The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1897-02-20
PoPs. AND pEMs. SOLD.
Gold Bug Money Did The Awful Deed
Voting For neitFeld Drew Tears
BasSett And Hays Justify Their Act

Voting For neitFeld Drew Tears
BaSSett And Hays Justify Their Act
iOn--SelG-AcCuSed COrruptiOnists =
POpulists Comment.
The Hon. Thomas E. Bassett and the
Hon. j. w. lays both of Fremont
! County have written a Joint letter to
their outraged constituency in justh-
cation of their conduct. The letter
was published in full in the Boise
Sentinel of Feby IL and we reproduce
its salient features. Following are ex-
tracts:
Boise, Idoho. February Sd, 1S97-P.
Averitt, st. Anthony, Idaho. My Dear
Sir:-l received document signed by
! yourself and Others of my friends this
morning denouncing the action of Hon.
John w. Hays in casting his vote for
Fred L. Dubois, and the singing re-
buke made against him suppose now
equally applies to me. l assure you
| friends, if you will still allow me to call
yousuch, that no one under the circum-
stances that alone existed at the time
of our election could ever have made
me believe that would cast my vote
for Dubois, but the course that has
been taken by so many for the further
| huC0 VI lL1Cll OWu PAL blCuAdl bCllCLuCb
and ends eliminated in what we con-
s.der sell out soul and body to the
gold standard party.
No one in the legislature knows the
makeup and abilities of Hon. Henry
Heitfeld any better than do. and he
acknowledged as we are all ready TO
! concede, that he is utterly Incompetent
to combat the opposition that will be
made in the highest tribunal in the
world against what we claim to be the
most important issue that has ever
confronted the American people since
1850.
My votes were cast every day for
populisls, whom l could conscientiously
and with pleasure support for the
| United States senate, but the teTmi-
nation of the election at the dictation
of the goldbng party in sending anyone
regardless of qualifications or ability to
beat Dubois. Prejudiced and so bitter
| ly opposed to him as / have so fire.
| quently expressed myself in public
and in private l could not allow my
animosity to influence me against
principle to dethrone my bitterest en
envy on earth.
l perhaps assumed too much, but l
| felt confident that if all of our cOnstit.
uents from Fremont county were here,
saw the things that l saw, and were as
well acquainted with the facts immedi-
ately connected with the affair as | was
am satisfied they would readily by not
less than three.fourths vote, do as l
did.
Men who voted for Heitfeld did so
with tears in their eyes knowing he
was utterly incompetent, but felt
themselves so bound to vote for any
one the populists would name regard
less of ability.
Yours most Respectfully.
THOMAS E. BAssETT
Iconcur in the sentiments above ex-
pressed. INV. HAYS.
POPULIsT SENTINEL COMMENT.
mir. Bassett's defence in voting for
Dubois is published in full in tOday's
issue of the Sentinel. His statement
that Mr.. Heitfeld admits that he is
incompetent" to fill the position of a
| United States senator is an untruth
and shows the desperate straits to
which Mr.. Bassett is compelled to re-
sort to square himself with his out.
ragged constituents. Mr.. Bassett says
that the termination of the election
was the result of the dictation OF the
| gold bugs. This is hard on the demo
cratic caucus because Heitfeld's name
was sent up to the populists by the
democrats. Mr.. Bassett therefore
charges that the gold bugs controlled
the democratic caucus, his words are
susceptible of no other meaning. We
are therefore compelled to leave him in
the hands of his democratic associates
in the legislature. viii Mr.. Bassett
name one man who voted for ueitfeld
with tears in his eyes? The fact of the
matter is that when the vote was taken
Heitfeld's name was as enthusiastically
applauded as Mr.. Dubois was. 1t
seems from what Mr.. Bassett says
that all the virtue of the democratic
members of the legislature was cen
tered in the five men that bolted the
caucus and repudiated their pledges
and promises so freely given to the
| people before election, and the thirteen
men who so consistently stood on their
party platform were dishonorable.
We fear the gentleman will have a
hard time making his old time friends
in Fremont believe any such stuff. He
might as well realize the fact that he
is a dead cock in the pit; that his