Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-08-16

Letter from gen, GrOul.

Gen. W. w. Grout addressed the follow
ing letter, on Saturday last, to the editor of
the St. Adams Messenger:
Col. Albert Clarke, Sir II had intended
to keep out of the papers during this Con-
eressional canvass, but you make some
statements. both in your editorials and your
call Tor another Convention, which | feel
require my personal attention.
You accuse me Of reaching success in the
Convention by the purchase of votes, and of
having threatened to bolt myself if not nom
mated.
make haste to pronounce both these
statements wholly untrue. My friends and
supporters were in no such atmosphere.
either on the day of the Convention or be-
lore, as to justify them in believing that
was willing to succeed in the Convention by
other than honorable means. And | am
confident in my belief that no friend or
helper OF mine sought to influence the vote
OF any delegate by the use OF money.
You say you have proof that they did.
demand The proof. Publish IL al once.
also demand the proof tina. | have said
to any one that Should bolt. il not success
full at Hydepark. Give tho mans name,
the time and the place where. invariably
told all my friends that if Mr. Barlow was
nominated | should consider myself honor
ably discharged from the contest; that |
should then go about my business and
under no circumstances allow the use Of
my name, whatever shape the canvass
might thereafter assume. But now, alter
the unanimous action of the whole body of
the delegates at 1ydepark, Il consider myself
enlisted for the war-if there is to be one
and as stood ready to accept the fortunes
of the convention, so | shall cheerfully
submit to the will of the people
Respectfully yours,
WILLIAM W. CIRCUIT.
Barton, Aug. 10, 1873.
The Messenger, it is hardly necessary to
say. does not furnish any OF the proof asked
for. 1t simply repeats its former unsup-
ported assertions. as follows:
We have not said, editorially or other
wise. that Gen Circuit achieved success by
the purchase OF votes. We do not know
such to be the case. We have said that an
Orleans county man made an unsuccessful
effort to purchase for him the vote of Mr..
Z. p. V. Lewis, OF Berkshire, and that Mr..
Lewis was ready to impart his name.
Probably Gen. Grout had not seen this
statement when he wrote the above.
Concerning the bolt. it may be that he
had not said that be should bolt, himself.
But will he deny that he told the Hon. E.
D. Mason, at the dinner table in the Amer
lean House at Hydepark, while the ballot
ing WAS going on, that If Mr.. Barlow re-
ceived the nomination there Vouid be a bolt?
We understand that Gen. Grout denies
that he told Mr.. Mason that if Mr.. Barlow
received the nomination there would be
bolt. All he said out of which such an
assertion could be manufactured, was to
mention supposable state of things
(Which. however, did not occur)-sume-
thing other than lair nomination of Mr.
Barlow-which would mako a result which
many Republicans could not be expected to
accept o. abide by. Gen. Grout has said
nothing inconsistent with his attitude as
expressed above--that if he was not the
choice OF the Convention he should allow
no further use of his name
IL would he much to his credit if Mr.. Bar
low had taken, and persisted in, similarly
honorable attitude.