Waterbury Democrat., 1901-11-21
COWELL'S STORY.
He Relates One When Asked
 About Illegal Ballots.
PARTY MANAGERS UNWILLING

To Take, Advantage of a Teehnicality
 Attorney Kellogg Says Democrats
 Are Morally Entitled to the Posi-
 tions-The Troublesome "Fors
 Should be Forgotten.
 The talk about contesting fiie eiec- ton of Mayor kilduff and other olll- cials because of an alleged illegal pai- lot in the third voting district is scI worrying those whom the electors pE this town declared by their votes to be their choice for officers for two years from and after January l, lSO2. Ai- lowing that technicalities might be found in certain ballots, there IS no question as to the intention of the pep Die who voted them, so that theie -al be no doubt ill the minds of honest clts- zens as to whom the offices beiong. The matter of defective ballots w:ls raised on election day, but it appears that there was q tacit understandings between representatives Of both par ties that all ballots should be consld- cred legal Such agreements naYe been entered into before. consequently there was nothing new i'll this casepnd it attracted no attention at the time. The statement is now being made that the attitude of Mayor Kilduff regari- ing certain claims against the city las aroused considerable bad feeling ll certain quarters, and that parties feel ing aggrieved have stirred up all tlus talk. But it ought to be mentioned Fl justice to people whose names have been mentioned in this connection that this is founded upon mere hearsay and rhn la~ 4al. what if iS worth. Waterbury has had one dose of con- tested elections and it is doubtful # the parties who were responsible For it would have tried it could they have foreseen the feeling it stirred up anI the mark it left behind it. But this is an entirely different case. No one claims that the officers declared elect ed at the last election did not receive more votes than the opposing candi- dates A Democrat reporter tallled with City Attorney Kellogg about the question last night and he stated cnl- phatically that the republican party. so far as he knew. would not think of contesting the election of any of tl,n men declared elected. They received the necessary number of votes, he said. to insure their election. so that their moral right to the positions lfas been established and Judge COweil nor any other candidate on our. side could afford to force himself into an office which the people gave to Some one else. Pm sorry it got into the papers" he continued. but feel safe in saving that that is as far as it will go. For my part. l should strong ly oppose any movement looking tD- wards the contesting the right of these men to hold the positions which they have been chosen to fill If there were q question as to the number of votes ors a. hint that there had not been .a fair count it would be different. But there is not, and so hong as this cannot be shown I think it safe to state thar there is no disposition on our part to hold offices which the people have made plain they did not intend we should have at this time. We want to be in the ascendancy, and it is a queS- ton if the people consulted their own interests when they decided agaiylst us, but the evidence is conclusive thar we did not get a sufficient number of votes to entitle us to take up the reins of government, and until we do we shall content ourselves with things as they are and live in the hope that at the next election the people will decide differently. The officers declared elect-
 
 they ran for, and I don't wish to sae~ them disturbed in them. As to thcs legal aspect of the case. that is ap- other matter, and something 1 don'h care to discuss at this time.
 The alleged illegal mark consists of the word for in front of town clerk on the third ward ticket
 Judge Cowell was seen in his offico to-day and asked what he had to say on the question. Oh" he said. as he drew a long whiff out of his beautifuI French briar pipe, and threw one leg over the other, it would be manifesf- ly indelicate for me to say anything about that matter. You know, a man ought not to be expected to throw away his chances fo1. glory You haL better say that Cowell is non-commit~ tai on that question. Your inissiom puts me ill mind of q story heard some time ago about q case of shiss kind. A fellow was disputing an op- ponent's right to an office and res porter called upon him and wanted t0 know if it were true that he was iry- ing to get possession of an office tho people didn't intend to give him lTe became Very. angry and dismissed tLa reporter with the remark that whilo it was fact the people had moi elect- ed him. it was equally true that no saw his way to getting the office in spite of them and he had made np his mind to take it and rule with an iron hand as long as the term lastof1S