Year: 1860

faction at the course pursued by few persons,
in regard 10 a successor to Gov. Banks. A
few men near the governor understood very
well, ten days ago at least, that he would not
be candidate for denomination and the
charge is that they have used this knowledge
unhandsomely, by contriving to have it kept
from the public so as TO allow them to
organize a successful movement to fore
stall effective discussion and force the con-
venton TO nominate some man selected by
themselves. The complaint is that there has
been a very unfair subterranean operation
which should not be suffered TO prosper and
those who make it point to the fact that nego
tiations and stealthy canvassings, having in
view the selection of new candidate for
governor from the western part OF the state,
have been going on for nearly a fortnight.


1t was deemed expedient by those engaged
in this movement to find the new candidate in
the county of Berkshire, although not one of
them resides in that county and they have
been anxious to press the nomination upon
gentleman who does not seek it, nor desire il,
we believe,-one who now occupies another
very important post of usefulness, where he is
winning an enviabe reputation. 1t was not
personal regard for anybody in Berkshire
county, but rather, desire to ignore central
Massachusetts, and also perception of the
fact that John A. Andrew was the only man
that could be brought forward successfully in
the eastern part of the state, that sent these
gentlemen out west after a candidate. We
know not how extensively this movement has
been organized but we do know that the
knowledge of Gov. Banks intended with
drawal,- that very knowledge which led GER
tain gentlemen to start the movement nearly
two weeks since,-was kept from the public
until last Friday, when it was given to the
world by the Springfield Republican. Then it
was curious to see how the matter was taken
by some of our Boston contemporaries. Their
first articles on the subject all seemed to have
been written by the same hand, or at least to
have been prompted by the same purpose.
They were Surprised" of course, and they
all diated on the claims of the "western
part of the state" with an air of the most in
nocent unconscious ness. The Boston journal
said =


"The western part of the state will doubtless
put strong claim tor the gubernatorial NOM
inatiOn and with much reason, for it has not
furnished an incumbent of the office since the
retirement of Gov. Briggs If the views of
the delegates from the western part of the state
can be harmonized upon candidate, their Sc
lection will undoubtedly have great weight
with the convention"


The Boston Daily Advertiser said


"Mr. John A. Andrews name has been
mentioned, and he will have many strong
supporters if the choice is conceded to the
eastern portion of the state. 1t is so long.
however since the western counties have been
represented in the gubernatorial chair, that we
can hardly expect the shrieks of locality to
be disregarded and may therefore look for
the nomination of some of the good men and
true of whom Berkshire county is so fruitful"


And the Bee, also, has this western fever,
but in milder form, although not so mild as
to prevent the following expression :-"If the
western counties unite upon candidate
worthy TO receive the nomination, we frankly
confess that we do not see how the republicans
of this section can refuse 10 concede it." 1t
is not likely that either of these journals meant
to have its talk of the claims of the "western
part of the state" taken for irony, and we will
not suggest very strongly that they were all
swayed more by the promptings of some
outside influence than by careful memory
of facts but their claim for the western part
of the state is so utterly unwarranted as to be
an absurdity. That part of the state has had
the governor during seven of the last seventeen
years. From 1874 to 1851, the governor of
Massachusetts was Geo. N Briggs of Pitts.
field Then, for two years, we had George
S. Boutwell, of Middlesex county then John
II. Clifford of Bristol county one year, Emory
Washburn of Worcester, one year, Henry j.
Gardner of Boston, three years, and N p.
Banks of Middlesex county, three years.
Western Massachusetts has no claim whatever
to the nomination on the ground of locality"
and the "shrieks of locality" made in that
behalf come from another quarter, and really
mean something very different from what is
said.


We stated on Saturday, that the announce
ment that Gov. Banks would not be a candi-
date for denomination, came too late to be dis.
eussed, or even mentioned, in any of the
weekly papers, before the assembling of the
convention. We have notice of one excep
tion. The announcement appeared in the
Springfield Weekly Republican and. along
with 1t, an article OF some length DISCUSSING
the nomination. Most of the republican
weekly newspapers have gone forth telling
their readers that Gov. Banks will be nomi.
mated by general consent. 1t is very unfortu.
nate that the announcement comes TO most ofus
so late, and still more so that ANYTHING
has been done that seems to give occasion for
the feeling of dissatisfaction to which we have
referred. The matter is vehemently criticised
in private conversations, and we have heard
very stong epitheths applied to it by men
who are usually deliberate and measured
in their expressions of feeling. But, it is more
wholesome everyway to keep cool


Various gentlemen are named as candidates
for the Office Of governor; but there are not
likely to be many votes in the convention for
more than two or three of them. John A..
Andrews friends feel very sure of his nomi
nation, and it seems to us that their confidence
is well founded. In the eastern part of the
state the current of popular feeling seems to
be strongly in his favor, and so it appears to
be here. He has great many active friends
in the western counties. Most of those who
support him do il with great deal Of earnest.
ness Iney do not anticipate defeat, and, in
ou' opmon they are not likely to encounter
~ ior he has been SO generally named as the


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