[10] Charles Francis Adams, our minister to England during the Civil War.
"We fear he will cause such discord in the convention as to prevent our offering the nomination to Mr. A. upon the terms upon which he consents to accept it. These are, that it should be made with reasonable unanimity.
"We can carry the convention for our candidate, but not, probably, with such general consent as would be required.
"We have had several interviews with the party causing the trouble, and tried our best to impress upon him the importance of nominating Mr. A. for the sake of our cause _outside_ of Massachusetts, but to no effect.
"If we fail in this matter I shall feel that we have lost some of our chances for success.
"Congratulating you upon the auspicious outlook elsewhere,
"ADAMS BUILDING, 23 COURT ST., BOSTON, _January 10, 1906_.
"MY DEAR MR. BIGELOW,--I have to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of yesterday, the 9th.
"The extract you make from the letter of F. O. Prince is quite intelligible to me. I remember all the circumstances.
"Mr. Tilden was very anxious, indeed, that my father should be the Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 1876. Mr. F. O. Prince was then chairman, I think, of the Democratic committee; at any rate, he was influential. Mr. Tilden, as you very well know, was never at a loss when it came to handling men.
"Mr. Tilden worked through Mr. Prince to accomplish his end. William A. Gaston, afterwards Governor, desired the nomination. It is he who is referred to as a 'certain candidate.' My father was wholly unwilling to accept the nomination unless it came to him unsought, and with 'reasonable unanimity.' The Irish were strongly opposed to him. Their dislike, or rather personal antipathy, to him dated far back--as far, indeed, as 1840, when the questions relating to the burning of the Ursuline Convent at Charlestown were before the General Court of Massachusetts, of which my father was a member.
"Considerable pressure had to be brought to bear upon Mr. Gaston, who finally consented to withdraw, and did, although not with very good grace, nominate my father at the convention. His nomination, of course, gave a certain prestige to the ticket. As a popular candidate in that election my father did not prove a success. A considerable Irish element refused to vote for him.