The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-11

elsewhere, and finally decided on the
whole that he would not undertake the
canvass, and returned to Washington,
leaving it upon me as his friend and
co-worlzer to make such statements IN
the press regarding him aud his worth
mess for the high office Of governor as
in my judgment it seemed best. He re.
turned to Washington on the first or
May, 1882, and wrote me this letter:
FINDS HIMSELF FAMOUS.
washington, May 1, 1882.
Dear Bates;
l have Just received and read your
long and interesting letter, and can
assure you that l was surprised THURS
day morning upon awakening, to ma
myself famous.
/ could not alone have got so many
notices in the newspapers in ten
years.
Let me once for all thank you for
your great and most generous kind
ness in all this matter With great
personal interests involvedrI have not
seen any act of yours influenced by
these interests, but all Of them by
friendly consideration for me.
Write me about the chances between
Grape and Bishop. Grape is not sure
feels that my withdrawal has given
Bishop a boom. We are voting now
on fixing a time for his bank bill; if
that passes it will give him boom.
Robinson favors you as my successor.
l am we'll. Write as often as you
can.
Rice.
In another letter from him, written
sfter my service in the legislature, in
which many things were spoken Of
which l will not here mention, he says:
Now let me most heartily congra-
tulate you on your great success this
winter You did what I wanted you
TO do and what I confidently expected
You would do. You have earned high
place in the state and free entire to
the front rank of its representative
men. Whenever you give me the word
shall be happy to make way.
Truly yours,
wv. w. Rice"
Mr.. Rice continued in congress and
was renominated that year and again
in 1884, as per the letter you have
heard read for Mr.. Stone.
1 speak of these things and have read
these letters to illustrate the appreci-
alton exhibited by my friend Rice for
the services that / had rendered him.
and l speak of it, fellow-citizens, that
] may give you his version and his
belief in my worthiness and his eX-
pectation that his friends would join
him in the endorsement Of my candi-
dacy. I had been very good republi-
can and in very good standing all
these years; had done the work faith
fully as any man In the party and
asked for but few favors.
SERVED WITH WALKER.
In 1878 I was elected to the legisla-
ture from the North Brookf1eld and
II. Walker was a member Of the same
legislature. We were members of the
same celebrated retrenchment commit
tee looking to the cutting down of eX
penses, under that most noble and ex
cellent governor, Thomas Talbot. |
had nothing whatever, and have moth
Ing whatever personally against Mr.
Walker. He was faithful worker in
the legislature and in our committee
especially he did excellent service.
The next year I could not run. 1 did
not care to. My partner was sick and
obliged to go to Europe with his physi-
clan for his health, to be gone perhaps
a year But one of the pleasantest in
cidents in my life occurred, for which
I shall ever feel very grateful We had
a district called a double district, with
five towns and two representatives.
1t was the privilege Of Brookfield and
Sturbridge to nominate in 1879.
The republicans, in caucus assem-
bie1. one of the largest ever held In
Sturbridge, elected Mr.. Bates OF North
BroolSfield as its choice for representa-
tive, a thing that never happened bez
fore, never has happened since. The
republicans Of the town of old Brook
field, not knowing what action had
been taken or was to be taken in Stur-
bridge, bestowed the same compliment
upon me, and by unanimous vote in
large caucus in old Brookfeld with a
dozen men in the town DESTROYS of rep
resenting it in the legislature, they
conferred the high honor on me of ask
ing me to go a second time and repre-
sent old Brookheld. 1t was impossible
for me to 90 SO, as l had stated.
In 1882, the year Gen. Butler ran for
governor the year that our beloved
townsman Senator Hoar's term ex-
PRED and he was UP for reelection, /
was induced to become a candidate FOR
the senate from North Brookheld,
Barre, Athol Winchendon and the
Gardner district, and was elected.
REPUBLICAN DISASTER.
You all remember that famous cam
paign which resulted in the election OF
Cen Butler OF this commonwealth,
which resulted in the defeat of a great
many candidates for the house and the
senate, Our highly-esteemed fellow
oft ~, It11 Tlexx
signed from the superior court but a
few months previously, and was then
solicitor of our largest corporation, the
Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Co
He was president of the Norwich and
Worcester Railroad, he was president
of the Mechanics National Bank, man
Very highly esteemed in this commu-
nifty, and no one had any doubt of his
election, but we cannot tell what may
happen at the ballot box and Charles
b. Pratt was elected senator instead
of our friend, Judge Dewey.
One of the other Worcester county
districts also was lost and 1t seemed
to devolVe upon me to take charge Of
the canvass for the reelection Of Sem
ator Hoar, and you all remember with
what intense interest that was followed
by the people of this entire common
wealth. 1t was then fully believed that
by some legerdermain with the differ
ences that existed on the part OF some
republicans regarding General Butler,
there was great danger of Sem
ator Boar's defeat, and there was.
1 remember the first votes taken in
the senate for United States senator,
and it resulted. in the combination Of a
few democrats and some republicans,
in % votes for John d. Long and only
10 for Senator Hoar and we went into
Joint convention with that unfavorable
condition confronting US, and day af-
ter day the contest wagsd as warm as
any have ever seen politically. We
succeeded in holding our men In line
and went round by round up the ladder
until finally the 70 Votes held for w.