The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-04-29
Another Rare Proceeding.

letters which will BIO read with interest
and which we have for convenience num-
bcrcd I 2 8 &c. The public viii see by
letter number 1, addressed to us, that Mr..
Lynch In his paper, or at least his editor,
afser having published a statement that
the Agent of the Water Power Machine
Shop was slandcrer, and had declined
to publish Mr.. I.ynch's vindication, rSas-
ed to print his letter No. 2, giving his rca-
sons for dclAy--sn unhcard of refusal aftcr
having atnsckcd him in public print. BY
this corrse on the part Of Mr.. Lynch's
organ. Mr.. MCMILLAN was obliged to pub
lish tho correspondence before waiting. as
he wanted to 10, for Mr.. Lynch's reply to
his letter numbered 9. Letter No. . was
sent In reply 10 a telegram sent by Mr..
AicMullan, "Uso all your influence 10 pre-
vent cotton machinery being admitted
free" Amer having received this jour.
NAL or date the 18th published a day in
advance. Thursday being Fast Day. the
honorable gentleman sends post haste,
letter numbered 4, and also telegram OF
tho exact tenor. On the ed. Mr.. Nc
Mullan replied to letter numbered 4, Civ
ing his Icasons for not publishing il. which
letter was on Its way to Mr.. Lynch when
tho Press took up the matter To vindicatc
It's proprietor, by pronouncing MIR. Mem.
slandcrcr, and then refusing 10 publish
very kindly written letter from that gen
tleman In simple explanation.
Furthermore, Mr.. Lynch wrote u ettcrto
his Assessor. in which hc reitcratcs
what he wrote 10 Mr.. Mcmillan.
Octter number y, asserting that he, Mr..
MCMILLAN hal his Q.ynch's) complete
vindication but suppressed it, and such
q. letter has been privately circulated.
There Is now no other course LEFT than
to publish the correspondence, and find
out, II we can, why Mr.. Lynch through
his paper. sees fit to attack the Agent of
the Machine Shop. who addressed him on
subject of great Importance. rs the
people are supposed to have right to do.
First. What was Mr.. Lynch's position
in regard to q measure whose success
would bring ruin upon very large por-
ton of his constituents. and would aid
not single one Of them? Was he OPP
posed to it' Our theory IS that he was
decidedly in favor Of the measure up to
and including the time Of April 9th. at
which time he wrote letter number 3.
Between that time and the 18th he re-
oeived the letter Of Mr.. MCMILLAN, and
on the morning of the 10th he received
this JOURNAL, both Of which shew him
the terrible position'in which he had
placed himself. Thoroughly alarmed. he
Immediately tclegraphs to this city the
substance Of letter No. 4, and also writes
by post by which means he hopes to cover
up his tracks and prevent any further ea-
animation into the matter.
Let us examine the evidence carefully
and give the honorable gentleman the ben
eft of every doubt At the time Mr.. Mem.
wrote him the letter alluded to in tho re-
ply of the 10th. he had before him the
letter of Mr.. Lassell. Treas, in which he
st,tcs that "Alr. Lynch Of the Biddeford
District" favored tho measure. On the
evidence of that letter Hon. A. ID. Lock-
wool of Lewiston wrote Mr.. Lynch urg-
ing him 10 oppose the measure, rs did Mr..
Mem. But the latter had before him.
when be wrote, Mr.. Lynch's letter Of the
9Th. which ought to have been conclusive.
Wa, 1t conclusivc? Did it leave any
doubts in regard to his position9 This Is
all of ID on which TO base conclusion /:
"whcn suggested. &C., the Pa. men,
bcrs thought It would not answer and i
think there is majority now against it,"
Against" what? the bill. or his suggcs-
ton? When no suggested to the COM
mittcc, was he trying to grease tho ways
upon which the measure might slide to
DO enacted. or was he "doing all he could
to defeat it9" When Marvel, Daval &
Co., of Fall River, wrote to Hon. Jas.
Burlington. the Representative from that
District. on this same subject, they re-
cciycd this straightforward aud manly re-
ply, 1T was wholly unnecessary for YOU
to write me in regard to your business
and interests. for you may be assured that
my vote and influence will bc given so rs
to give you the greatest protection"
That was tho answer OF y MIN whose
record WAS good, and il was not doubtful
or cquivooai; bart Mr.. Lynch sends back
"A shutting reply in which he does not
state how he regards the matter. or what
will be his vote, or what he will do. or
that he had not made up his mind what
10 do (for he had made up his mind to
vote for it). but merely adds that he thinks
there Is majority now against a.
against chat no living man beside him
self can tell or oven guess!
let ms look Mt that letter in another
light: Mr.. Lynch was doubtless very,
very busy on the day of the 9Th. and was
moro or lcss interrupted during its COM
position. He knew that he WAS opposed
to the measure. and Ii did not. occur to
him to say in that letter how he regarded
Ii. He thought perhaps. in his haste,
that he had expressed somewhere in his
letter the position nc took, and not what
position the member from Alhambra took.
Al ,ssst. were tho letter long one, it
might be open TO such n guesswork. And
therefore tbs theory with which we start.
al might be erroneous; but fortunately n