he
duties in a manner so acceptable. At the Convention I received sixty-
three votes, and my opponent, Charles R. Train, received sixty-six
votes. Train was declared the nominee, and as such he was elected.
After the Convention was over, some person of an inquiring turn of
mind found that if every portion of the district had been represented
the total vote could not have exceeded one hundred and eighteen. This
discovery led to some crimination, each party charging the other with
fraud.

When in 1860 notices were posted in the town of Concord calling upon
the Republicans to meet in caucus, to choose delegates to the State
Convention, Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson called at the office of George M.
Brooks, who was an active supporter of Mr. Train, and said:

"I see there is to be a caucus to choose delegates to the Convention,
and I have called to make an inquiry about it, as Mr. Boutwell was
cheated out of his nomination two years ago."

Mr. Brooks said in reply:

"This caucus is for delegates to the State Convention. The District
Convention has not been called. But we thought the cheating was on
the other side."

"Ah!" said Mr. Emerson. "I see that you are not for Mr. Boutwell. Do
you know of anybody in the village who is for Mr. Boutwell?"

Mr. Brooks did not give him the information, and he went away. When
the evening came for the district caucus, the leading men who managed
the caucuses usually, went to the hall, and to their surprise they
found the transcendentalists in force, surrounded by a deep fringe of
farmers from all parts of the town. The meeting was organized. Four
delegates were to be chosen. Upon the nomination of candidates the
names were placed upon a sheet of paper, and then the citizens passed
around and each one marked against four names. The friends of Train
secured the lead, in making nominations, and my friend followed with
four names. When this ceremony was over, Mr. Emerson rose and said:

"The first four names on that paper are for Mr. Train. The second four
names are for Mr. Boutwell. We are for Mr. Boutwell, and our friends
will be careful not to vote for the first four names, but to vote for
the second four names."

Mr. Emerson's policy prevailed, and as far as I know, this was his
only appearance in Concord politics. In that year I had a majority
of the delegates to the convention, but I attended, withdrew my name,
and nominated Mr. Train for election. When I was elected