Morning journal and courier., 1891-08-22
A REJOINDER.
From MT. Case on the GubernatO- rial muddle-The Democratic Senate

rial muddle-The Democratic Senate
 Wholly Responsible in the Matter.
 HARTFORD, August 21.-William c. Case, counsel for the republican house committee, has new letter in yesterdays Courant replying to the Palladium, which as he puts it, insists that the responsibili- ty for the farlure of the general assembly to make Merwin governor rest really and truly on MT. Case and on MT. Case alone. Thereupon MT. Case comes up to the chalk line and fires back to make good his claim that on the democratic senate and that source. alone, rests the responsibility. Mr. Case proceeds to review the action of said senate in the gubernational question to make good his assertions. From the day of it's action of January 13, the senate, MT. Case maintains, has stood unchanged and unchangeable on these propositions: Q.) That it's Che senate's) own action in de- claring Morris governor was a finality. C2.) That Morris is the de facto governor of Connecticut, whose right to that office no inves- l tigation by the general assembly can impair. (3) That it Cthe Senate) could not and would l not deal with the house in this matter upon any other basis whatever than recognition of Judge Morris as governor of Connecticut.
 Please remember this action of the sen ate was all taken before the house commit | tee had ever commenced it's investiga- ton.
 Before Generel Merwin could be elected | after this action, the senate must retract l it's declaration and repudiate the man | whom it swore in as governor. Does any man or any newspaper know of any prop osition which could have secured any such | result?
 The Palladium says that propositions se- curing an honorable settlement of this con- | troversy favorable to General Merwin met with violent opposition from me. It is un- | true. I never opposed any settlement, I never knew or heard of any such proposi- tions emanating from any source whatever. l It is quite true, I am informed, that at a conference st which Mr. Benton and Gen eral Merwin were present Lynde Harrison | did propose method of settlement by | which Judge Morris was to be declared | elected provisionally and then the republ- l can party, having declared him governor, was to turn about and attack his title in court. This proposition l. did not oppose I never had occasion. It received it's i'm mediate coup de grace from General Mer- | win himself, who declared on the spot that | he would be consenting party to no such | arrangement.
 l What proposition which would have se- cured the election of General Merwin have I opposed at any time, violently or other wise? Neither the Palladium nor any in- l diyidul can name it. To declare the minor state officers elected would have produced no such result Again and again the sen | ate declared it's refusal to treat upon any other basis than the recognition of Judge Morris, and it is the mere petulance of disappointed intrigue which reiterates the charge that any proposition for an honor able settlement was defeated by myself or any republican whatever. The fact is, and nobody can write it out of sight, that l General Merwin's election was prevented by the action of the democratic senate. The fact is that no settlement was ever possible after January IS, which did not | involve an abandonment of the entire re- publican claim.
 But the Palladium says the filing of the l answer in the quo warranto case was a be- trayal of the republican party. The Pal ladium doesn't understand the matter. It was evidently the editor whose particular business it is to be misinformed, who wrote that. Let me recall the facts The answer in question was the outcome of the deliberations of six republican lawyers, | with Governor Bulkeley, General Merwin and MT. Benton present and taking part At this conference Mr. Harrison was not present, being, as I think have mention ed in previous communication, unavoid- ably prevented from attendance. But he sent in an answer. with the request, as it was given to me, that it should be an- nounced as coming from him (Harrison) in case Charles J. Cole was present. MT. Cole was present. MT. Harrison's request was compiled with and so the answer went fatherless. Perhaps if I had told the con- ferring lawyers where it came from, it might have been adopted at once But I did not and the result was that an answer
 was agreed upon which the Palladium says
 is betrayal of the republican party. Just
 remember what say about the inception
 of this answer, where it came from and l whom it came from, and reflection it will
 probably occur to most readers that the
 Palladium's statement is harsh and would,
 if believed, do injustice to the intelligence
 and integrity of gentlemen who in length
 of fidelity of service rank second to none
 among republicans.
 But again, .sMr Case cannot go into
 court at any time and show that there is a
 single allegation of fact in the complaint
 which the republicans would deny if they
 etc. These are wild and whirling words,
 suggesting fatulence, and the worst of it
 is, their suggestiveness does not stop there.
 They suggest ignorance-dense and un-
 adorned-dropping quite down to the level
 of the most intelligent productions of the
 Hartford Times. For instance It is ex- pressly alleged that it appears from the fair lists, that the returns of the presiding officers. that Joseph w. Alsop had ma jority of all the votes; it is alleged that said Joseph w. Alsop had been chosen by the electors of the state, etc., etc. (pp. and of complaint.) Is this something which no republican could or would denya This is only an instance. The entire complaint q am not speaking of the recita- tions of the legislative action incorporated in the complainD has other allegations of fact which no lawyer can admit without giving away his case. Even the Palladium, which l agree is not a lawyer, on reading the complaint must allow that it would hardly be consistent to admit that Alsop had majority and was legally chosen and still resist his claim in court. At any l rate it seemed to us that inasmuch as the entire republican contention was and is as l a matter of fact upon the returns, no one l appeared to have majority and no one was legally chosen, it was necessary to deny an allegation that as matter of fact someone did appear to have majority, someone was legally chosen lieutenant governor, and that that someone was Joseph w. Alsop.
 l nave 6uU0aVOT6u III Uul5 tion to condense statement of facts, which, if it is true, demonstrates two propositions:
 First-That the election of General Mer- win has been effectually prevented to this date by the action of the senate taken be- fore the house committee commenced it's labors.
 Second-That the answers in the quo warranto cases were the joint product of the best judgment of half dozen lawyers acting for the interests of their client, who was in consultation with them and who fully approved of the course taken. If the statement is not true it can be refuted by crushing weight of evidence which the statement itself suggests Until it is refuted the republicans of the state of Connecticut will hardly believe that the house committee, the republican members of the general assembly, the associated counsel of General Merwin, and General Merwin himself with the ap- proving republican leaders all over the state-have entered into conspiracy to betray themselves and the principles they profess for the sake of any man, or for the sake of all the offices which the state can bestow. WILLIAM c. CASE.
 Granby, Aug. 20.