The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-14
The wild Cat" Convention of
1852.
BY WILLIAM H, SMITH.

Oh q uAO NJbh1 lOoA, bnGFb dSS6mDl6O III buO
city of Portland mass meeting of men who
had bolted the regular nomination OF the
Democratic party. They were called "Wild
Cat" They believed in human slavery and
free rum, two principles that are twins in
every fibre, and have ever produced the same
results upou those who upheld them
The origin of this name grew out of an
attempt on the part of the Democrats in 1910
to save the State for Martin Van Buren,. In
1889 the party had carried the State and re-
elected the Hon. John Fairfield Governor
But in September, 1910. the Harrison fever
swept over the State, and when the vote for
Governor was counted it stood as follows:
Edward Kent (Whig). ....... ....,.45.674
John Fairfield Democrat. ...........4 AS ,507
Scattering Observation-Disclosures. SO
This was pretty close shave, and as the
Democratic Legislature, elected in September,
1899, was 20 hold an extra session in October,
1910, to act upon revision of the statutes, it
was deemed best to tinker the fortunes of The
party and recover in November the vantage
lost in September. Accordingly an act was
introduced to organize for voting purposes
certain unincorporated plantations situated in
the Willis of Maine, which were supposed to
be nearly unit for the party. TIE Wings did
not take kindly to this scheme. They init
were no voters in those precincts, that they
were the abodes of wild cats and other wild
animals AS the act provided that three or
mora voters could organize and vote, the
Wings declared it to be move TO promote
double voting. But in vain were their pro-
testatioDs; the act passed, but failed of the
desired effect. The Wings carried the State
in November and Maine gave her electoral
vote to "Old Tippecanoe." These plantations
are. many OF them, to-day prosperous towns
N dyrnN .
these squatters was Hon. Shepard Gary OF
Houlton. He was in the Legislature of Maine
for years,-a radical, bluff, unscrupulous man,
who frequently disturbed the harmony of
Democratic conventions. He was called Squire
Gary by these voters, and as nearly all of
them were of his way of thinking, he soon
became a leader among them, and they did as
he ordered. He would be called "Boss" Cary
in these days.
In 1849 the Wild Cat ring of The Democratic
party presented to the Democratic State con-
vention the name of the Hon. John Hodgdon
for Governor. The free soil or "Wilmot
Proviso," members were q unit for Hon. John
Hubbard. 1t was one of the hottest contested
battles that has been fought in our politics.
Hodgdon was citizen of Houlton and every
wild cat' in the State was on hand marshall
ed by Cary and Virgil D. Paris of Paris, his
trusty lieutenant. Mr. Hubbard was nomin-
ated From my childhood / knew him and
nob'er man never trod the soil of Maine. He
OF eminence, and a believer in Democracy
that meant something. He was elected, and
one of his acts was the signing of the original
Maine law" This made Gary, Paris and
the Wild Cats generally furious He was re-
nominated in 1850 and reelected. In 1851 by
a change in our constitution there was no
election and he held over. In 1852 in &C
cordance with the usage of the party he was
placed in nomination for third time by
legislative caucns In those days the two old
all 111A 80.
once in three years. The candidate in the in
term was nominated by the legislative
caucus. This was bitterly opposed by Cary
and his allies, who called mass meeting and
nominated Hon. Arson G. Chandler of Calais
for Governor and accomplished Coy. Hub
bard's defeat
Paris was always a disturber in the Demo-
cratic ranks. He aud Gary were well fitted
by habit and education to lead off in such
movement. He was nephew OF old Gov.
Albion Keith Paris, who next to George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson, has had
more Maine infants named after him than any
man in this country. With Cary "Virg." as
he used TO be scalled, had hunted for years.
They parted in 1861, for Cary was Union
man and advocated war measures with as
much ardor as he had In him, and that was no
small quantity. From what L heard Paris
say in the Democratic State convention in
1868, inferred that he was not in love with
any measure that looked like putting down
Lu6 r0U6lllOH. lu6 Judge ruler VINO presided
over this meeting was Edward Fuller of Road
field; the title Of judge was purely compliment
airy. He had diligently applied himself by life
time OF preparation to perform the duty OF pre-
siding over just such a gathering The others
were set of played-out men who have long
since gone into their graves and are forgotten.
Were they alive today, they would make oath
that they never loved slavery aud were in
favor of putting down the rebellion. There
are many of their kind who seem to think
that other men have no memories.
One word about the candidate of this party.
How Judge Chandler came to be found in
such company has always been mystery to me.
His family and Governor Hubbard's were
cal friendship Gen. John Chandler and
DR.. John Hubbard Of Readfeld, the ia
theirs of these gentlemen, were strong support
ers of the old Jeffersonian party and their
sons, when young men, were neighbors. There
was nothing about Judge Chambers life in
harmony with this crowd unless he believed in
slavery, which doubt. He was an able man,
pure in character, and no doubt he regretted
many times afterward the position in which
he was placed that year. He received 81 ,734
votes. There was no choice and the election
went 20 the Legislature. The House sent to
the Senate the names of Governor Hubbard
Two Senators from Oxford county elected as
Democrats betrayed their party and voted for
Crosby. The next year Cary and Paris took
charge of the Democratic party in Maine and
nominated Albert Pilsbury for Governor
This caused a certain convention of different
kind to be held, an account of which will be
given your readers in future number. The
nominees of this meeting for electors were the
regular candidates and had no fellowship