, 1891-11-17
PRETTY PLAIN TALK
From Ex-Governor Moore to Sen
ator John B. Allen.
How the WaHa Statesman Sold
Out HIS Neighbor and
Hest Friend.

Hest Friend.
Special to the Tribune
TACOMA, Nov. Ex-senator John B. AL
len and Ex-Governor Miles @. Moore hold
the fort this morning in the Ledger, in
about four or five columns of interesting
reading matter. Allen denies that he
stood in with Squirrels friends to elect the
Seattle statesman to congress the first and
second time. Ex-Governor Moore says
that the senator sold out to Squire and his
friends at the first election after promising
to go for General Sprague, and continues:
NO amount of rhetoric, no amount of
sophistry no amount Of affected indigna-
ton, can divert the attention of the public
from these naked facts. Undeterred by
the thunders of senatorial rhetoric, /
regretfully but emphatically assert that in
the test OF trial he has proven to measure
less IN stature than man of honor.
On the second night after the first cleo
ton, Allen sent friend to request me to
come to his headquarters. After some hes
ltatlOn, i went there with Senator Fair
weather, and found Mr.. Allen and his
brother Hiram together. Mr.. Allen re-
quested private interview which | de-
cl1ned. He then began in studied, halt
ing manner, in the sophistical style of
which he is master, to make a statement of
his case, which is practically reproduced in
his letter to the Ledger, after two years
practice, and which has the same fatal de-
feet as the original.
listened patiently to Mr.. Allen and
replied:
Mr.. Allen, that is a very ingeniously
construed statement; very creditable to
your intellect, 1t has, however, one fatal
defect. 1t is not the truth. Now, Mr..
Allen, if you are through, l will talk for
awhile. You will perhaps remember that
ten years ago there was republican con
vention in Walla Walla county, composed
OF sixty members, Yourself and Tom
Brents were aspiring to the position Of del
egate in congress. Fifty nine of these del
egates were for Brents one for Allen.
You will, perhaps, remember that / was
that deluded individual. mention this
to recall to your mind the fact that when
espoused your cause in Walla Walla coun-
ty you did not have many friends. From
that day to this, in season and out of sea-
son, sometimes with more zeal than discre-
ton, have fought your battles until now
you are a United States senator, full
Hedged. Tonight | will serve notice on
you that from this time forth our po-
litical paths must be apart. You will
never be able to say that | DESERT
ed you when YOU needed friends.
desert you in the hey-day of your power.
My idol is broken. What [ had imagined
pure gold has turned to common clay.
You have betrayed me and you have be-
trayed other old-time, steadfast friends.
You have achieved temporary success. 1t
cannot be lasting, and you will derive no
comfort or satisfaction from it, because
you have obtained it at the prize of treach-
cry and deceit. | have no f1rther faVors to
ask of you, and if you find my name APP
pended TO letter or petition you will
please regard it as a forgery. / say these
harsh thiupG moro in sOrrOu TN an in a
] say them because they are true. A man
does not lightly break up friendship such
as ours has been, but could not suffer the
indignity you have put upon me in these
last days in silence and retain any degree
of elfrespect.
Mr.. Allen said time would convince me
of my mistake, to which | replied that /
hoped it might. This closed the interview
During the two years that have elapsed
/ have availed myself Of every opportunity
to get light On the disgraceful Betrayal of
General Sprague and his friends by John
B. Allen. With the exception of less than
half dozen who were parties to the COM
bination DEAL or acquiesced in it, there is
singular unanimity of opinion regarding
the baseness of the surrender. The two
senators have had apparently friendly
terms since then. During the last contest
at Olympia, resulting in the reelection of
Squire, Allen was posing in his favorite
character of apparent neutrality, but, in
the language Of another, he was found
holding the ladder while Squire climbed
into the senate a second time, while con-
tinuing to display his affection for Pierce
county and its candidates.
Governor Moore also says; My quarrel
with John B. Allen has no interest Of sig
nifcance beyond the fact that man tried
in the balance by one friend and found
wanting, is liable to be found too light in
other times and under similar strains The
man who is treacherous to a lifelong
friend is liable to prove unfaithful to other
friends.