The Portland daily press., 1899-03-21

was then the custom for the membars of
the two bodies to act separately. In the
Senate, after six weeks of effort, his
frisnfs came within one vote Of nominal.
ing him; but no nearer, although in the
House his friends out voted his opponents
Al TO 90. So Mr. Hamiin was forced TO
withdraw In favor of James W. Bradbury.
In 1s47 the death of Senator Fairfield
made u vacancy, and Mr.. Hamlin again
came mp. The conditions this time were
much the same, the only difficulty being
In the Senate. Here Mr.. Hamlin finally
won by Just one vote. But 1t was in 1850
that the hardest battle cams. Mr.. Ham,
lin received the Democratic nomination,
but the Hunker wing, who were Iecog
nized by the administration at Washing
ton, bolted and attempted with the aid Of
the Wings to elect man of their faction.
As the Wings were generally anti slavery
this seems strange coalition: but no
stranger than that Of 1851 when the
Hunkers bolted Lot NJ. Mo rrilI, an anti
slav,ry Democrat. and united with the
Wings to elect william Pitt Fessenden,
strong anti slavery Whig. The alition
would have proved too strong for MIR.
Hamlin but for the presence OF two little
bands of Free Sellers, one In the Senate
and the other In the House. In the
House, at the end Of the wearisome dead
lock. on July 60. Mr.. Hamlin finally
mustered 75 out Of $50 votes, one short Of
an election. The necessary vote was pro-
cured by bringing to the hall Representa-
tive Lorin u. Hayes, of Garland. ON his
sick bed. From the bed the winning vote
was given. In the Senate Mr.. Hamlin
had 10 of 90 votes. a majority Of one. One
blank was thrown in this case. In this
connection 1t is interesting to note that
In the Senatorial contest Of 1859 when
Mr.. Hamlin and Senator Morrill, were
rivals for the Republican nomination. the
vote In the legislative caucus stood rs for
Mr.. Hamlin to "A for MIR. Morrill,, and
one blank. The blank did not count, but
created An exciting controversy.
When the Presidential campaign Of 1859
came on Mr.. Hamlin and his mentor,
Thomas II. Benton, made great exertions
to make Levi Woodbury., of New Hamp
shire, the Democratic nominee for the
Presidency. They did this out of love for
the Union and distrust. of the pro-slavery
Democracy In this connection letter
from Benton to Hamlin, describing quail
tiles which q President should havs, Is Of
Interest. Talents, he thought. were not
necessary, or even desirable, but moral
qualities with common sense and COM
mon Judgment were the great require
ments And in addition to being sound
himself he must have sound associates, as
every President must be more or less In
the hands of his friends. The death of
Woodbury. disappointed the hopes Of his
friends, and left the field to Franklin
Pierce.
Pierce was the tool of the South and at
her command used the oorruptiug infn-
enos of federal patronage to bring doub :
ing mem bers of the House and Senate to
vote for the repeal Of the Missouri Com
promise The use Of offices by the execu.
tive to influence the Legislators was not
an invention of the Pierce administration
Sir Robert Walpole, who was master in
the art, had such transactions In mind
when he said GAN these men have their
prices. Nor was Pierce's administration
the last one to use offices in this way. But
it Is very rare that the transaction te-
comes public except by inference. But in
this case we have tine authority of the
biographer that Caleb Gushing. of Massa-
ohusetts, as the agent of the President,
offered to Mr.. Hamlin the federal patron
age of New England IL he would support
the administration policy. MIR Aamlin
Indignantly repulsed the bride, and broke
of relations with the President.
His next step was to leave the party
and the Senate, return to Maine, and as
candidate of the Republican party for
Governor, tear the State from its old
Democratic moorings.
This great climax of MIR. Hamlin's
career as a Democrat came after twenty
years of Congress. 1t might have seemed
in reality only the beginning of another
career of twenty years, SO famous that
they have to q large extent obscured In
the minds of this generation the earlier
period.
The latter portion of MIR. Hamlin's ser.
vices, his relations with Lincoln, John
son, Grant and Blaine form an in terest-
ing but less novel theme They are treat
ed fully, with many evidences of careful
research.
As whole the work supplies an inval.
liable fund of information concerning the
notifies of Maine in the interesting period
Of the anti-slavery agitation. The clergy
man at Paris Hill in the days of Mr.
Hamlin's youth gave his children rum,
and told people that it must be good for
them because it made their eyes SHINE.
But the revolution III ideas marked by "a
comparison of that clergyman with the
modern Maine clergyman, is hardly great
er than the revolution wrought in less
time In the ideas of Maine people con-
corning slavery. OF that revolution in
ideas Mr.. Hanlin was strong and lead
ing figure; and in the narrative his biog.