Middletown transcript., 1896-01-25
MORE AFF1nAvIrs

known to fool any body. Try again.
MORE AFFIDAvrrs.
The attorneys for Col DUPONT ant
the attorneys against him, in his con
test fer seat in the U. S.-Senate, have
been putting their final arguments and
affidavits this week before the Senate
Committee on Privileges and Elections
The arguments for seating Col. DUPONT
are apparently conclusive and his op
ponents are reduced to the one position
that William Il. Watson took part in
the Senate proceedings on The las. day
| of the session as member of that body
and that his right to do so not being
questioned there is no going behind the
returns so far as the Senators of the
United States are concerned. In other
words they virtually admit that Mr..
Watson had not right to SO sit but
having been suffered to do so without
protest there is no correction Of the
great wrong, There is a difference of
evidence as to his SO acting, however.
Some of his party friends claim that he
did take part and voted. The Senate
Journal does not bear out this claim.
Of all the corporation bills before the
Senate that day the name # William
T. Watson does not d; l..i as voting
nor the name Of the Speaker, but al
ways "and the Speaker pro .em." who
was Mr.. Records. This is proof con-
elusive and from the hands of a Demo-
cratic clerk. Of course the idea that
Governor Wa.son's acting in the Sem
ate and without protest might influence
the seating of Col. dupont was not
thought of until the Senate Journal
was printed. On page 1175 appears the
report of the Committee on Accounts,
giving the mileage and per diem of the
Senator'S. No one for one moment pre-
tends to believe that such report was
ever made. In fact the Democratic
papers just after the adjournment pro-
claimed the failure to make that re-
port was one of the Republican sins of
omissions. Comment is unnecessary.
The printed proceedings of the Sem
ate Journal are corroborated by the
affidayits of Senators Alrichs, Pierce
and Moore and Clerk Hastings of the
House. They all agree that Mr.. Wat
son took no part in the proceedings
other than to put himself at the head
of the Senate when at - o'clock that
body entered with the House into joint
session.
But the affidavits show up Mr.. Wat
son in an unenviable light. They prove
that lie yielded yielded to to the persuasion of
party friends against his better
judgment and his convictions of right,
and he is now being made the cats
paw to pull the chestnuts out of the
fire for the politicians. Among his
lady friends at home he is known as
Acting Willie," and towards lifelong
friends whose conviction ofright leads
them to condemn his partisan action he
plays the role Of the spoiled child, the
pouting baby, and will not speak to
them.
The affidavits clearly set forth an
other thing, not. denied by Governor
Watson or his friends, and that is the
conspiracy entered into between Gov
ernor Watson and the four Addicks
men-Hanby, Ball, Moore and Rob-
bins. Governor Watson did not con-
sent to violate his sense of right until
be had in his possession this compact
from the Addicks men, a compact that
under no circumstances would they
vote for any one other than Addicks.
This paper Governor Watson showed
to Senator Pierce, DR.. J. s. Prettyman,
Jr., and Frank Reedy, his fellow towns
men.
And further the fIi davit Of Robert
j. Handy in support of the effort TO de-
feat the seating of Col. dupont should
be sufficient to satisfy every Republic
Can that Bob Handy is not a Republ-
can and dopS not merit fha ftIl,wSt in
of All honorable member of his party.
His claim that Watson participated in
the Senate proceedings, is not bouru
out by the Senate Journal, nor does it
appear that lie voted. A more dia-
bolical conspiracy was never concocted.
1t deserves the condemnation of men
of all parties, and no Republican can
hereafter in any Way lend his aid to
the men who were parties to it.