He
administered the office with entire fairness. His elevation to the
post of Speaker, then thought to be one of great importance, may have
been due to his residence at Worcester. In those days, as in these,
Worcester was a center of political power and its leading men were able
always to command consideration. When, in 1840, it was an urgency in
party politics to defeat Governor Morton, John Davis, of Worcester,
called "Honest John," was selected as the candidate, although he was
then a member of the United States Senate.
In the sessions of 1843 and 1844, I originated three measures and
introduced bills designed to give legal form to the measures.
1. A bill requiring cashiers of banks and treasurers of all other
corporations to return to the assessors of each city and town the names
of stockholders residing in each such city or town, the shares held by
each and the par value of the shares. The bill was passed. The
holders of stock who had theretofore escaped taxation were enraged, and
a meeting to denounce the measure was held in Boston.
2. A bill to require the mortgagee to pay the tax on mortgaged real
estate. The bill was then defeated, but recently the measure has
become a law.
3. The reduction of the poll tax.
On each of the last two measures I made a speech which was reported in
the Boston _Post_.
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