Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

As to the senators, who were then elected by counties, upon failure of election by a majority, the legislature in convention filled the vacancy by election from the two having the highest number of votes. If a candidate for representative failed of an election on the second Monday of November, such vacancy might be filled by an election in his town to be held on the fourth Monday of November. Thus it will be seen that if the Free-Soilers and Democrats ran separate candidates for each office, their combined vote would be counted against the Whig candidate in every case to prevent his election.

An understanding was arrived at between the leaders of the Free-Soil and Democratic parties, that, in counties where it was possible to elect a senator by joint ballot, both should nominate the same candidate; but where there were not large expectations of such a result, each party should nominate its own candidate.

It will be seen that we had the pro-slavery or “Hunker” Democrats, who were our opponents, somewhat at a disadvantage, for if they ran their candidates for the several offices, their ballots would count against the Whig candidates.

A further understanding between the Coalitionists was effected, that if we should carry out this programme and throw the election of all the State officers into the legislature, and then control the legislature, then the Free-Soilers should have all our joint ballots for a Free-Soil United States Senator for the six-year term; and the Democrats should have all the ballots of the Free-Soilers for the Coalition Democratic candidates. This would give all the officers of the State, and all its power, into the hands of the Coalition Democrats, the United States Senator alone being the share of the Free-Soilers.

It so happened that there were two vacancies in the United States Senate, one for the full term of six years, and the other for the remainder of the term to be made vacant on the fourth of March, 1851. These two senatorial terms were called in political parlance the “long eel” and “short eel,” and the Coalition Democrats, in addition to the State government, claimed the “short eel” and got it.

I made another, a sort of personal coalition, as part of this arrangement, that as Lowell had ten representatives to be elected on one ticket, the ticket should be a joint one, half Free-Soilers and half