Judge Robert Roberts Bishop In 1874 voters paid $2,000,000 taxa tion; in 1878, by the elimination of need less offices and a liberal use of the pruning knife in all remaining depart ments, the same tax was reduced to
$500,000. During his service the General Court authorized the codification of the statutes of the Commonwealth.23 In this work
Mr. Bishop took great interest and did much to make the Public Statutes of 1882 a most useful and complete revi sion."
As President, he presided for three years, and his last ofiicial act shows his devotion to the welfare of the tax payer and his loyalty to the state, even
when the interests of the Commonwealth were opposed to his own. His vote as presiding oflicer defeated a salary grab which interested parties almost suc ceeded in pushing throughduring the closing hours of the session. A majority in the lower house and a tie vote in the Senate had been reached. Amid great excitement and the utmost pressure from both sides the President calmly
voted “No.”
That night amid jeers
and shouts of anger in the lobbies he
came home feeling that so many enemies had been made that his political future
was blighted beyond question, and this act among many others doubtless con
tributed its share to his defeat in the ensuing campaign against General Butler. In reviewing the gubernatorial con
7
Noyes, recently Speaker of the House, Congressman Crapo of New Bedford and Mr. Bishop. Governor Long already had served three terms and might have
been re-nominated if in the early stages of the campaign he had unhesitatingly expressed his desire to serve again. He seemed, however, to halt between state and congressional honors and this inde
cision resulted in his elimination as a candidate. Moreover, Mr. Noyes soon passed from a gubernatorial possibility to an aspirant for second place honors. This left the field open for the two ultimate candidates, Mr. Bishop and Mr. Crapo. Mr. Crapo was the better known
throughout the state, for after many years of political work he naturally had made more allies than Mr. Bishop, whose career had been comparatively short and whose friends for the main part had been recently made in the legislature. It was felt by many that Mr. Crapo had worked hard and long
for the party and that he and not Mr. Bishop stood first in line for promotion, but Mr. Crapo’s record was thought by many to have been clouded by his recent vote in favor of the "River & Harbor Bill." This enactment which Congress passed over the veto of Presi dent Arthur provided for the expendi ture of several millions in improving the Mississippi River and the harbors
along the coast, and while popular in
to realize the complexity of the issues
and about New Bedford, from which district Mr. Crapo came, voters in other parts of the state regarded it as a
and the bitterness of the fight.
piece of reckless extravagance and con
test of 1882, it is difficult for those not
conversant with the politics of the time During
the summer it appeared that four men were being pushed by their several friends
as possibilities for the Republican nomi nation. They were Governor Long, Mr.
demned it accordingly.
This, and per
haps a desire to balk the combination headed by Senator Hoar, together with
the earnest work of afew friends, gave to Mr. Bishop a decisive victory in the
9 Acts and Resolves, 1880, ch. 46. solves. s ' session 1881. ch. 92. "See preface to Public Statutes.
Acts and Re
Worcester Convention. Naturally
Mr.
Bishop
felt
elated
