C. Whiford to Frederick Douglass, November 9, 1856

THE ELECTION RESULT IN BROOKFIELD, N. Y.

BROOKFIELD, Nov. 9. 1856.

F. DOUGLASS, ESQ.: DEAR SIR:—I am reminded of my promise to write you in regard to the result in old Brookfield. And first I was to tell you about the Buchanan Mass Meeting, "what was to be" when you were here. Well, its morning never dawned, but in its stead a list of appointments was made for all parts of the town, to come off during the week preceding election; the names of five prominent speakers of this and Oneida Co., were positively annouced to meet the Democracy during the week. Two of the number finally came after the appointments had mostly passed by; but as I have seen no official report of their labors, I conclude they were not very much flattered with hopes of success among the Brookfielders, and they finally left for home in season to vote their favorite ticket, without even the poor consolation of having induced an equal number here to do likewise.

Whatever the general result may be, Brookfield has acted well her part; below are the figures which will correspond with the official:

Whole number of votes for Electors, 854 Fremont 586 Buchanan, 258 Fillmore, 7 Gerrit Smith, 3 Total, 854

Fremont's majority over Buchanan, 328 which will do for a town ordinarily Democratic by 75 to 100. You have probably received the returns from Madison Co., and this Congressional District, which voted about the same way, giving Goodwin some 9000 majority, over the small-potatoe lawyer, whose specs enabled him to see in your agricultural address here, anti-Buchanan doctrine, so he denominated it a "partizan harangue" in his notes of the Fair published in the Dem. Union of Hamilton. I refer to L. P. Clark, who was nominated for Congress after Judge Allen of Oswego declined.

It would have done you good to have been in one of our meetings when these strictures were alluded to, as showing Mr. Clark's proclivities on the free labor question, and the round of applause that followed the speakers' conclusion that such a man would be a misrepresentative of the constituency of this district was a clincher on all like him. In conclusion, I would

say that though we may be beaten, we are far from being subdued, and should you again happen this way you will find our beacon fires still burning and the decks all cleared for the next onset.

In haste, yours very truly,

C. WHITFORD.