the Senate, and George
Libby of Westbrook, Ephraim Legrow Of
Windham, Albert Sanborn of Baldwin, Lew
is Bisbee of Sumner, Benjamin Tobin of
Hartford, Joseph Baker of Orrington, ANA
sa K. Walker of Hampden, Greenleaf Wing
of Levant, Joseph w. Knowlton of Liberty,
George S. Pitcher of Northport and Calvin
81. Whitney Of Newburg, of the House,
were greatly disappointed at the defeat of
Morrill,, which they attributed to the bad
faith of some of the Wings. with whom they
had been cooperating up to this time.
The previous Legislature had failed to
elect q. S. Senator to succeed James W.
Bradbury, whose term expired in 1858. Of
course the duty devolyed on the Legislature
OF 1854. The Democrats nominated Lot M.
Morrill,, then member of the House from
Augusta, and the Wings placed In nomina-
ton William Pitt Fessenden, also member
of the House, from Portland The Free Soil
members, led off by Henry K Baker of Hal
lowell and Theophilus Gushing of Frankfort,
were satisfied to vote for Mr.. Fessenden,
The House and Senate, at that time, under
the law had negative, each upon the other.
and in neither branch could either party
elect Without the votes of the Independent
Dnmocrats Then hold fLo hyJ1,, M IF ~ ,a,o.