Morning journal and courier., 1886-12-06
DEmoRAL1zED POLITICIANS.

A Firebrand I'm the Democratic Camp
 Some Tall Excitement-The City
 Clerkship-Saturday Nights RumOr
 MT. Willett's Position-TO.MOr-
 roWss Election.
 One of the most bitter fights ever witness ed among the Democratic politicians is in progress at the present. time. It commenced on Saturday last when g frebrand was thrown into the camp in the shape of a let ter written a year ago to c. w. Willett by Bernard J. Shanley. This letter gave MT. Willett, who was then 8 candidate for city clerk on the Republican ticket, an abundance of ammunition to use against James E. Nc Gam. his opponent on the Democratic side, and other aspiring of6ceseekers of that party. MT. Willett used the weapons placed in his hands by MT. Shanley for all they were worth. He hunted up the police record, as directed, regarding the candidates, and the same was published in morning paper. It had it's effect, for when the ballots were counted it was found that MT. Willett had been elected by small majority. Now the tables are turned. MT. Willett is candi- date for reelection, and MT. Shanley is his opponent on the Democratic side, and by some hocus pocus arrangement the letter written by MT. Shanley to MT. Willett last year has
 
 who is using it for all it is worth against MT. Shanley, and McGann declares by all that is good and holy that he will defeat Shanley at all hazards. On Saturday he was making it very warm about town, being aided in his work by Thomas Fl. Sullivan of the Board of Public Works, who is another of the ag- grieved parties in connection with Shanley's letter. Matters reached that pitch on Satur day that it was found necessary for the great moguls of the party to hold secret confer ence to consider the situation. This was done and it was decided to urge MT. Shan ley to resign as the only means of saving the entire ticket from total defeat; this MT. Shanley decided to do, and the commit tee then waited on Edward Downes, 8 law student and manager of the Downes News company, and rendered him the nomination of city clerk, vice Shanley withdrawn. MT. Downes told the committee that he would accept and it was supposed that the trouble was now over and that the enemies of Shan ley would at once enter into the canvass with a will and endeavor to retrieve the ground that had been lost. But they were doomed to disappointment. After MT. Shanley had decided to withdraw he called upon his friends in the lower wards and told them what he had done, and they set up a great howl over it and finally persuaded him to withdraw his resignation. This again set the political pot boiling with increased fury and Shan1ey's enemies again started on the warpath. determined to carry out their original purpose.
 Mr. Willett was seen on Saturday evening and said that he had nothing to deny and nothing to conceal in regard to the matter. The fact was that last year MT. Shanley did of his own free will write such letter, not as confidential communication, but for the very purpose of publication; at MT. Shan ley's own request it was taken to the morn ing papers and was published by one of them. The mattsr has therefore been an open secret ever since, and now that Mir. Shanley is candidate himself for the same position McGann and his friends are using it against him.
 It was stated last evening that the Satur- day night rumor that the city convention would be called together again this evening to select another candidate for city clerk was without any foundation in fact.