Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-07-11


 week, containing an editorial article cut
 from an issue of the Evening Post of re-
 cent date, entitled "The Whole Story. :"
 The personal impertinence concerning my
 motives contained in it does not require any answer, but as you have in that article made the same mistake which you have heretofore shown by misrepresenting facts in which the public have sn interest, it is quite proper that should write you
 this letter to show that your memory is at fault in many particulars, and tD give the public an opportunity of knowing certain truths which you have consistently suppressed whenever you have expressed yourself upon this subject. Neither the Palladium nor myself have at any time since last November changed the opinion, which has always been expressed, to wit, that General Merwin is entitled to the office of governor, and that the demo- crats elected their candidates for at least three of the other state offices
 The facts concerning my entire partici- patton in, and much of your connection with, this particular controversy, and which facts can be proved by the testi- mony of several persons, are substantially as follows:
 PLOT OF THE REPUBLICAN MANAGERS. During the latter part of the month of
 
 the democrats would take decided ground against the power of the General Assembly to investigate and correct the returns of the presiding officers. Such a course would prevent General Merwin from be- ing elected in joint convention. Two or three republicans, about that time, who had become overloaded in the campaign, suggested that proper way to compel the democratic senators to investigate the re- ~ L: IL
 would be to have the republican house
 block any steps towards a declaration of the result concerning the other state off. cers; and it was urged by them that the desire of the democratic candidates to ob- tain possession of the minor offices to which they had been elected, would be so
 strong that the democratic senate would
 be compelled to yield it's position on the governors ship. Nearly all republicans who
 heard of this plan objected to it as unfair, unworthy of serious consideration, and as quite unlikely to bring about the desired result for General Merwiu. Such plan might have been bold but it was conceded by nearly all who discussed it that such 8 course if taken by the republicans, would put them as much in the wrong as the democratic senate would be if it should refuse to correct errors affecting the gov ernorship. Because such rumors were discussed in the community December 8,
 1890, the Palladium announced editerially that the republicans believed in fair play,
 and while they held that General Merwin ought to be elected after the returns had
 been properly investigated, they did not propose tc use the minor offices as club
 to force the democratic senate to investi-
 gate The Palladium said in that article ::
 ''If it shall appear that any or all of them (the democratic candidates for the minor effices) have been honestly elected, there is no republican intention to attempt a smart game of endurance with the demo crats. This is the republican position as the Palladium understands it; and as set
 forth by some of the most trustworthy
 men of the party. General Merwin is
 not man to delight in discomforting and
 injuring other men to enhance his own in terests, nor do his republican friends and supporters believe in such a campaign of unreasonable and unjust resistance. It is not the Connecticut temper"
 FAIR PLAY URGED.
 A few days after the publication of
 that editorial there was a gathering in a
 neighboring city of several of the leading republicans of the state, and General Merwin was among them. This subject was discussed at that time, and, with two exceptions, no one who was present ad- vised or approved the plan of keeping the democratic candidates for ieutsnant- gov ernor, etc, out of office beyond such time
 as was necessary for the usual examina- tion of the returns, and this notwith- standing any course that might be taken by the democrats in relation to the gov ernorship. General Merwin was present and expressed himself in approval of the position taken by the Palladium in the editorial of December 3. No republican newspaper disssnted from the Palladium 8 advice, and no republican leader dis agreed publicly, if at all, with the opin- ions of General Merwin as expressed From that time I never heard the i'm
 polite plan urged by anyone until the evening of January 7, 1891. At that time you came to my rooms at the Allyn house with several friends. The several gentlemen had gathered there for the rur- pose of determining what course should
 be taken by the republicans in the house,
 after the action which the democratic senate had taken that afternoon, in declar- ing the democratic candidates, including Judge Morris, elected. The senate had refused to appoint joint committee on canvass of votes. Several members of the
 house were present together with some of the gentlemen who acted as counsel for the republicans.
 THE CONSERVATIVE PLAN.
 I was requested to prepare proper form of resolutions raising house select com mittee on the canvass of votes, and giving such committee power to examine the re- turns for state officers. While was pre- pairing draft, some one in the room sug- gested that if the senate should persist in the action it had taken, it would be we'll for this committee to refuse to make any declaration in relation to the election of the minor state officials until the senate has backed down from it's position on the governorship. I immediately stated that I should consider such a course very un- fair, very unwise, and very bad politics, if not almost dishonesty itself, and that if
 such course was to be taken, did not
 wish to have anything more to do with
 any council upon the subject, and I
 should ask to be excused from having
 anything more to do with the preparation
 of any papers. You a5 sat in the the room end and
 your decided approval of the sentiments I
 had expressed Others who were present