"John P. Robinson, he
Says he won't vote for Governor B."
The Governor B. was Governor George N. Briggs, with whom Robinson had
a quarrel about the year 1845.
Henry Wilson, afterwards Senator and Vice-President of the United
States, was a member of the House in 1842 and 1843. He had risen to
notice in the campaign of 1840. He was engaged by the Whig Party as
one of its speakers and announced as the "Natick Cobbler."
He had worked in the trade of a shoemaker, and as the shoe interest was
already a large interest in the State, it was a matter of no slight
importance to give distinction to a representative of the craft.
Wilson's family were destitute of culture, and although he had had the
advantage of training at an academy for a year, perhaps, his
attainments were very limited. I recollect papers in his handwriting
in which the rule requiring a sentence to commence with a capital
letter was disregarded uniformly. His style of speaking was heavy and
unattractive. This peculiarity remained to the end. In those days
Wilson was known as an Anti-Slavery Whig. In some respects Wilson's
political career was tortuous, but in all his windings he was true to
the cause of human liberty.
Although I was acquainted with Wilson from 1842 to the time of his
death, I could never so analyze the man as to understand the elements
of the power which he possessed. It may have rested in the
circumstance that he appeared to be important, if not essential, to
every party with which he was identified. His acquaintance was
extensive and it included classes of men with whom many persons in
public life do not associate. He made the acquaintance of all the
reporters and editors and publishers of papers wherever he went. He
frequented saloons and restaurants to ascertain public sentiment. In
political campaigns he was the prophet, foretelling results with
unusual accuracy.
Benjamin F. Thomas of Worcester was a leading man in the Whig Party, a
good speaker, saving only that he appeared to vociferate. He was
afterwards a judge of the Supreme Court of the State and for a single
term he was a member of Congress.
As a lawyer his rank was good, almost eminent, in the State, but his
career in Congress was a failure. He was a member of the Thirty-
seventh Congress, and he failed to realize the issues and to comprehend
the duties of a public man in an hour of peril. In 1862 he abandoned
the Republican Party, and joined himself to a temporary organization in
the State, called the People's Party.
The party disappeared upon its defeat in November, 1862, and Judge
Thomas disappeared from politics.
Mr. Kinnicutt, the Speaker, in 1842, was a gentleman of agreeable
manners, fair presence, and respectable, moderate abilities. He
administered the office with entire fairness. His elevation to the
post of Speaker, then thought to be one of great importance, may have
been due to his residence at Worcester. In those days, as in these,
Worcester was a center of political power and its leading men were able
always to command consideration. When, in 1840, it was an urgency in
party politics to defeat Governor Morton, John Davis, of Worcester,
called "Honest John," was selected as the candidate, although he was
then a member of the United States Senate.
In the sessions of 1843 and 1844, I originated three measures and
introduced bills designed to give legal form to the measures.
1. A bill requiring cashiers of banks and treasurers of all other
corporations to return to the assessors of each city and town the names
of stockholders residing in each such city or town, the shares held by
each and the par value of the shares. The bill was passed. The
holders of stock who had theretofore escaped taxation were enraged, and
a meeting to denounce the measure was held in Boston.
2. A bill to require the mortgagee to pay the tax on mortgaged real
estate. The bill was then defeated, but recently the measure has
become a law.