Speech of Benjamin Barstow, of Salem; On the Abolition Propensities of Caleb Cushing. Delivered at the Massachusetts National Democratic (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SPEECH. The National Democratic State Convention for Massachusetts met at Boston, at the Tre- niont. Temple, September 22d, 1853. After the organization and the choice of Committees, Mr. Benjamin Bah Stow of Salem rose to make a personal explanation, requesting the indulgence of the Convention therefor. The President decided that leave must be requested of the Convention, and, on motion, Mr. Barstow was allowed to proceed. He spoke as follows: Mr. President and Gentlemen: ?I rise to a personal question, to make an explanation, and, as it may occupy some time, I ask your indulgence. I have been informed that I have been denounced to different members of the State Committee, and the National Democratic party of Massachusetts, for opinions which I saw fit to express during the early part of March last, in reference to the Hon. Caleb Gushing, while I was on a visit to Washington; and it has been stated that the State Committee and the whole party should be held responsible for what I said. Under these circumstances, feeling that I may have involved you and those you represent, I feel bound to state to you what I did say, and to give you my reasons for doing so Upon the announcement that the Hon. Ca leb Gushing was to be a member of the Cabinet, feeling indignant that the National Democracy of New England should be so misrepresented as it would be by one whose career for the greater part of his life has been in the Whig party, and whom I believe at the present time to be as much a Whig as ever, I accused him openly of being such, and also what is equally well known in Massachusetts, ? of being a Coalitionist. For this, it seems, I incurred the wrath of that gentleman, and members of the State Committee were told by him that unless they stopped " that beardless ...