The coalition, led by Henry Wilson, hoped to preserve the town system of representation which had advantaged rural agrarian interests over the urban mercantile Whigs, while the Whig minority argued for proportional representation in both the Senate and House.
Henry Wilson's coalition aimed to preserve the town system of representation, which had historically favored rural farmers and landowners over urban merchants and industrialists. The remaining Whigs argued for a more equitable system of representation that would reflect the population's true proportions in both the Senate and House.