without force.

Governor Morton was a man of solid qualities. He had been upon the
bench of the Supreme Judicial Court of the State for many years and in
the fellowship of such jurists as Chief Justice Shaw, Judges Wilde,
Putnam, Hubbard, and others, and he had borne himself with credit and
perhaps even with distinction. He was a favorite of the Democratic
Party and for many years he had been its candidate for Governor, and
always without opposition. His election in 1839 was due to the public
dissatisfaction with the Temperance Act passed in 1838 and known as the
Fifteen-Gallon Law. He became Governor in the year 1840, but as his
Council and the two Houses were controlled by the Whig Party neither
his friends nor his enemies had any means of testing his quality as a
political administrator. In 1843, however, the circumstances were
different. His political friends were in power in every branch of the
government. Party expectations were not realized, and Governor
Morton's administration was not popular with the party generally.
Early in the session, Benjamin F. Hallett, a member of the Executive
Council, became alienated, and the spirit of harmony was banished from
that branch of the government.

As the election had been carried upon the Dorr Rebellion, it was
thought expedient to recognize the event by a dinner in Faneuil Hall.
Dorr was then an exile, and the guest of Henry Hubbard, Democratic
Governor of New Hampshire. Dorr was invited to the dinner, but he did
not attend. It was asserted that he was given to understand that
Governor Morton would by placed in an unpleasant position if Dorr were
to come to Massachusetts from New Hampshire, and at the same time, a
requisition should come from the Governor of Rhode Island for his
delivery to answer in that State to an indictment for treason. The
incident gave rise to a good deal of feeling, and finally, Governor
Morton did not attend the banquet. Thus it happened that neither of
the chiefs in whose honor the banquet was arranged, was in attendance
on the occasion.

I was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Invitations. These were
sent to leading Democrats in all parts of the country and especially
were they sent to distinguished members of Congress. The answers
contained only the most delicate and remote allusions to the object
of the festival. The letters were turned over to the officers of the
meeting. For myself, I retained only the envelope of the