A A 8 6 8 3 2 3 A Brief Sketch of the Life and Public Services of Hon. W.W. Crapo. E 664 C897 "The public offices are a public trust. '> WILLIAM W. CRAPO. Republican State Convention of 1881 A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES OF HON.W.W. CRAPO WITH PRESS COMMENTS. BOSTON : J. E. FARWELL & CO., PRINTERS, 45 PEARL STREET. 1889. LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF C ALIFORM A SANTA BARBARA WM. W. CRAPO. IN presenting to the Republican voters of Massachusetts the name of WILLIAM W. CRAPO as a candidate for Governor, his friends do so with just pride in his unquestioned ability and his conspicuous record of public service. A careful perusal of the following brief sketch of his career is commended to every citizen interested in the public welfare, and anxious to secure the best men obtainable for the public service. WILLIAM WALLACE CRAPO was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, May 16, 1830, and was the only son in a family of ten children. His father was Hon. Henry Howland Crapo, a self-educated man, who, beginning life in humble circumstances, ended his career as Gov- ernor of the State of Michigan. The son inherited his father's passion for learning and knowledge and, although his father's means were limited, he was given all possible opportunity for study. He was first in the New Bedford public schools, then at Phillips Academy in Andover, where he prepared for college. He graduated at Yale which has since conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, in the class of 1852. Deciding on the study of law, he attended the Dane Law School at Cambridge, and subsequently entered the office of Governor Clifford in New Bedford. In February, 1855, he was admitted to the Bristol bar, and the fol- lowing April was elected City Solicitor, an office which he continued to hold for twelve consecutive years. In 1856 Mr. CRAPO was chosen to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and the following year, when only twenty-seven years of age, was tendered a seat in the Massachusetts Senate, but declined the honor. As lawyer, bank officer, director in manufact- uring corporations, and in other similar positions of trust and responsibility he acquired the reputation not only of a sound lawyer, but of a successful business man and an able financial manager- In all of these positions he has ever enjoyed the complete confidence and respect of the public and his associates. But the reputation of Mr. CRAPO in Massachusetts and the country at large rests pre-eminently upon his services in the National House of Representatives. He was elected to fill a vacancy in the Forty- fourth Congress and was returned at three successive elections, en- joying to an unusual degree the favor and approbation of his constit- uents. In the Forty-fifth Congress he was a member of the Commit- tee on Foreign Affairs. In the Forty-sixth he served on the Com- mittee on Banking and Currency, and was chairman of this impor- tant committee in the next Congress. He introduced the bill to extend the charters of the National Banks, and by his skilful and persistent efforts the bill became a law to the satisfaction of all sound business men. His final speech in favor of this bill was pronounced a masterpiece by the leading members of both parties. His connec- tion with this bill, greatly added to his reputation as an able lawyer and a judicious statesman. A former member of Congress, who served with Mr. CRAPO, and who has himself received repeated assurances from the people of the high esteem in which he is personally held, writes as follows : " Whatever may be said in favor of other candidates, the public judgment will at least be unanimous that Mr. CRAPO would fill the office of Chief Magistrate of the old Commonwealth with ability, im- partiality and elegance. He is a man of high cultivation in letters, of large experience in affairs, capable of dealing with the gravest matters of State and national politics, and every whit a gentleman. These qualities he holds with modesty and grace ; and while fitted to adorn any circle, public or private, he has none of the vulgar pride of wealth which substitutes its possession for the sterling vir- tues which give to Americans the true criterion in their estimate of the true claims to respectability and honor. No man in public or in private life has presumed to treat him as an inferior ; while he has himself borne his honors with deferential courtesy toward all men. While in Congress he was accounted one of its ablest members, es- pecially in dealing with financial and industrial questions ; and few men in the country are more competent than he is to deal intelli- gently and dispassionately with delicate and fundamental problems. Mr. CRAPO has none of the elements of a demagogue in his nature ; and he will not play the trickster's part either in securing a nomina- tion or in the administration of the Government. There are few men in the State as capable as he is to fill the high position for which he has already been so favorably mentioned, with acceptance by the people and with honor to the State. If nominated he will be elected, and his eminent fitness for the position is the constant, as we believe it will be the persuasive, appeal to all Republicans to rally to his support and share the honors of his success. I think it safe to say that every Republican who has ever served with Mr. CRAPO in the State or in the nation will be among his ardent supporters and advo- cates for the office of Governor.'* MR. CRAPO is a man of the people. As has recently been said by a public journal published near his home : " Those who have known WM. W. CRAPO for many years will smile at the suggestion that there is anything exclusive or what is called 'aristocratic' in his make-up. A thorough gentleman in his nature, no one ever approached him, whether in humble or in pros- perous circumstances, but has been kindly and courteously treated, as all his old constituents will testify." At the expiration of his first term in Congress, he returned only to receive a unanimous renomination for a second term. Ninety delegates from all parts of his district gathered in convention and ninety votes were cast for Mr. CRAPO. He was re-elected by a plurality of nearly 8000, a plurality nearly double that which he had received for his previous term, and suc- cessive elections to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses fol- lowed by margins that were just as safe, one of them being larger even than those that have just been named. In the Forty-fifth Congress Mr. CRAPO was appointed a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in the Forty-sixth upon that of Banking and Currency. He succeeded to the chairmanship of the latter committee in the Forty-seventh Congress, and also served upon the Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department and the Laws Respecting the Election of President and Vice- President. "His principal work," said the Boston Journal seven years ago, referring to his service in the Congress just then adjourning, the Forty-seventh, " was devoted to the Committee on Banking and Currency, and there is not much question that but for his remarkably skilful parliamen- tary management, which was the subject of favorable comment by experienced parliamentarians of both parties, the bill for the exten- sion of bank charters would have failed to become a law. He de- voted himself day and night to the preparation of a bill which would pass, and he succeeded in his purpose." "At no time," says The Journal in an able article on Mr. CRAPO'S career under date of Aug. 31, 1889, "was he an active partisan. Always, however, he was a Republican who could safely be relied upon, and he gave his attention primarily to the business interests that invited attention. Estimates of his Congressional work have been penned which describe him as having enjoyed to an unusual degree the favor and approbation of his constituents, and as having left Congress with a reputation second to that of no Massachusetts member among his contemporaries, and with his value as a legislator recognized by the country." Mr. CRAPO is a man of eloquence, of the direct, incisive kind. One of the most valuable of his public addresses was de- livered by him when elected to preside at the Republican State Convention held in Worcester in 1881. Space will not permit us to produce the entire address which was replete with strong and eloquent passages and in the course of which occurs that memorable sentence which stands at the head of this pamphlet: " The public offices are a public trust." We give that portion of his address which contains this states- manlike utterance. The entire passage is as clean cut a statement upon civil service as can be found in print. "No occupation is more honorable than the public service. The de- sire to engage in it is a worthy one. The ambition to hold and pro- perly discharge the dutes of a position under the Government is credit- able to the citizen. The public offices in this country should be freely open to all, as are places in other vocations of life. No man should be debarred by birth, or locality, or race, or religious, or political belief from engaging in the civil service. To deserve this he should not be required to render partisan service or personal allegiance to any party leader, nor be compelled to purchase the favor or patronage of any public official. The public offices are a public trust, to be held and administered with the same exact justice and the same conscientious regard for the responsibilities involved as are required in the execution of private trusts. The test for ap- pointments should be suporior qualifications, and not partisan attach- ment nor partisan service. Continuance in office should depend upon real merit demonstrated in the actual performance of duties, and not upon the urgency of Congressmen or the petitions of other citizens. This is no new doctrine here in Massachusetts. For many years it has been declared as the policy of the Republican party, by solemn announcements in its platforms, by earnest argu- ments of its public speakers and by the discussions of its press, until it has ceased to be an open question." The Boston Journal in the article before referred to contains the following very just declaration : "That Mr. CRAPois totally opposed to the use of money in secur- ing a nomination, and if nominated will refuse to increase the class of boodle politicians by throwing money right and left, is well known. Trie legitimate expenses of a campaign will be provided, as they should be, but Mr. CRAPO will fail of a nomination if there is to be a money value placed upon the votes of delegates. He be- lieves with a majority of the Republicans that a fair and honest ex- pression of opinion regarding the candidate for Governor should be the rule of the caucuses, and the decision reached should bear no taint of corruption. That Mr. CRAPO is not in any sense a lover of money for the sake of money is proved by many acts of his whole life. We remember an instance, long forgotten by even his most intimate friends. Mr. CRAPO succeeded Mr. Buffington, who died soon after reaching his home in Fall River, at the close of the session in March. Mr. CRAPO was chosen the same fall, and was entitled by the statues of the United States to receive pay from the date of Mr. Buffington's death. This amount of several thousand dollars he declined to accept, and it was covered back into the Tfertsury. In the first session of which he was a member he introduced a bill pay- ing to the widow of Mr. Buffington the whole amount. It would have been possible for Mr. CRAPO to have taken the money, and also to have secured compensation for the family of Mr. Buffington, but it was not his practice to tax the Government for double pay to the member from his district and to receive pay for services which he had not performed. It was simply a characteristic act." Mr. 8 CRAPO'S friendship for the soldier and sailor was amply proved by his practical and efficient work for them as a member of Congress, in introducing bills and procuring pensions for the deserving. This then is a brief and imperfect glance at the man whom the State can honor and at the same time honor herself by calling to- her chief magistracy. A man in the prime of life, being but fifty- nine years of age, in full possession of those mental powers which have made him one of the foremost men of his generation in Massa- chusetts and created for him a reputation which goes hand in hand with the fame of that galaxy of men that have made the present history of the Commonwealth equal to its past. The supporters of Mr. CRAPO make no demand upon such a commonwealth as Massachusetts for the governorship for their favorite. The people will recognize no claims upon so high an honor. It is their right and privilege to select the best man available among her citizens. Fully recognizing this, however, Mr. CRAPO'S friends are warranted in saying that no public man in Massachusetts is worthier than he of the high honor, and none have better demon- strated their fitness for the place by exalted private character, un- challenged ability and conspicuous public service. PRESS COMMENTS. BOSTON JOURNAL. The Question of the Governorship. The political situation in this State at the present time is of a character to justify grave concern on the part of thoughtful Repub- licans. To "prophesy smooth things" is always an easier and more agreeable task than to point out perils, but the latter be- comes a duty when the perils, though serious, are avoidable. An "off year" is always the opportunity of a minority party. It offers the possibility not to say proba- bility that the majority party, at ease by reason of past successes, and not aroused to exertion by the claims of great and com- manding issues, will neglect to poll its full strength, and thus will give an occasion to its opponents. The doctrine of incessant political alertness may be preached without weariness by the party press, but it falls upon deaf ears. ***** We confess that we do not desire to take any risk, especially when it appears very clear to us that Mr. Crapo is the strongest candidate whom the Republican party can nominate, and will poll the largest vote, awakening few antagonisms. Mr. Crapo' s character, his ability, his public service would commend his selection to the citizens of Massachusetts, and his incumbency of the office would give to it a dignity which it has not always had. ***** Mr. Crapo is in himself a strong candidate for the position. He is a man of decided convictions and character and not one likely to study mere popular effects in tak- ing a position upon any public question. He is a substantial sort of man, having good instinctive ideas of public administra- tion, and a good record to prove his capa- city, efficiency and general adaptability to the office for which he has been named. BOSTON TRAVELI/ER. An Ideal Candidate. A lawyer of brilliant attainments, a business man of tried capacity, a gentleman of scholarly and cultivated tastes, a public man with an enviable national reputation, Mr. Crapo's nomination would be a most excellent one, and there would be a general feeling that no doubtful experiment was being attempted in electing him to the Chief Magistracy. * * * * The nomi- nation should be made deliberately and with sound judgment rather than upon the sudden impulse of the moment. The latter is one for the masses of the party to settle at their primaries. BOSTON TRANSCRIPT. "Hon. W. W. Crapo's candidacy is strong among reflecting Republicans, who would restore the old prestige of Massa- chusetts Republicism and forbid that the organization shall fall under the dom- ination of professional politicians. It can- not be truly stated that Mr. Crapo's claims have ever been unduly pressed. His strength comes from a popular impression that he would honor the Gubernatorial chair. His nomination would generate no fears that a mistake had been made, either on political or public grounds. The Re- publican party wants its strongest man for Governor this year and his name is Crapo. His candidacy would undoubtedly attract support from independent citizens of all parties. In an off year this is a considera- tion not to be despised. Mr. Crapo has happily been disconnected from intrigues and small politics that have established themselves at the State House. He has no taint of lobby influence about him, and his election would prove a decided rebuff to the professionals who make the State Capi- tol their headquarters and there prepare schemes to rule the Republican party, and control future legislation. Mr. Crapo's candidacy is a 'new departure' and for that reason commends itself to independent reflecting citizens of Massachusetts." Mr. Brackett's friends will have their en- thusiasm considerably abated by The Journal's comparison of his strength before the people with that possessed by his prin- cipal rival for the nomination, Mr. Crapo. It remains to be seen whether the Republi- cans of Massachusetts will disregard all such warnings, and rush on to almost certain defeat. 10 THE BOSTON HERALD. The difference in the movement for Mr. Crapo is that it is more spontaneous and more a people's affair. We say this, being fully aware that there is a politician's organization working for Mr. Crapo as well ; but it is not nearly as much as that of Mr. Brackett made up of men who make politics a profession. It is extemporized rather on the part of certain men who have found the tendency of Massachusetts poli- tics degenerating too much into the hands of the lobby and the meaner men connected with the political machines. We give our Republican neighbor, The Journal, the credit of believing that it is its indisposi- tion to see this bad element triumph which has led it to take the positive stand for Mr. Crapo that it occupies. There is a feeling in the Republican party that the influence which has had so much power in the Leg- islature through its effect upon the presid- ing officer of one branch in later years ought not to have even a nominal victory in electing a Governor also. The tendency of this influence is to degrade the party by making it the instrument of the purposes of its smaller, as well as its more selfish men. Opposition to this has had a large share in strengthening the movement for Mr. Crapo. With it there has been a feel- ing that the State should select the ablest man willing to accept the office. While Mr. Brackett' s fitness in many respects is freely admitted, there is the feeling that Mr. Crapo has a superiority in capacity which places him in the rank with the ablest Governor the State has had. WORCESTER SPY. Mr. Crapo' s candidacy is favorably re- ceived by the press of the State, and even The Boston Journal, which scrupulously avoids anything like committal to any can- didate until he has received the indorsement of the Republican Convention, is almost enthusiastic about him. ******* Mr. Crapo has, as it seems to us, in a larger measure than any other man now available, the qualities which are desired and needed in the Governor of Massachu- setts. He would receive the office with a profound sense of the honor it confers and the responsibilities it imposes, and would administer it with conscientious fidelity. WORCESTER GAZETTE. It was to be expected that both the Mer- cury and the Standard of New Bedford would smile upon the nomination of Mr. Crapo, who is New Bedford's favorite son, but it was not by any means so certain that the Salem Gazette, the Newburyport Her- ald, the Springfield Union and the Pitts- field Eagle would speak so kindly of him as they do. All these are representative papers of different sections of the State. SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN. The Best. Republican newspapers throughout the State have a very cordial word for Mr. Crapo in connection with the party nom- ination for Governor. Many of them recognize that the New Bedford man is ' 'the best" so far suggested. Does the party deem it wise to take anything less than that this year? SPRINGFIELD UNION. The Republican party of Massachusetts has no man who is available for the Guber- natorial nomination this year who is better equipped for the Gubernatorial office than Mr. Crapo. The movement in behalf of Mr. Crapo rests simply and solely upon its merits. If the Republicans of Massachu- setts desire him for their candidate they can have him, and in having him they will have a candidate whose conspicuous fitness for the position no one can question. With such a candidate it would be pessimistic distrust of the good sense of the voters of Massachusetts to question a triumphant issue. WESTFIELD TIMES. " The Crapo sentiment is growing all over the State. The Republicans are keen- ly alive to the fact that this is an off year, and that in order to win they must put for- ward their best man, and that man is Wil- liam W. Crapo. His name would be a tower of strength before the people, and if the Republicans are wise in their day and generation they will select him as their standard bearer." LYNN TRANSCRIPT. The Governorship. There is a strong feeling in Newton as elsewhere in the State, says the Graphic, that the Republican party should select the best man possible as its candidate for gov- ernor. It is an off year, and the Democrats will undoubtedly put up ex-Mayor Russell of Cambridge again, who is an exception- 11 ally clean and strong candidate, especially among the young men and those who be- lieve in making ability and character count as qualifications. To succeed, the party will have to select a candidate who will appeal more success- fully to the same class of voters. There is one man who will do this, and who has heretofore been mentioned, when a search was being made for the man best qualified to fill the position, Hon. William W. Crapo of New Bedford. We have nothing to say against Lieutenant-Governor Brackett, but this seems to be an occasion when the party should make a special effort to select the best candidate available. That this is the popular opinion is shown by the surprising growth of what has been termed the Crapo boom, which has been steadily increasing ever since the Boston Journal's outspoken declaration in his favor. ***** Without disparagement of the claims or qualifications of Mr. Brackett, as at present advised, we prefer Mr. Crapo. He is an able and experienced man of high char- acter and eminent public services. The people of the State want a man of first-rate ability in the Governor's chair. The present seems a proper time to take a new departure, and the nomination of a man of Mr. Crapo's qualifications would be one eminently fit to be made. SALKM GAZETTE. While both names are put forward for pxiblic support by pretty much the same process, Mr. Crapo's friends are more largely composed of people who are not what may be termed the usual party mana- gers. Mr. Brackett is the State-house can- didate. Without saying a word derogatory to the latter, we think it a good thing to turn a fresh mind into the head of State affairs occasionally, provided it is that of a man capable of seeing things for himself and exercising a judgment of his own. The practical control of State affairs is largely in the hands of small bodies to which the legislature has delegated its power, and to whom members naturally defer. While experience counts for a good deal in certain offices, it is a good thing to have a Governor familiar with public affairs generally who will not view things alto- gether through the State-house spectacles. Whether Mr. Crapo is more likely to re- ceive the nomination for Governor than Mr. Brackett, we have no means of know- ing. Mr. Brackett has whatever advantages may pertain to the fact of his being the State-house candidate. The unwritten bond of union by which the legislative membership of two or three years and the influence of employes, to say nothing of the more permanent incumbents of State- house positions, constitute a powerful combination which is not always easy to overcome, even though it may not fairly represent a quarter part of the disinterested party vote. Mr. Brackett's identification with the co-operative bank movement is a thing which tends to the enlargement of the per- sonal circle likely to support him. Of course this is no valid reason why he should be selected, for co-operative banks are in one sense a public issue, nobody being opposed to them. LOWELL MAIL. The Boston Journal speaks the senti- ment of Republican leaders when it says : " Mr. Whiting would make a most accept- able Governor, but this year is not a Whit- ing year. It is a Crapo year by a large majority." There is a kindly feeling for the Holyoke manufacturer and ex-Con- gressman, but at the same time there is an unmistakable conviction that he can do great harm to his prospects by pushing for- ward in a way to antagonize the prospects of other men, and thus complicate the party situation. The talk of Mr. Whiting as a possible compromise between Crapo and Brackett has little to rest upon. LOWELL CITIZEN. The Woods are Full of Crapo Men. Mr. Crapo is not affected with, indecision in this present issue. His mind is tho- roughly made up. He is going to be Gov- ernor if he can, and he is doing what he can to bring that result about. There are as yet no Crapo clubs, but the woods are full of Crapo ( men, ready, at a moment's notice, to come out into battle line for their preference. ***** Gen. Draper favors Mr. Crapo's candi- dacy and ex-Congressman Russell of Law- rence is also said to lean encouragingly toward the New Bedford man's ambition. NEW BEDFORD STANDARD. The Standard has so often cordially sup- ported Mr. Crapo as Republican candidate for Governor that it is hardly necessary to say once more that it rejoices at the public announcement that he once more presents himself to the people of the State as an aspirant for the highest office in their gift. We also deem it superfluous to say any- thing more in regard to his character or his 12 qualifications for the position. A long period of public life and usefulness has rendered that unnecessary. The move- ment in behalf of Mr. Crapo is well defined and organized. It is not of local origin or form, but responses in favor of the candi- dacy are hearty from North Adams to Cape Cod. In Boston there is a strong feeling in favor of Mr. Crapo, and the young Republicans will heartily support the candidacy and be a prominent factor in the campaign. NEW BEDFOBD MERCURY. We have urged the nomination of Hon. William W. Crapo for Governor, not be- cause he has an honorable ambition to fill the office, nor because this section of the State has but once, and then for a single term, had one of its citizens thus distin- guished. His peculiar fitness for the varied duties of the high office is the single argu- ment we have used in commending him to the regard of the electors. While this special fitness has been recognized by lead- ing Republicans in every section of the State, we are not aware that in any quarter it has been challenged. It is high time that men, all over the Commonwealth, who concede his eminent ability, his large ex- perience in the State Legislature and in Congress, his practical acquaintance with business affairs, and his administrative and executive power, should unite in a deter- mined, open effort to secure his services in the highest office of the State. TAUNTON REPUBLICAN. The early canvass which was commenced for Mr. Brackett appears to have gone the way of all early booms, and the Republi- cans of the Commonwealth are rallying around the standard of Mr. Crapo with an old time zest which promises a brilliant campaign and a happy ending. Mr. Crapo has several times been mentioned in con- nection with the position to which he is undoubtedly pointing, but has invariably declined to enter into a contest where the seeming rights of others might be tram- pled upon, although his recognized ability placed him in the front rank of available men. There is no exigency for manufac- turing claims for Mr. Crapo, under the cir- cumstances ; his record is sufficient. ABINGTON JOURNAL. The friends of Mr. Crapo, here as else- where, seemed to be in the ascendency and there was an expression of confidence that he would be the nominee of the party. Mr. Brackett was frequently named but with considerable hesitancy. Others expressed belief that a dark horse was to come in at the critical hour, but plainly the conviction prevailed that Mr. Crapo was the most available candidate and that his election would reflect honor upon the party and State. NORTH ADAMS TRANSCRIPT. "Mr. Crapo is recognized throughout the State as a first-class man, fitted by charac- ter, ability and public service to fill this high position. His nomination would unite all the elements of the Republican party. In this critical year personal claims and as- pirations should not be allowed to endan- ger the unity and success of the Republi- can cause." PITTSFIELD JOURNAL. Mr. Crapo is one of our most eloquent speakers. He is something more. He is a man of business. He is a gentleman of legal attainments and widely versed in all matters which naturally come within the scope of duties of a chief executive of a great Commonwealth. That he has a nat- ional reputation we need not say, for his Congressional career brought him promi- nently before the country. Should the choice of the Republican Convention fall upon Mr. Crapo, the people of Massa- chusetts would know in advance what to expect of him as Governor. GREENFIELD GAZETTE. There is a spirit of independence abroad, and the party in power will receive oppo- sition from many who have no reason for their action but a desire to upset things. With this view of the situation we believe Mr. Crapo to be the stronger of the two can- didates. He has been identified with the progressive wing of the party, and in the event of his nomination would receive a considerable portion of the Independent vote. He is a man of scholarly parts and would be an able representative of the old Commonwealth on any occasion he might be called upon to speak for her. NORTHAMPTON DAILY HERALD. The party has men enough, whose ability and statesmanship have been recognized without the aid of drummers, and the signs 13 indicate that Mr. Crapo or some other man who is a Republican from principle, and not for what the party can do for him, will be nominated spontaneously, and will be elected. BERKSHIRE COUNTY EAGLE. Here in Pittsfield the sentiment seems to be for the nomination of Mr. Crapo. Sev- eral prominent Republicans have been asked about the matter, and they have nearly all answered that, while they have no objections to Lieutenant Governor Brackett, they are of the opinion that Mr. Crapo is the better man to nominate this fall. ATIIOL TRANSCRIPT. Its Estimate of Mr. Crapo. Of the many well-known citizens quali- fied by training and education to bring dignity to the discharge of the duties of Governor, Massachusetts has no one who is more fully equipped. BARNSTABLE PATRIOT Mr. Crapo had a happy faculty when in Congress of getting just what was needed for his constituents. He was always ready and active, and what is more succesiful in any efforts he made to advance the interests of his district. Our citizens well remember particularly the seafaring portion of it, that Bass River Light was discontinued by order of the Light House Board. It was a great loss to our coasting vessels. Mr. Crapo learned of their desire for its re- establishment and speedily the lamp was trimmed and burning. So also the same class of men very much desired to have a new light located on Harding's Beach in Chatham. It was petitioned for and through the efforts of Mr. Crapo an appropriation was obtained to build one. It now stands a monument to his interest in the fishermen and coasters of Cape Cod. These men ap- preciate this kind of service and it is going to be a real pleasure to them to assist in making Mr. Crapo Governor. YARMOUTH REGISTKR. It is safe to assume that when Hon. William W. Crapo is a candidate for the office of Governor, the Register will as it always does, heartily and sincerely support him. Mr. Crapo is too honorable and high- spirited a man to solicit the support of any one for any reason except the confidence of the voter in his fitness and integrity, and we hope those who have brought him for- ward will this time persevere to the end of the contest. FALMOUTH LOCAL. As will be seen in another column, Hon. W. W. Crapo has announced his intention of being a candidate for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination this fall. The Local has urged his nomination for some months past. We believe he would strength- en the party in the next campaign; his past record speaks for itself. He is pre- eminently qualified for the position. PLYMOUTH MEMORIAL. If Hon. W. W. Crapo of New Bedford is not the best, the fittest and the most avail- able candidate that can be put forward by the Republicans of Massachusetts for the next Governorship, then we have alto- gether failed in estimating the political sit- uation in this State. Mr. Crapo has expe- rience in governmental affairs, having served long and acceptably in Congress; his abilities are of the highest order and in the line of statesmanship and dealing with public affairs; he is a business man, and can look with a business man's eye upon matters and questions that require practical wisdom and judgment in their handling ; he is a thorough, consistent Republican, with no political nonsense about him. BRISTOL COUNTY REPUBLICAN. No member from Massachusetts sustained a higher rank as a legislator, and his elo- quent, forcible and convincing arguments on the subject of protection to the great industrial interests of New England were accorded unstinted praise from all sections of the country. ATTLEBORO CHRONICLE. Every political indication in the State points to the nomination of W. W. Crapo as the Republican candidate for Governor. His candidacy commends itself strongly to all classes of Republicans and attracts sup- port from independent citizens of all parties. The feeling is quite certain to grow stronger as the time goes by, and his character, ability and special fitness for the chief magistracy become better known. His nomination means an election." 14 NANTUCKET INQUIRER. If the Republican newspapers of Massa- chusetts could determine upon whom the gubernatorial nomination should fall, the Hon. William W. Crapo, of New Bedford, would be the man. And, if such a nomi- nation is made and election consummated, the State would be presided over by a man whose dignity and ability and purity would be unchallenged. We can afford to enjoy such a Governor. NORFOLK COUNTY REPUBLICAN. The nomination of Hon. W. W. Crapo, of New Bedford, to be Governor of this Commonwealth, is now a foregone conclu- sion. As such it is, of course, a high honor to the distinguished gentleman himself, but it is also a matter of great good fortune to the State that a man of his large ability and splendid equipment stands ready to obey its call and assume the grave and weighty responsibilities of its chief magis- tracy. After Mr. Crapo retires, the present lieutenant-governor, who is a favorite with us all, ought to, and will be recognized, nominated and elected. STOUGHTON SENTINEL. Let Republicans begin to get together and to write Crapo on their banners. Since he is to be nominated, there will be more enthusiasm if all agree that it is the right thing to do. Mr. Crapo will not refuse if the State calls him, and if elected he will be a Governor that Massachusetts may well be proud of. CHARLESTOWN ENTERPRISE. There is an unmistakable Crapo senti- ment among the Republican voters of this district, surprising as that fact may seem to those persons who depend on the average politician for their political information. ******* It has been said by a Boston daily which recently canvassed the State that the party managers had "fixed" the Bunker Hill district for Brackett. Such a claim can be disputed. If a canvass of the rank and file should be taken to-day it would be found that Mr. Crapo's adherents are strong, numerically and in point of person- al influence; and several who oppose the New Bedford statesman's candidacy ad- mitted to the writer that Mr. Crapo was undoubtedly gaining every day. BROOKLINK CHRONICLE. The Crapo movement is healthful, as a sign of progress. It means a waking up to the best possibilities that are within the party. It is like reaching back to the days when we placed our best men in the Gov- ernor's chair men of the stature of Ever- ett, Briggs, Boutwell, Banks and Andrew. It is this sentiment that pervades the whole State. It is not a fear of the loss of party supremacy, but rather a determination that the party shall rise to the height of its op- portunities. Mr. Crapo is going to be nominated. This is the concensus of opinion gathered from practical and observing men every- where. He will of course be elected. Other men who have been mentioned might fail, but the Republican party will be invincible with him. And when he is our candidate, the old Bay State can look up with pridf, and there will be no more complaints of the "lowering of the standard of leadership and of politics." NEWTON GRAPHIC. The Graphic has already expressed the opinion that William W. Crapo of New Bedford is at once the strongest and the most available candidate. His long and useful career in Washington as member of Congress, his wide business experience, together with his undoubted natural talents, have combined to make him a broad- minded, vigorous public man, such as Massachusetts has always delighted to honor. With Mr. Crapo for their candi- date, the Republican party have nothing to fear, even from Mr. Russell. It may be interesting in this connection, to read what the Newton Graphic said of him three years ago, when the question of a successor to Governor Robinson was being discussed. Under date of July 21, 1886, the following editorial appeared, which seems to apply equally well to the present condition of affairs : In 1882, when our distinguished towns- man, Hon. R. R. Bishop, was nominated for Governor, the Hon. William W. Crapo of New Bedford was his leading opponent in the convention. It was felt at that time by a large number of Republicans and gen- erally tacitly conceded by the friends of Mr. Bishop, that the character, qualifica- tions and distinguished public services of Mr. Crapo merited the highest recognition at the hands of the Republican party. 15 It was said of him in those days that whatever accusations the Democratic party might bring against the Republican admin- istration of public affairs, the man himself, both as to his private life and public career, was without spot or blemish. In the days of reconstruction, when the party led along by the full tide of power came near blot- ting the grand achievement of arms, he was moderate, temperate; when many of its leaders went astray after greenbackism, he was firm and steadfast in the cause of honest money ; when the life of the bank- ing institutions of the country was gravely menaced, he as chairman of the committee on banking and currency rendered services for which the whole country is indebted ; both by word and deed he has given the cause of civil service reform unstinted sup- port, and in brief he filled every position conferred upon him with credit to his con- stituents and distinction to himself. While such is a part of the record of his life, it may be added that there is scarcely a public man in the Commonwealth more conver- sant with the relations of labor and capital, or who is a better exponent of the princi- ples of temperance. * * * * He is, beyond question, in the best manner qualified by training, experience, culture and executive ability, to keep the guberna- torial standard to the high position to which it has been brought by his present Excel- lency. 3 1205026550572 ,.HF SRffiS* REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY THE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW. Series 9482