Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/42

 34 W. C. WOODWARD In the organization of the legislature John H. Mitchell was elected president of the senate and now started on his long political career which was to be inextricably woven with the political history of the state. The senatorial campaign of 1864 was singularly free from any suggestion of "unclean practice."^ Deady wrote to the Bulletin, September 13 : "The matter is decently and quietly managed on all hands. No open rooms, no free drinks or eleemosynary eatables. Plain, earnest men are gathered about in little groups discussing the election, with reference to the good of the country and some particular project or person." The first ballot, taken September 15, stood : Wil- liams 27, Pearne 20, W. H. Watkins 2, J. F. Miller 6. The vote for the latter represented the Democratic strength minus one vote, that of Curl, who voted for Williams. The third ballot resulted in election, Williams getting 31 votes, Pearne 16, Watkins 2 and Miller 6. At last Judge Williams realized the ambition from the achievement of which his pronounced free state doctrine had heretofore been largely instrumental in preventing him. He was at this time considered a Republican practically, though he had never avowedly become so. It was at least well under- stood that he would never go back to the Democratic party.-" Considering the great place which Oregon's "Grand Old Man" has had for over a half century in the history of the state, the characterization which was made of him at this time by Judge Deady, is full of interest :*4 "He is clever in both the English and American sense of that much used and much abused word ; is generous and unsuspicious and does not long cherisb ill will towards any one. Personally, he is popular with the peop 1 e arid his election is very generally satisfactory or cheerfully ac- quiesced in. ... Though earnest, he is not destructive and will help build up rather than tear down. He is a good popular speaker, clear and distinct in his ideas, always forcible, often 42 "The cleanest in the history of the state," said Judge Williams to the writer. "I didn't spend a dollar and used no influence whatever with members, and I don't believe Pearne did." 43 Personal statement of Judge Williams. 44 Correspondence, Sept. 19, to San Francisco Bulletin.