Litchfield enquirer., 1872-03-14
COOLEY vs. oiIlErTE.


 aassF es4 8a e-I9YAI G9m
 The controversy between the Temper ance candidate for Governor and the can- didate of the same party for Sheriff of Hartford county is so juicy and 90 char aeteristic that we extract it entire from 1 the Courant, with such explanation as the | complicated nature of the case requires: On the 27th of Feb, Col. Samuel A. Cooley, of Hartford, was nominated by the Temperance convention for Sheriff. Col. Cooley is 8 Democrat and was prominent candidate for the Democratic nomination for the same office. The next day the Democratic county convention was held, and Col. Cooley stated in that convention that he was Democrat, that he did not propose to leave bis party and vote the Temperance ticket, and that he thought the fact of his having received the Temperance nomination, which he had neither solicited nor accepted, ought not to injure him with his own party. He was further reported in the Courant as saying that Che should not be such an insane idiot as to vote the Temperance ticket" ..-...
 The fact of his having received this nom- ination and of his being Temperance man was however used 30 strongly against him as to defeat him in the Democratic convention. He considered that he had been unfairly treated and accepted the Tenn perance nomination. In the meantime the Courant commented on the 'sinsane idiot" remark, and requested Mir. Gillette to "call this wild talking candidate to or der" In the next issue of that paper Col. Cooley corrected the report, saying that all he had said was that he should have been an insane idiot to have procured the Temperance nomination. Two days after Mir. Gillette, taking no notice of the cor rection, pitched into tue Col. as follows:
 To the EDITOR OF THE CoURANT:- In your comments, day or two since, on the nomination of Mir. Cooley, you are pleased to say that "Mr. Gillette should call the wild-talking candidate to order" But this seems to me quite unnecessary. MT. c. has found his quietus of himself. The Courant need not fear any more dis turbance from him. By what foul wind he was foisted upon the prohibitory con- vention I do not know, not having been pres ent at the time he was nominated. But, owing to whatever cause, the nomination was a mistake, blunder, which every prohibitionist regrets. After repudiating tho roaptu and eR %ha democratic convention, the public will judge whether he is not, after all, to use his own choice language, Ian insane idiot" to attempt to cover his defeat in that con- vention, with the nomination mistakenly rendered to him by the prohibitionists. Of course no self-respecting prohibitionist can vote for him. e-
 | The Colonel being now between two fires bewailed his condition and turned on Mir. Gillette in the following racy epistle: To the Editor of the Co4rdnt :- Will you allow me little of your space? The ''Hon. Francis Gillette, the third party candidate for governor, has by one stroke of his sarcastic pen annihilated me, with all of my political aspirations, and de- stroyed all of my hopes for the honorable position of sheriff, which had hoped to have reached through his leadership. I was nominated by the ''twelve apostles who were selected from the chosen few that nominated him. I had no part or connivance in the nomination. Twas ab- scent from the city at the time. have not yet received any official notification of my nomination.
 If was "foisted upon the party by some foul wind," it is only necessary for me to say that portion of the same gen. tie breeze that lifted him to the head of the ticket, placed me at the other extrem- ity of it. He recommends that no pro- hibitionists should vote for me. Now I call that sticking to regular nominations with a vengeance. Was not he once ''foist- ed" into the senate by as foul" 8 ''wind" as ever invaded the nostrils of a respecta- ble party? His political actions have al- ways been actuated and governed by self ish motives.
 one year ago that he had examined the so-called Maine law with all of it's amend ments, and said that there could not be @ stronger or more efficient law enacted that it was strong enough to put stop to the sale of spurious liquors. Yet he has taken the nomination from party that desires still more stringent (if possible) enactment If he has the noble cause of temperance so much at heart, why does he not show it by his works? He is a man of wealth and talent. Why does he not go down among the lower wards and use his influence and money, and redeem his fallen brother and sister, and not stand aloof saying 'I am holier than thou?" Why has he never come to our Good Samaritan meetings and encouraged those that have redeemed themselves and are striving, heart and soul, to re- claim others? No, he never raises his voice in their behalf, and uses his pen up- on me, poor unfortunate, who have now lost the opsg chance I had of defeating West. Russell as sheriff.
 It is too bad, in view of all the in-luck staring me in the face, that this old jos sil of Brutus should stab me in the very house of my friends but his assault will prove
 ':Like gun which aimed at duck or plover,
 Recoils and kicks it's owner over."
 His phillipic against me will prove the petard that will blow him sky high. I am much obliged to you for your kind ness in warding off some of the blow. Now, as was defeated in the desire to be the candidate for sheriff, by the most consummate system of lying. fraud, chi canery and deception, in the democratic convention, have now received my ''qai- etus" from this man who goes about the country lecturing on cruelty to animals, insects and creeping things, while thous- ands of his fellow-men and women are dying from the cruel crurse of intemper- ance, and he does nothing in any way, practically. to save them. but sits at home and Eliminates cruel document against me, one of the feeble but honest workers for temperance, using for my weapons to secure success, Sympathy, Love, Charity and Good Will. Whatever he or others may say, the transactions of the past week do not in the least dampen my ardor, nor in any way discourage me in my efforts to save my fallen fellow man. know from sad experience the condition they are in, and feel an unbounded, heartfelt sympa-