Litchfield enquirer., 1878-08-15
"You're Another !"

The great source of grief and the occasion for this outburst on the part of the Enquirer lies in the fact that Connecticut is a Democrat ic State on the popular vote, and by every principle ought to be represented in the Unit ed States Senate by Democratic Senators, yet such is our system of representation in the General Assembly that, as the Enquirer sug- gests it can be so manipulated by working in the close towns and by changing few votes in those that majority can be secured by one party in the Legislature, although the voice of the people, as indicated by the popu- lar vote, be for the other party. The Repub- iicans have shown themselves expert in thls kind of manipulation and have succeeded over and over again. The Democratic party never has accomplished such a performance, but hG0e sometimes aregented the Ot1ter pIrty from 1 and ore likely to do so again. Every right minded person must see, however, that it is neither political dishonesty or crime in Mr.
 Barnum, or any other political manager, to endcavor by all honorable means to frustrate such manipulation of any part of the vote of this State by trick of the minority as shall deprive the majority of the voters of this State of their just representation in the United States Senate. Now, Mir. Enquirer, and the others, just give us a rest on Barnum and look | at your fl. Lynde Harrison for whom you are manipulating the wires, or to your returning boards and the State Senator's your Miles and your Coe, and let the Democrats arrange their own affairs.-Ne0 Msltord Gasette.
 The foregoing precious bit of special plead Ling in behalf of Senator Barnum escaped our notice, last week; but it is much too good to be | passed over altogether.
 Let us first notice the sophistication of fact in regard to the legislature. The De- ! mocratic majority on popular vote refer | red to is cast in the three cities of | New Haven. Hartford and Bridgeport. In l 1876 these cities gave Democratic majority of about 3, 200. The Democratic majority in the State was but 2,9OO on President; and 3, 400 on Governor. Under our system of rep resentation, cities have no more representa- tives than towns, and the enormous Democrat ic majorities in few cities plainly help them
 very little towards carrying the legislature l Last year the Republicans had small majori- | ty on the popular vote Would not control of the legislature follow as matter of course without any such manipulation as that charg- ed by the Gazette?
 The most comical of the Gazette's excuses for the Barnum method of political manage ment is that in which itexplains that the Dem- ocrats have never manipulated" the legisla- ture as wicked Republicans do, but admits that they ''have sometimes prevented the other party from it, and ere likely to do so agaiaa. !" In other words Mir. McMahon sees neither political dishonesty nor crime" in Barnum's method of manipulating to prevent manipu- lation Thus when, in the spring of '76, Mir. l English made his handsome campaign contri- button of $20,0 ,000 to prevent Republican manipulation" of the legislature, and Mir. Barnum "went him" a few thousand dollars
 ''better," and took the Senatorship, it was a case of entirely proper political prevention. In
 short, the Gazette expects, as we do, that Mir. 1 Barnum will use his old method of securing a
 subservient legislature, and it is entirely satis fled both with the man and with the method. l The closing sentence of sprightly rebuke in
 which the Gazette warns us not to bother with
 Barnum but to look out for Lynde Harrison
 Miles, and Coe, is in the Gazette's best style.
 Why this outcry about our manipulator when l you're another is your true politician's excuse
 for the most fragrant immortality. Recrimina.
 ton is the commonest. device of the criminal.
 It is no doubt true that there are Republican
 intrigaers and cormpters of voters as bad if not I so notorious and so adroit as MT. Barnum. If
 any such offer their names to the people it is
 the plain duty of honest Republicans to vote l agalnst them just as it is now the plain duty
 of every honest Democrat to vote against any
 Barnum representative. The first choice of
 the Republicans of this vicinity for the United
 States Senate is Joseph R. Hawley,a man who
 isaspureas as Wm. H. Barnum is corrupt. We are
 very well aware that certain New Haven politi- clans are likely to intrigue for his defeat, this year, as they have done before. We should take special pleasure in voting against any repre- ] sentative we had reason to suppose would join