The Portland daily press., 1869-04-06
Our Members Of Congress and the State
Police Acf
PORTLAND, April 8, 1869

PORTLAND, April B, 1909
Mr. EDIToR,-After an absence of two
weeks out Of the State was handed copy Of
your paper containing letter from Hon.
james G.. Blaine to Joshua Nye, Esq, and
Mr.. Nye's reply, in which that gentleman
charges me with the authorship of certain
statement concerning several of our Congress
men, for which feel assured neither they nor
Mr.. Nye will hold me responsible on reading
the following explanation in which have en-
deavored to present with frankness the SUBJECT
at issue. Mr. Nye's statement is as follows:
1 was told by a Senator at Augusta, on
Thursday last, that he had just had kilograms
from several Congressman, urging defeat of
the State Police bill. Why? Because it
would iniure the Republican Party.
did not say that had Just received tele-
grams from several Congressmen, but think
stated that had seen a telegram from sever
al Congressmen urging the defeat of the Con-
stabulary bill. If recollect correctly l was
attempting to convince Mr.. Nye that in my
judgment the passage of the Police bill, then
pending, with such provisions as it embraced,
would be prejudicial to the unity of the Re-
publican party, which | felt the propriety OF
trying to avert, feeling assured that the gener-
al success of the party should not not be I'M
periled by any measure of doubtful necessity.
While urging substantially this point, in my
desire to show the doubtful expedlency Oh 'ne
police act, inadvertently referred 10 tne tel
egram heretofore spoken of, and which was
uppermost in my mind.
The facts as to the telegram are these: In
the morning before met Mr.. Nye in the Sen
ate had been discussing the merits of the po-
lice bill upon which immediate action was ex-
pected, and after leaving the party with
whom the discussion took place, 1 met
three prominent members of the House,
one of whom held up telegram, observing at
the same time that it was from several mem
bers of Congress who advised that the passage
OF the act was dangerous at this time. My at
tention was called to the signers of the tele
gram 1 remarked that that matter was al
ready fixed, presuming that it referred to the
police bill, which was occupying my thoughts.
This was the telegram which spoke of an
hour or two later toMr. Nye. At that time ] full
ly believed its purport to be as 1 stated to- him.
1t passed from my mind, as the matter which
supposed it referred to was disposed of in
private conversation, has been made public,
unnecessarily, the original telegram has been
placed in my hands by the gentleman who re-
ceived it, Ia copy Of which now hold) and
find am mistaken as to its contents; that it
referred to the biennial sessions and elections,
instead of the police bill. The objections in
the telegram, as I heard them stated without
reading the dispatch myself, were the same in
import that had been raised in my own mind
against the police bill, and against the third
candidate proposition in the Senatorial con-
test concerning which 1 had also seen COM
munications from Washington, and / natur-
ally fell into the mistake which has caused the
trouble.
regret that my mistake has resulted in mis-
leading Mr.. Nye, or will be the means of do
ing any injustice to our Representatives in
Congress, as 1 seriously doubt if they have
any knowledge Of the provisions of the bill in
question.
my opposition to the Police bill as framed by
its authors was not from hostility to the cause
of temperance. will not yield in devotion to
its principles even to Mr. Nye when judicious
measures are proposed for the suppression Of
intemperance Iopposed the bill from want
Of personal knowledge of the practical work
ings of the former Constabulary law, which
was in operation during my absence from the
country, and which had been represented to
me by many of the leading citizens of the
State as exceeding obnoxious. 7. s. LANG.