The Portland daily press., 1894-02-26

| In the course of my remarks | may as
we'll say here as at any other time that
| of all the men who have filled the guber-
material chair of Maine since / have had
| any connection with the State govern
ment, as model governor | think John
Fairfield stands in the front ranks. His
bold and fearless arraignment OF ms p.
Graves and his accomplices in the dellb-
erates murder of the lamented Jonathan
Cllley during the 25th Congress. under
the pretense OF the duelist code, gave
him his first nomination for governor.
He had three reflections, and at the
last trial received a plurality OF IA, ITO
votes. He was dignifed, yet easily ap-
preached, man of positive CONVICTIONS,
yet patient in listening to others. HIS
honesty and integrity were above the
breath of suspicion. He carefully ex-
amined all matters of public interest
which came before him, and with scarce
ly an exception his conclusions were
correct and his Judgment sound. In
1913 he was elected to the United States
Senate, and remained member of that
body until his decease in 1S47.
My limited time will prevent any
further illusions to scenes, incidents
and recollections connected with the
Maine House of Representatives, OF
which body was member four years.
SO ] pass to the Maine Senate, of whIch
| was member in 1916 and 1S47. The
legislature then neld their sessions IN
the summer season. In the first OF
these years, 1916, there was one OF the
most exciting, hotly-contested senatorial
elections that ever took place in Name.
The law then required concurrent vote
Of the House and Senate to elect United
States Senator. The d emorats had
large majority of the House and ali but
fof1r 1ars of fhQ natQ The demo-
Gratis of the House by large majority
nominated Hannibal Hamlin, and the
same party in the Senate nominated
Hugh j. Anderson by bare majority.
The contest lasted all summer. the
House electing Hamlin, and the Senate
electing their regular nominee, or some
other person, and at every trial not Gce
nominee of the House. The defeat OF
Mr.. Hamlin by the Senate of that legls-
lature was the result Of
One of the Most Corrupt Bargains
that ever disgraced any Iegisla1ure-the
details of which are not proper for the
present occasion. Thus the fight went on
until only few days before the close OF
the session, when Mr.. Hamlin requested
his friends to withdraw his name, which
they did, and then united in presenting
the name OF Hon. James w Bradbury, an
honored ex-President of this society,
who was at the first trial elected by
concurrent vote of both branches.
1t may be in bad taste, but | beg leave
to say that some of the Senators who OPP
posed Mr.. Ramlin upon their return TO
betrayed constituency were met, not py
shouts of applause or bands OF music"
but invited to political graves, which
knew no resurrection.
The year of our Lord 1858 was bad
year for stereotyped politicians. Inc
men who-to use the language OF dis
tinguished statesman, would vote Tor
his Satanic majesty if regularly noml-
nated.n found themselves in trouble.
From 1858 to 1855 was complete
breaking up of the two leading political
parties in Maine. At the fail election
of 1858 over IL 900 Democrats wheeled
out of the ranks of what was called the
REGULAR Democratic party, and voted
for Arson P. Morrill, for governor. This
bolt resulted in no choice OF governor
by the people The legislature elected
that wear at it's regular session in 1854
witnessed bolt in the other wing OF the
Democratic parry in which seven Demo
Gratis in the Senate voted for VIM. u.
Crosby, the Wing candidate for governor,
and by ther votes elected him. Another
shaking up of old party lines occurred
in the election of VIM. Pitt Fessenden,
the Wing candidate, to the United States
Senate, although that party was in the
minority in both branches of the legls-
lature. .
At the next State election the Republi-
can party, fresh and strong, came into
the field and led all other parties-re-
ceiving a., 565 votes for it's candidate
for governor, the Democratic candlaaue
receiving %, 1862 votes, with forlorn
hope led by Shepard Cary, the special
friend of the liquorss interests, who re-
ceived 3,478 votes, while the straight
Wing candidate went down
from 27,O61 voUes the previous
year TO only $4,000 votes. Ihls
political revolution produced some grand
results. First. 1t sent to the United
States Senate one of the ablest and pur-
est statesmen that ever graced that body
Il mean Hon. VIM. Pitt Fessenden. In
Justice to alI-both the living and the
dead-it should here be SAID that Two
mem bers of the Senate aud eight mem
bers in the House, who held the balance
of power between the two candidates IN
each branch and who had always, up 10
that time voted and acted with the
Democratic party. voted for Mr.. Fessen-
den and against the most unobjection-
able candidate that the Democratic
marty could present in the person OF
Hon. Lot NJ Morrill,. Second. 1t, placed
that grand old Roman, AHSOu L. AIOrrill,
in the gubernatorial chair the next sue
ceedipg year. and third, it organized a
party that was loyal to the Union and
true to the old flag through the terrible
ordeal of the war of the rebellion from
1861 to 1865.
AS | pass to some recollections of my
Congressional life. feeling of sadness
comes over me when I remember that
ali of my colleagues from this State both
in the 34th and 36th Congresses have gone
over to the great hereafter. John M.
Wood, Eben Knowlton, Samuel P. Ben
son, Israel Washburn, Jr., and 7. AID.
Fuller, of the first named; and Ezra B.
French. Daniel E.Somers, Freeman H.
Morse, Israel Washburn, Stephen G. Fos-
ter aud Stephen Coburn. of the Both no
longer respond to the roll call of ex-
mem hers of the National House. The
men, 100, who occupied seats in the Sen
ate, while l was member of the House
-Hamlin, Fessenden, Morrill, and
Nourse-have,all gone to the spirit land.
/ think there are only two men in Con-
gress now who entered at the time that l
did in 1S55-John Sherman of Ohio and
Justin S. Morrill, of Vermont. Both of
these men have had continuous service
as mem bers of the House or Senate, with
the exception of four years that Sher-
l..