The Portland daily press., 1879-08-13
THAT CORRESPONDENCE.
What Captain Boutelle Says.
HE GIVES MAJOR SMITH AN EARFUL
1Bangor Whig.1

served profound silence for nearly week
since his anticipatory denial was met by the
production of his own proposals to throw over
board his party, he has again thrust forward
Mr.. NJ. M. Folsom, in whom the public have
no special interest, to attempt to divert public
attention from the plain question of veracity
that Mr.. Smith, and he alone, is called upon to
face This attempt is made by putting forward
other and irrelevant documents in the hope
that the public may be confused as to the
merits of the case. 1t won't do Mr.. Smith;
the case is too plain.
The documents brought forward by MIR.
Smiths dummy consist of letter written early
in last December by the editor OF this paper, a
reply by Mr. Smith, and our rejoinder The
correspondence had nothing whatever to do
with Smiths negotiations for Republican sup
port, and at the time we had no knowledge OF
the proposals as since revealed. The editor OF
this paper wrote entirely on his own account,
without consulting or apprising any "Repubil-
can leaders," and with the view OF attempting
so obtain from him some definite and honest
statement Of his position 50 concmgy h Renger lepre
Commercial had printed paragraph as fol-
lows:
THE BOGUS JOURNAL INTERyIEw.-The Port
land Argus of Saturday morning containg the toi-
lowing special despatch from Auburn: So,
'Private advices from Maj. j. L. Smith OF Old
town. disclaims the statsm sments published IN the
Journal recently, alleged to have been made by nun
in an interview with reporter OF that paper he
party as set forth in the platform adopted at the
State Convention and subscribed to by Maj. Smith
at that time.''
FASTING that clipping upon one of our letter
sheets we wrote Mr.. Smith as follows:
[Personall
THE WIIIG AND COURIER EDITORIAL Rooms,
I'd Bangor, Dec. A, 1878.
Hon. Joseph Z. Smith:
Dear Sfr,-The editor of the Lewiston journal IN
forms me that the report CT your political views
published recently in that paper was furnished Dy
t a% s' have seen no
authorized contradiction from you, but the Bangor
Commercial has repeatedly declared the report
fabrication and on Monday published the enclosed
extract from the Argus. 80,
Presuming that you are willing that the public
shall know precisely where you now stand IN reier.
people, and desiring to know how to state your posi-
ton in my papef write to ask whether you were
the Lewiston Journal or if, on the contrary, 1t is
true, as alleged in the extract enclosed that you
''stand firmly on the principles Of the Greenback
iston?
have taken the direct method of applying to
yourself for authentic information on subject OF
Respectfully yours,
G. A. BoUTELLE,
Ed. Whg and Courier.
Two days later, long enough we suppose for
consultation with the legal adviser OF the
Greenback head-centre, we received the follow
ing reply, which we give here reroatsm ct 1T
erdtim:
c. A. Boutelle, Esq.
sIR:-Yours Of 4th received. Not desiring pub
Lie OF to raise n OF that
you should rot publish OF refer to this reply put
treat it your favor is headed, strictly personal
In reply however, say, it is always expected OF
a candidate for any prominent Office that he should
be in accord with the principles adopted by his po-
litical party.
have no desire to be an exception to that rule or
to assume the role of expounder of those principles
earlier than duty requires. was, to say the least,
some of the ideas the reporter seemed to have car
ried away with him as being at variance with what
'"''''' j. L. SMITH.
The shutting and evasive character of that
reply can be seen at a glance. We. saw 1t as
every reader will see it. He affirmed nothing
and denied nothing, but declined to 'expound'
eth er his principles or those OF his party until
"duty" should require it. knowing that
Smiths friends were boasting that many Re-
publicans were in favor of electing him, and
perceiving that his letter was intended to be
craftily diplomatic, we chose to give it posi-
tive Interpretation and to inform him plumply
that in the alternative forced upon us OF elect
side the pale of Republican support Our re-
ply was as follows:
[Personal.l
THE WING AND COURIER EDITORIAL Rooms,
Bangor, Dec. 6, 1873.
hand and Sonr request that IL be treated as
al will be respected. No reference will be made to
it i'm columns but it will enable me to deal with
rrrtfIar ondip
terances attributed to you in the Lewiston journal
'interview'' tendedto create favorable impression
among Republicans but the reiterated denias OF its
correctness by papers assuming to speak In your be-
half tended to counteract that impression, and
think the general feeling is now that you las you
say in your letter. are in accord with the principles
That smpliies the question for Republicans and
leave. the path of duty plain, if not altogether
pleasant Thanking you for your very polite answer
to my inquiry, l am very truly yours,
C. A. BoUTELLE,
Hon. Jos L. Smith, Oldtown.
We have reason to know since that Mr.. Smith
was disturbed by that reply, as he had thought
his cautiously worded epistle would be more fa-
vorably construed. But we regarded his letter
as obviously that of trickster and the recent
revelations have more than confirmed that
opinion
Now, Mr. Smith, the public understand that
the above correspondence does not in the
slightest degree affect the grave indictment
brought against you in the Boston Journal in
your own words. To that indictment you have
not yet made any response, and the public
want to hear from you.
1t has been disclosed that you were engaged
in attempts to sell out your party to the Re-
publicans of which the editor of this paper had
no knowledge at that time, and furthermore,
Mr.. Smith, it was subsequent to the dates OF
the above correspondence that you made the
explicit written propositions that the Journal
has revealed.
The Journal says that it can produce in your
own handwriting the following memorandum
of what you would do if the Republicans would
make you Governors
'In regard to resumption, have to say that by
the time the Governors message is delivered that
will be accomplished fact, or the act of 1869 re-
pealed, and in either event would appear to me to
% BE en1ifey re I f as It is matter
ent opinion is shall not refer to 1t in case have
to draw up message. In regard to bull-dozng, the
principle you set forth is eminently just and proper
and would thank you for the suggestion and insert
the substance"
That paper also declares it can produce in
your own handwriting the following draft of
what You agreed should be all you would say
in your message touching the Greenback issues
if the Republicans would elect you:
sThe financial question has been fully and ably
discussed during the Fall campaign and remains TO
Others than us to decide upon; and whatever deei
sion may be reached by them it is the duty 9r az "
lawabiding citizens in all parts Of the country 70
give 1t an earnest and cheerful support.
Those are the documents, Mr.. Smith, that
you are called upon to face: You declared IN
advance that anything of the kind produced
would be 'forgeries" DO you you say 50 now
and If SO what have you to say about them?
Do you fear to denounce them now as forge
ries lest you be confronted with the originals?
Your silence is so interpreted by the public,
and no intrusion of side-issues will help the
case. You and your friends and organs chal-
lenged the production of the documents and now
you must face them or take verdict by de-
fault
Boston Transcript: Little Annie plays so
hard in these vacation days that she does not
become so round and rosy as her mother would