154 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
Between October 10, 1828,. and November 4, 1828,—tbe date 
of tbe election, tbe committees began tbe publishing of tbe Anti- 
Auctioneer, a newspaper, devoted to tbeir interests and through, 
its columns they pointed out the baneful effects of the connection 
of auctions and tbe banking monopoly, and justified tbeir turn¬ 
ing away from tbe old parties whose candidates bad refused to 
declare against auctions. 31 They appealed to all classes to sup¬ 
port tbeir candidates. The “Mechanics and Oartmen of New 
York;” 32 “The Mechanics;” 33 “The Weavers,” 34 and “The 
Book-sellers, Printers and Book-binders 35 were addressed in 
particular. 
A surprising unanimity of feeling existed against auctions. 
Manufacturers,, merchants, and mechanics worked side by side. 36 
However, there were some who looked upon the system as a 
“kind of labor saving machine no less important in the business 
of buying and selling than the water mill or steam engine in the 
business of manufacturing. . . . The inland merchant 
who buys his sugar, molasses, iron, etc., on the wharf at public 
sale, prevents, and therefore saves,, the cartage, warehousing, 
breakage, waste, insurance', interest, jobbers’ profits, and the bad 
By Dec. 23, 1828, petitions coming from N. Y. City alone had the com¬ 
bined signatures of 22,000 persons. N. Y. Even. Post for the Country, 
Dec. 23/28, p. 3, col. 4. 
3 1 Anti-auctioneer Nov. 1, 1828, (copy) p. 5. It appears that their 
hostility was aimed at Cambreling, in particular, who in an informal 
way had assured three members of the Anti-Auction Committee that 
he was opposed to auctions. But to make sure, a letter was addressed 
to him by five of the Committee members; Cambreling ignored it. 
This precipitated the break. The controversy appears in full in the 
N. Y. Even. Post, Oct. 24, 1828, pp. 2 and 3; and Oct. 28, p. 1, ffl. 
32 “You have a common interest with the merchant. Now the mer¬ 
chants are, and have been for years groaning under an oppressive 
auction monopoly. The merchant asks of you no sacrifice of political 
principle. ... To your sense' of justice—do they appeal for assist¬ 
ance. . . . Shall the head suffer and not the members also?” signed 
“Mercator” Anti-Auctioneer, Nov. i, 1828, p. 12 (copy). 
33 “Wealth and authority are running your trades, men who ought 
to represent your interests are seeking their own advancement only. 
—Campbell P. White, Thomas C. Taylor, and David B. Ogden, are the 
Anti-Auction candidates; support them and all will be well.” Signed 
“Fulton,” ibid. 
34 “Perhaps more than any other class of laboring citizens, the 
weavers are interested in putting down the auction system,” ibid. p. 13. 
35 “To the polls, then I say go. Vote for the Anti-Auction ticket, and 
all will be safe.” Signed “Franklin.” 
36 N. Y. Morning Herald Mar. 4, 1820, p. 2, col. 1. 
