Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-13
WATTERSON AND HILL.
THE KENTUCKIAN SAYS HE DID
WRITE THAT LETTER.
He Is 6rieved That the Governor Failed
to Receive It-Henri Says He Didn't
Know 1t Was Loaded.

LOUISVILLE, KY, Feb. 12.-On return
ing to the city this afternoon, Mr..
Henry Watterson, in;response to re.
quest OF the Associated Press, and in
answer to hundreds of kilograms which
have come to Louisville, made state
ment for publication regarding the letter
written to Governor Hill, and given in
these dispatches two days ago.
Mr.. Watterson says he did write the
letter to Hill, and was impelled to do SO
by motives the sincerest and most dis
interested. He says there appeared in
many papers last Sunday sensational
account of how caucus Of United States
senators had resolved upon retiring Gov
ernor Hill from the presidential arena !;
of how Watterson had been selected as
the instrument, and how he had dis
patched letter potent enough to alter
Hills plans. This was so absurd and
did such injustice to both Hill and him.
self, that he thought there could be n o
objection on the part Of anybody to the
publication OF the truth, which fatty
contradicted it.
II confess am surprised" said Wat
terson, "that the governor should make
such haste to disavow and disown such
a course which, however prompted,
gratifed every Democrat in the United
States outside of the state of New York,
removing him from the field of mere
political self-seeker, and placing him in
the front rank of statesmen having the
good OF their country and party at heart.
l am deeply distressed by the knowledge
that Governor Hill should regard my
plain but friendly words as impertinent
and insulting. cannot help thinking
the same words might be with propriety
addressed to him or any Democratic
aspirant by the humblest Democrat in
the land, and still hope that, annoyed
by the publication, which annoyed me
as well, he has proceeded upon
a misapprehension OF the facts Of the
case. Neither in the writing nor print
ing OF my letter was there any purpose
to take advantage of him, and least Of
all to do him an injustice. | am no
mans man, and exist in no mans inter
est. To use his own happy expression,
i am Democrat who has passed a life
time in the service of the principles and
policy of the party from which I never
sought the slightest personal recognition
or regard. am only humiliated by the
reflection that this service was not suf-
ficient in the estimation OF Governor
Hill to protect me against his displeas-
ure, and that in the harsh construction
which he puts upon the genuine and not
the forged letter, he visits me with what
l must regard as unmerited suspicion. I"
HILL REITERATEs HIS DENIAL.
New YORK, Feb. l2.-At a late hour
tonight an Associated Press reporter
called at the Hotel Normandy to inter-
view Governor Hill on the Watterson
letter. A reiteration of the statement
that the governor had not received the
letter was all that could be learned.
A morning paper has what purports to
be an interview with the governor, in
which he says: Certain it is, ] never
received the letter if it was written. II
I had, I should have replied to it, not
withdrawing it's impudent tone. Ishall
await fuller Information as to it's authen-
tjcity before giving it further notice."