Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-27

umphant victory shall reward our ex-
ertions''
This final victory over slavery was
achieved after the election of the first
republican president, Abraham Lincoln,
whose proclamation of emancipation
was the crowning sequence of the great
movement for liberty of which the
walls of the old city hall in Worcester
bear eloquent witness of the beginning.
The great free soil mass state con-
vention of 1S4S met according to the
call of the committee Of arrangements
above spoken Of, at the city hall in Wor-
cester, June 2S, at 10 a. an. 1t was
styled peoples mass convention of all
! opposed to the nominations of Taylor
and Cass. Fhe Spy, in its report of it,
speaks of it as the greatest outpouring
of the people and most enthusiastic con-
vention ever brought together in the
state, on political occasion, where
there was no existing organization
through the agency of which it was pro-
cured They came together without
party drill or machinery, to give vent
to their irrepressible emotions, to pro-
, claim their opposition to the encroacG1-
ments of slavery, and to proclaim their
allegiance to the principles of liberty
which had been so ruthlessly violated
by the slave powers. The report is
headed, in big letters, give thousand
freemen in council, from different sec
tions Of the state and nation, who had
| spoken in a voice not to be mistaken,
and taken a stand never to be receded
from, till the last battle is fought and
the victory won for liberty and right"
The great convention was called to or.
der by Col. Alexander Dewitt of OK
/ ford. Hon. S. #. Lyman of Northamp-
! ton was chosen temporary chairman,
and a committee consisting of Edward
l.. Keyes of Dedham, j. S. Eldridge of
Boston, William Bassett of Lynn, H. G..
Blaisdell of Lowell j. w. Brown of
Framingham, Augustus Tucker of Wor-
cester, William H. Stoddard of North
ampton and John H Morse of Shell
/ burne, chosen for the purpose, reported
| the following list of permanent officers
1 of the convention:
| President, Hon. Samuel Hoar of Con-
cord; vice president, Hon, Alanson
Hamilton Of West Brookfield, Joseph L.
! Richardson of Midway, DIR. S. G. Howe
of Boston, Hon. John Wells of Chicopee,
Joseph Stevens of Warwick and Richard
1 P. Waters of Salem; secretaries, William
/ S. Robinson of Lowell, William A. Wal
lace of Worcester, Allen Shepard of
Ashland and William A, Arnold of
Northampton.
These names of the officers of the
convention are given to show its size
and Importance, and the character and
| standing of the members.
After prayer by Rev. George. p. Smith,
pastor of the Old South Church, the
| president, Hon. Samuel Hoar, made an
eloquent address. When his name was
! first mentioned in connection with the
fact that as the representative of Mass
achusettS he was driven out of South
! Carolina, he was received with thunders
of applause. This was not the present
Samuel Hoar, but his grandfather, the
father of our distinguished United
| States senator, Hon. George F. Hoar.
On motion of Hon. Stephen G. Phillips
of Salem, a committee, consisting of Mr..
Phillips and Hon. Erastus Hopkins of
I Northampton, Hon. d. w. Alvord of
| Greenfield, NJ. NJ. Fisher of Midway,
Allen Bangs of Springfield, Hon. Will
| liam B. Spooner of Boston, John Milton
Earle of Worcester and Hon. E. r.
Hoar of Concord, was chosen to draft
an address to the people and series of
resolutions, which they did.
On motion of S. F. Lyman of North
| ampton, he and Alexander Dewitt of
/ Oxford, E. r. Hoar of Concord, F. w
Bird of Walpole, Albert Tolman of Wor-
cester and Ebenezer Iamson of Shell
burne were chosen a committee to nom-
mate state central committee.
| ]. S. Eldridge of Boston read a letter
from mass meeting in Philadelphia,
! addressed to the convention, co-operat-
| ing with it, and expressing the utmost
| enthusiasm and confidence in the final
triumph of the great revolution for lib
erty now spreading over the length and
breadth of the land"
Before the convention had proceeded
very far in its proceedings, it was found
that the City Hall was not large enough
to accommodate all, Notwithstanding ii
was crowded to its utmost capacity, and
an adjournment was made to the old
common on the easterly side of the hall,
where the remainder of the forenoon
session was held, and the afternoon ses-
sion in then beautiful grove, called
! Hospital Grove, on the southerly slope
of what is now Normal hill, where
| fourth of July and other celebrations
used to be held in those days. The clos
/ ing session of the convention, in the
/ evening, was held at the City Hall At
I all these places eloquent speeches were
made by distinguished friends of the
Pcause, delegates and others from differ
ent sections of the state and nation
Eloquent addresses were made in the
forenoon on the old common by Hon
Charles Allen and Gen. Henry Wilson,
who were received with vociferous ap-
plause as they told the story of their
mission to Philadelphia, also by Charles
Sumner of Boston, Abraham Paine of
| Rhode Island, j. c. Woodman of Maine
! AfldSd walker Oh sNOfll brOOkne1Q,
| Joshua LeaVitt of Boston and others
and Mr., Sumner read a letter from j,
| R. Williams of Michigan, a delegate to
Philadelphia, maintaining the position
taken by Allen and Wilson. AT the after
noon session there were addresses by
\ Hon. Lewis D. Campbell of Ohio an
other delegate to Philadelphia, Joshua
r. Giddings, the great war horse of anti
slavery in congress, ]. c. Lovejoy of
A a
the son of President John Quincy Adams
and grandson of President John Adams
e. r. Hoar of Concord and Others The
Spy, in its report of the speeches, says:
| "They were impressively eloquent, and
carried the minds of the auditors back
to the accounts we have of the stormy
appeals made to the people in the days
preceding the revolution, by the Adams
! es, the Otises, the Warrens and the
Quincys, like them laying down the
principles of liberty, and applying them
to existing circumstances with great ef-
feet
Stephen C. Phillips of Salem, from the
committee on address and resolutions,
made his report, which was a powerful
vindication of the rights of the north,
and was listened to with intense inter-
est and effect.
The state central committee chosen to
have charge of campaign work, were:
Charles Francis Adams Of Boston, Geo.
Newcomb of Quincy S. F. Lyman of
Northampton, DR.. Caleb Swan of Eas-
ton, Allen Bangs of Springfield, Henry
Wilson of Natick E. L. Keyes of Ded-
ham, NJ NJ Fisher and John p. Jones of
Midway George Minot of Reading,
William Bassett of Lynn, Freeman Wal
ker of North Brookfield, Alexander De
Witt of oxford, Henry T. Parker of
Boston.
Delegates-at-large were chosen to the