624 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



hetonsidered himself as particularly commissioned, 

 by printing and publishing a proclamation in which, 

 referring to the election to take place next day, he 

 invited all the truly loyal to avail themselves of that 

 opportunity and establish their loyalty " by giving a 

 full and ardent support to the whole Government 

 ticket upon the platform adopted by the Union 

 League Convention," declaring that "none other is 

 recognized by the Federal authorities as loyal or 

 worthy of support of any one who desires the peace 

 and restoration of the Union." 



To secure the election of that ticket seemed to be 

 the business to which he and his officers especially 

 devoted themselves throughout the day of election. 

 In the statements and certificates which have been 

 forwarded to me from different counties in that Con- 

 gressional District, I have been furnished, I presume, 

 with an account of part only of the outrages to which 

 their citizens were subjected. The "Government 

 ticket " above referred to was in several, if not all 

 of those counties, designated by its color; it was a 

 yellow ticket, and armed with that, a voter could 

 safely run the gauntlet of the sabres and carbines 

 that guarded the entrance to the polls, and known 

 sympathizers with the rebellion were, as certified to 

 me, allowed to vote unquestioned, if they would vote 

 that ticket, whilst loyal and respected citizens ready 

 to take the oath, were turned back by the officer in 

 charge without even allowing them to approach the 

 polls. 



In one district, as appears by certificate from the 

 Judge, the military officer took his stand at the polls 

 before they were opened, declaring that none but 

 "the yellow ticket" should be voted, and excluded 

 all others throughout the day. In another district 

 a similar officer caused every ballot offered to be ex- 

 amined, and unless it was the favored one, the voter 

 was required to take the oath and not otherwise ; 

 and in another again, after one vote only had been 

 given, the polls were closed, the Judges all arrested 

 and sent out of the county, and military occupation 

 taken of the town. 



But I will not detain you with a recapitulation of 

 all the abuses that these statements disclose. I have 

 caused copies of them to be transmitted to you, and 

 they cannot fail to arrest your attention. They pre- 

 sent a humiliating record, such as I had never sup- 

 posed we should DC called upon to read in any State, 

 still less in a loyal one like this. Unless it be indeed 

 a fallacy to suppose that any rights whatever remain 

 to such a State, or that any line whatever marks the 

 limit of Federal power, a bolder stride across that 

 line that power never made even in a Rebel State 

 than it did here on the third of last November. 



A part of the army which a generous people had 

 supplied for a very different purpose, was on that 

 day engaged in stifling the freedom of election in a 

 faithful State, intimidating its sworn officers, vio- 

 lating the constitutional nghts of its loyal citizens, 

 and obstructing the usual channels of communica- 

 tion between them and their Executive. 



MASSACHUSETTS. The State Legisla- 

 ture convened at Boston, in January, 1863, 

 and organized by the choice of Jonathan" 

 E. Field as president of the Senate, and 

 Alexander E. Bullock as speaker of the House 

 of Representatives, both persons being mem- 

 bers of the Republican or Union party. John 

 A. Andrew was again inaugurated Gover- 

 nor, having filled the office during the two 

 previous years, and in his message delivered to 

 both houses, announced that the receipts (or- 

 dinary) for the past year had amounted to 

 $2,947,732.48, and the disbursements (ordi- 

 nary) to $1,683,390.93 ; the receipts (extra- 

 ordinary) to $7,830,269.77, and the disburse- 



ments (extraordinary) to $6,397,757.40. The 

 resources of the State on January 1st, 1863, 

 consisting of real estate, bonds, mortgages, 

 railroad stocks, school funds, claims against 

 the United States, etc., amounted to $18,011,- 

 010.05, and the liabilities, consisting of scrip 

 issued on various accounts, to $11,129,578.71, 

 leaving a surplus of resources of $6,881,431.71. 



Financial statements to January 1st, 1864, 

 show that, during the year 1863, the receipts 

 of the State Treasury were $7,229,823.18, in- 

 cluding a State tax of $2,392,344.00, and a 

 bounty tax of $3,324,274.74 ; while the dis- 

 bursements amounted to $6,728,597.70, of 

 which $5,116,032.19 came under the head of 

 State aid in enlistments and reimbursements of 

 bounties paid by cities and towns, leaving a 

 surplus of $501,224.48 in the hands of the 

 treasurer. 



The Legislature adjourned on April 29th, 

 having passed about 350 bills. Among the ex- 

 penditures provided for were, $1,000,000 for 

 coast defences and $500,000 for the purchase 

 of arms, beside about $5,500,000 for expenses 

 connected with the war. The following reso- 

 lutions reported by the Committee on Federal 

 Eelations were also adopted : 



Resolved, That Massachusetts reaffirms her loyalty 

 to the Constitution and to the Union of the United 

 States of America, to the General Government, its of- 

 ficers and magistrate, and to all the laws, acts, and 

 proclamations by which the Government aims to pre- 

 serve the national authority; and pledges to the 

 maintenance of the same all her moral and material 

 resources. 



Resolved, Since it is the main and vital object of our 

 national organization " to promote the general welfare 

 and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our 

 posterity," that she cordially recognizes the policy, the 

 justice, and the necessity of the ultimate extinction of 

 all those forms of tyranny and vassalage which have 

 hitherto marred our national unity and power ; and 

 that she countenances, approves, and will ever main- 

 tain all lawful acts of the constituted authorities which 

 recognize and contemplate this end. 



Resolved, That she tenders to the President, and to 

 the officers and men of our national forces, her pro- 

 found thanks for their untiring efforts in the cause 

 of our country, which, being one with the cause of 

 universal freedom and humanity, is destined, under 

 God, and through our unflinching loyalty, to be 

 crowned with success. 



The Democratic State Convention met at 

 "Worcester, on September 3d, to nominate can- 

 didates for State officers and four delegates to 

 the National Convention to be held in 1864. 

 The following nominations were made: Gov- 

 ernor, Henry "W. Paine ; Lieutenant-Governor, 

 Thomas T. Plunkett ; Secretary of State, F. O. 

 Prince ; Treasurer, Nathan Clark ; Attorney- 

 General, Theodore H. Sweetster ; delegates to 

 the National Convention, Josiah G. Abbott, 

 E. D. Beach, Isaac Davis, and James D. 

 Thompson. 



The following resolution, alleged to be sub- 

 stantially the same adopted by Congress at the 

 extra session of 1861, was offered, but after 

 some debate was laid on the table : 



Resolved^ 

 bccu forced 



, That the present deplorable civil war has 

 :d upon the country by the disunionists of 



