understood the popularity of Mr. Gaston and of the
strong hold he had upon the people. It seems now that the Democratic
managers accepted or anticipated failure as a foregone conclusion, and
no great fight was made; otherwise they would probably have won the
election, as Mr. Rice was elected by only the small plurality of 5,306
votes. This is very significant, taken in connection with the fact that
General Grant carried Massachusetts in 1872 by 74,212 majority.

In 1876, that memorable year--memorable as the year of the electoral
commission--Governor Gaston magnanimously declined the re-nomination,
which a large majority of the convention was undoubtedly eager to
confer. The nomination of Charles Francis Adams was to the rank and file
and to the party managers a disappointment, and the enthusiasm that he
was expected to arouse was not materialized.

The press of the State justly commended Mr. Gaston's conduct in not
forcing his own nomination, a course so completely in accord with his
character, and his entire devotion to the party welfare. He did not
display the least semblance of self-seeking.

He has seen not a little of public life, but with the exception of five
years, has succeeded in conducting his large and important professional
practice the entire period from his early beginning to this day. The
five years referred to were: two years, 1861 and 1862, while he was
Mayor of the city of Roxbury; the two years, 1871 and 1872, as Mayor of
Boston (this being after the annexation of Roxbury), and the year 1875
when Governor.

His mayoralty term of Roxbury antedated the years he was Mayor of Boston
by just ten years. While such Mayor of Roxbury in 1861-2 he was very
active in speechmaking and raising troops in preservation of the
American Union. He went to the front several times, and was
enthusiastically patriotic during the entire critical period.

He was five years City Solicitor of Roxbuxy. In 1853 and 1854 he was
elected to the Legislature as a Whig, and in 1856 was re-elected by a
fusion of Whigs and Democrats in opposition to the Know-Nothing
candidate. In 1868, although the district was strongly Republican, he
was elected as a Democrat to the State Senate.

In the fall of 1872 Mr. Gaston positively declined the further use of
his name in the Mayoralty election in Boston that year. He concluded to
be a candidate, however, upon the earnest solicitation of so many of the
best citizens, and of the press, and