AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARTIN VAN BUBEN. 87
be reconciled with the fact that some of the meeting had been held in his room; that, if the perpetration of this outrage was persevered in we would not support him, and that he knew us well enough to judge whether we would keep our word. He showed confusion and alarm. Our meeting was soon after organized by placing Gen, Belknap of Orange in the Chair—a warm friend of Mr. Clinton and a very upright man. Judge Hammond, who was the leader on the Clintonian side, and whom, judging from the candour and integrity exhibited in his History of the times, it must have caused Judge Spencer some labour to bring into the support of the contemplated arrangement, moved that one of the Senatorial candidates should be taken from Orange, in regard to which there was no dispute. I moved to amend by adding Greene for the other, so that the question should be taken on both vacancies at the same time. Judge Hammond assigned plausible reasons against this course, without admitting that there was any opposition to Greene, and without knowing that I had been apprised of their plans. After skirmishing in this way long enough to be satisfied that he did not mean to be more explicit, I made a full statement of the information I had received, challenged a denial of its correctness,0 and receiving none, denounced the projected scheme in decorous but severe terms, as a proof of a determination to break up the party. Mr. Hammond was not, as he says himself, an expert debater, and discomposed by a statement of facts, not complimentary to the fairness of those with whom he was acting, entered with evident embarrassment upon the exhibition of his statistics in regard to the population of the counties, and other pretences that had been constructed by the movers in the plot. We scouted all his calculations as indicating a clmfter-ing disposition inconsistent with that confidence and fraternal feeling which had in time past characterized the action of the party. We affirmed that the treatment of the small counties, that constituted nearly half the district, had always been of the most liberal character, and that not an instance could be cited in which a double representation in the Senate had been given to a laxge county, as long- as there was in the district u small county not represented, and finally we exclaimed against the propriety of a separate and private understanding by a portion of a political brotherhood about to assemble to promote the common cause, pledging itself to a particular course without hearing what the rest had to say against it.
Gen. Belloia-p, the Chairman, very unexpectedly to all, rose from his seat, and, tho' no speaker, said in impressive terms that he had attended the meeting alluded to, and had promised to vote for the exclusion of Greene, but that he was now satisfied that he had done
° MS. i, p. us.acts the public would hold him responsible. In other words, Mr. Van wished to create a council which should be nominally Clintonian, but which, t same time, should be really hostile to the governor. Partly by management, and by accident, a council of the character last described, was actually chosen." Ham History of Political Parties in the State of New York, I, 457.—W. C. F.n,-il,.| |.. hliii If •:•.;-. .ii'! ("ill I'iii.t'iU :m.| .-j. -if :t !'!<->i-,c- I.. \nii IMC Yiniir>>r .tiul 't'l'Hijil.ia ; IT lii ».!!it<- \\>-\>- j.'.-.-i>'.l in it mi t'.. .-!••.•(.!( .-I H.-l.'l. ,"-'•-.-ill-, thai r.ili'h a i-.ni.'.- .inn \\mllil • U «• I i.. tn.'•;•-. .-"i U'.al t Uufi.ii h.ul i,. .•!.(=,i- unit!,', tv-uiu-ili'il lu Hi.- parly ami \vu>. ji).-il;-.-.l (.. .n[.-,..,i: .Ml il-.