(AN ADDRESS OF THE MINORITY OF THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION)
"21 GRAMERCY PARK, _January 31, 1894_.
"HON. STEPHEN J. FIELD.
"MY DEAR JUDGE,--The son of Judge Josiah Gardner Abbott,
of Mass., handed me a few days since in Boston a copy of the
proposed address of the minority of the electoral commission of 1877
protesting against the decisions of the majority of that commission.
At the close of this address, or somewhere on it, was the following
endorsement:
"'This address was drawn up at the request of some of the minority
members of the electoral commission, to whom it was submitted and
approved by them. But some doubted the wisdom of publishing the
address at the time, and so it was not signed.
"'(Signed) J. G. ABBOTT.'
"I would like much to know if the Democratic minority concurred in
this protest, and the reasons which decided them or any of them
against its publication. I am expecting to be delivered one of these
days of something about that electoral commission, and, of course, I
would like to speak of this address, if at all, by the book. I would
like, also, to know if you can tell me why Judge Abbott refused to
allow of the publication in his lifetime; if there was any other
reason than that it was never signed.
"I hope you will think these questions will involve matters of
sufficient gravity to warrant me in troubling you for an answer
which no one else that I know can give.
"Yours very truly,
"JOHN BIGELOW."