Waterbury Democrat., 1901-01-30
PIERCE BEING CRITICIZED.
Expressions of Sympathy For
 the Men He is Prosecuting.

Why Was the Serving of the Writs
 Held Back for Three Months and
 Over?-Rumor That Serving Them
 at the Time Might Affect the Fall
 Election-spotters and Prosecutor
 Come in for Lots of Censure.
 Much sympathy Is felt about town TOT the druggists and liquor dealers on account of the treatment they are being subjected to by outside tnterfer- ence i'll the management of their busi- ness, and Judging by the opinions one hears or the method employed to se- cure evidence against them the cru sade haS but very few backers,in Wa Terbury. What makes it lock all the meaner on the part of the authorities ana causes some of the dealers to feel that they have been used unfairly is the fact that the spottinS was done last Tall, but the prosecutions were staved oH until after the elections. so that more than one liquor man whom the detectives were watching night and day were pressed into service in SUD- port of the party that had clothed with authority the fellows that were prepar-
 
 their influence and their votes and those of their friends. It was con- mon rumor on the streets long before the last election that evidence had been obtained against a whole lot of dealers but that for obvious reasons it had been deemed wise to nolle some of them on the "a U and put the others off until the coast was clear for the boys who were engaged in a race to secure q renewal Of their berths. Whether any persons who got nabbed had pull eonugh to get off without trial is something which probably will nev- CT be known, but q man who should state at this stage of the game that there was method in the postponement of the eases now on until after election could not well be accused of talking through his hat," as the saying goes. We don't want to be understood as in- sinuating that any of the parties who have been made to face the music posed as allies of the g. o. p. at the last election; perhaps none of them supported the right ticket and are now being chastised for their ''piggishness." Be this as it may, It is an open secret that many of the liquor dealers and a number of their friends made no bones of their position in the political bat tie of last fall and fought tooth and nail for every man the republican par ty put forward and offered as reason for their conduct that they looked for better treatment from them than from the democrats. Of course there is nothing new in this. The Democrat published articles to this effect last year, but the sharp politicians laughed at them and by repeated den1als of the truth of the allegations cajoled the public into the belief that the stories were pure fabrications, gotten up for political effect and the issuing of the warrants were held back so long that some of our neighbors were beginning to poke fun at the reporters by asking what about all those liquor prosecu- tions that were sure to follow after election, when the authorities saved the scribes the humiliation of having to take water by coming to the res cue with very tangible proof of what had been said on the question.
 Probably the delay in, bringing the alleged offenders into court had no po- litical significance, and WAS due to other causes, but the fact that the evil dence now being used was in posses sion of the people back of the thing nearly four months ago makes it look rather suspicious for some one. It would be interesting to know when all this information was turned over to Prosecuting Agent Pierce. Did he know it at the time the detectives were here, and if so what prompted him to hold off from October, 1900, to Janu- ary. 1901? Was this matter fixed up l in New Haven, where some parties had 1 an interest in how Waterbury would l s:so.'' or was the detective agency de- 1 liberating as to whether it had case against it's victims or not!