Litchfield enquirer., 1869-04-01
Congressnnans

NOn6Iessiaanss ssss ssssxssA ! Westarted in this campaign with three ob- jections to the reelection of Mir. Wm. H. Barnum: E
 l. He is not qualified for the position. :"
 In reply to this proposition we have. re- ceived much abuse, and one excuse: that that gentleman commenced life a poor man; hence, his defective education. This fact certainly does excuse Mr. Barnum for not beng fit for Congress; but it would not excuse usDfor sending him there. !
 ?. "He has, throughout his past term, grossly and inexcusably neglected the du- ties of that position" If4
 This statement Mir. Barnum's friends fatly deny. We offer the official record in evidence. Nearly every day, and some times several times a day, votes are taken in the House of Representatives which show what members are present and what absent. o1 We have examined this record carefully and the result will be found in another column. It is not favorable to MT. Barnum.-. I.s8 t}5is5 t 3. .f's He is shameless, wholesale cor |ruptor of voters" a.ef s4sH aida1sa
 n proof of this statement, we have not relied on common report, but have addu- ced the positive evidence of witnesses tes- tifying under oath. MT. Barnum's own friends and employees have swornSto the fact; and his own journal, the Sentinel, on the 8th of Nov, 1867, while denying, con- fessed it. Our charge, and especially, our making that charge good, has, naturally enough, perhaps, occasioned much Demo- cratic wrath and loud writing. They have railed at us, at P. T. Barnum, at Republi- cans indiscriminately; but they have been careful not to touch the evidence against Wm. H. Barnum. That stands unanswer- ed and unanswerable.
 We have dwelt on the foregoing obiec- tions, particularly the latter, because we are aware of the strong influences at work in favor of Mr. Barnum, and because those influences are of kind confessedly the most dangerous the experience of represen- tatiye government has yet developed. Were Mir. Barnum running for the British House of Commons, instead of the Ameri. can House of Representatives, his election would be certainty. Crowds of em. ployees owe service to him. Crowds of debtors owe money to him. Many intiu. ential men have intimate business rela. tlons with him. He has immense wealth which he knows how to use politically. Above all, the Railroad system of this Dis. trict-a tremendous political power-is Democratic, and largely under his control He IS President of the Connecticut West. ern Railroad; he is Vice President of the Housatonic; his old political ally, Wm. D. Bishop, who has withdrawn little osten- tatiously from political life, is President of the New York and New Haven Railroad. and, practically. of tho Naugatuck. To meet all those influences, direct and indi. rect, We can only offer the fact that ou, candidate is worthy to succeed the pure and able men this District has been in the hab it of sending to Congress- and that the Democratic candidate is not. Mr.. Bar num's shadow covers portions, of this District, but not all. We rely upon the in. dependent Connecticut elector to prove that the American citizen, and the British subject, are made of different stuff. . :