NEW YORK LEGISLATURE. 241 



speaker, and it is probably to aid in this conception that 

 the weights of their representatives are taken and circu 

 lated among- them. 



The government of the State in 1850 was Whig,* but 

 parties were very equally divided, and the democrats had 

 a majority of only one in the Assembly. Every party 

 question, therefore, was a new occasion for a struggle. 

 In regard to minor points, victory was sometimes by 

 finesse persuaded to alight on the standard of the mino 

 rity, as when, upon a Monday morning, it was perceived 

 that a few of the democrats, thinking all was safe till the 

 Tuesday, had not come up from home, the Whigs took 

 advantage of their temporary strength to force on and 

 carry a measure, which they would have lost by another 

 day s delay. And, in these annoying circumstances, it was 

 amusing to see the unhappy democrats talking against 

 time till the last train had arrived, and hope no longer re 

 mained of the arrival of their friends. Then at length the 

 claims of dinner were yielded to, and the victory was with 

 the Whigs. To prevent, or to insure such results as 

 this, constant caucuses were held by either party, and the 

 tactics and votes of each day talked over and determined. 



But the question of slavery and especially its intro 

 duction into California and New Mexico was the topic 

 mainly agitated during the first half of the session. Not 

 that either the democrats or the Whigs durst support the 

 views of the southern slave-holders public opinion was 

 so much changed on this question, that every public man 

 was desirous of leading in favour of the free movement, 

 that he might not be thrown out in the race. Each party, 

 on this question, was desirous rather of outbidding the 

 other for popular support, and of making political capital 

 out of it for themselves. This was certainly a very 

 encouraging indication of the real feelings of the majority 



* Which it still is in 1851. 

 VOL. IT. Q 



