The Portland daily press., 1880-09-08
Smoked Out,

Under the hot and persistent attacks Of
the PRESS on Mr.. Nye's bribery accusations,
that candidate has at last been driven, after
various dodges of avoidance, to give the
name of his tempter, and the disclosure is
just what we expected to reach, viz: that nc
prominent or representative Republican had
anything to do with it. Mr.. Nye gives the
name of James Dunning of Bangor. Al
this point the matter ceases to be of public
interest, and becomes simply question be-
tween Candidate Nye and Mr.. Dunning, a
private citizen, who neither has nor claims
authority to represent anybody but himself.
Mr.. Nye writes to the PRESS letter con-
tanning an account of the affair, which we
give entire in his own words as follows:
On Sunday, August 90, 1880, received a
letter from Bangor, the following being cor
rect copy:
JOSHUA NYE, ESQ.
DEAR SIR: If you are coming this way wish
you would call and see me. If you can be here the
first of the week will pay your expenses over.
Respectfully yours,
Never having received any communications
from the gentleman before, and knowing the
desperate attempts made to keep persons with
in party lines, and believing an attempt would
be made to bribe me, as believed others had
been bribed, at once sent a telegram to the
gentleman to meet me at the depot on arrival
of the Pullman tIain the next morning.
The train arrived at $50, and soon
after 1 met Mr.. Dunning in the de-
tlemans room for the interview. In a
few moments man came in, and he said Il
don't wish to have any one hear our conversa-
tion. Let us 60 out and take ride" We
entered his carriage, and he at once proceeded
to business by saying: Mr.. Nye, never felt
were not going to vote for Gov. Davis We
must all hang together this year. You must
not leave the Republican party. I told him
the Republican ring in this State had thrown
out OF their platform the most important plank
in it, the enforcement of the prohibitory law,
and that grog shops were as open in Bangor as
in Boston and New York. He replied, have
not seen so many grog shops in Bangor for 40
years, and they must be shut up. He then
said that id Col. Peakes never ought to have
been appointed Insurance Commissioner and
Mr.. - said he was for you all the time, and
that you ought to have been appointed"
said, Mr.. Dunning, no money would have
tempted me to have taken it again, and was
glad to get rid Of it, for the rum Republican
ring fought me for four years out of the six I
was twice the present amount He then said
there was to be mass temperance meeting at
Old Orchard the next Wednesday; that he and
other persons named were going, and if I
would go there and come out and in speech
say that on looking about the State, found
that it was best to keep together this time, and
that should vote the whole Republican ticket,
I could have any office in the State, or any
thing within the gift Of the people. He sever
al times urged me to go to the house Of prom.
inent politician and he would make it all
right.
then told him it was not Office l wanted,
and that there was not money enough in Maine
nor offices enough in the United States to in
duce me to recede from the position 1 had
taken.
more evidence in regard to our meeting, but
am reminded that my article is already long
enough for one reading. JOSHUA NYE.
The Bangor Whig of yesterday contains
the following letter from Mr.. Dunning:
BANGOR, Sept. 6, 1880.
MIR EDITOR:-In answer to the article in the
Commercial of the 4th inst, calling upon me
to answer the charges made by Joshua Nye, of
an attempt at bribery, hasten to say that i
have been acquainted intimately with him for
over twenty years, and as o friend of long
standing felt deep sorrow thathe should lend
his influence to breaking up the Republican
on the 28th ult., saying that I would like to
meet him at Bangor on the first of next week,
and that 1 would pay his expenses IN coming,
if he should say so. The next dav, Sunday
afternoon) I received a despatch saying he
would meet me at the depot on the arri-
at the depot with my own car
riage, and met Mr.. Nye, shaking hands with
Mr.. Bass as went into the depot took him
into my carriage and said to him that wished
Mishea 70 SO : nm sH s.es sae t1ss M4y
to go to the Old Orchard Convention, the day
but one following and set himself right with
the Republican party, as he could easily do
just at that time, by abandoning this new
movement, and that had no doubt he would
stand stronger with the Republican party than
he did before. made no promise of money or
office or anything else. / said to HIM that ]
came to him on my own responsibility, sent by
no one, and having had no consultation with
any one in reference to the matter, influenced
only by our old friendship. Our consul tatio n
was of a very friendly character, and on pa TT
ing with him we shook hands warmly, and he
said that he was glad to have met me as he
had, because he felt sure that had always
been friendly towards him.
have stated above all the important parts
of our interview. and would repeat that it was
a matter of which no one else had any knowl-
edge, or had in any way suggested, and If any
blame is to be attached to any one it is to be
placed solely upon me for attempting to save
an old friend from the consequences Of his own Il
folly. JAMES DUNNING.
Thus distinct question of veracity arises
between Mr.. Nye and Mr.. Dunning as to the
essentiafcharacter of the interview, and those
who know the parties will have no hesita-
ton which to believe. There is one glaring
and amusing inconsistency in Mr.. Nye's
account to which we cannot forbear to call
attention. 1t seems that he went to Bangor
to seek somebody who should try to bribe
him and when Mr.. Dunning ''several times
urged'' him to go to the house of ''promi-
nent politician who s'would make it all
right Mr.. Nye declined to do so. 1t seems
that he would take long night ride and put
himself to great atinconvenience for the pur-
pose of having his virtue tempted and then
shrink from availing himself OF the opportu-
nifty to bring to grief q prominent politi
cian"-the very sort of game lie was hunt
gauzy tale for the gullibility of even an
enforced prohibitionist". But perhaps it
is too much to expect Mr.. Nye to be consis-
tent-it is only the truth that is consistent
with itself.
This fiat breakdown of a desperate at
tempt to being an accusation against the
Republican party is precisely what might
have been expected. Mr.. Nye colored and
distorted a plain talk with private citizen
into an attempt at bribery by some represen.
tative Republican; and he did it for the
meanest sort of partisan effect. The pun
ishment ofdetection and exposure is no more
than he deserved and if it teaches him to be
a little less loose of mouth, it may work out
permanent good for him.