Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-01
LlLlEY LOVES US NOT.
Sat Quietly and Listened to Water bury People Being Called Rabble.


 Sat Quietly and Listened to Water
 bury People Being Called Rabble.
 If unfavorable comment means any thing. Representative George l.. Lil- ley's ears must be warm to-day. He is being roundly denounced on all sides, republicans as we'll as democrats, giy- ing him some hard thrusts, not on ac- count of his efforts on behalf of con solidatiOn, for most people expected that the bill would be acted upon fa- ] (vorably by the legislature. but because ! he never uttered a word of protest against the sweeping charges hurled at the character of his fellow towns men while the subject was under dis cussi0n in the house. To most people 1t seems strange how man who has spent so many years in Waterbury could have remained silent while the representatives of Ansonia, Torrington and other places were heaping con- tumely upon his neighbors, but ac- cording to one citizen, NIT Lilley en- 10yed the frolic and never looked hap pier in his life. There is no question but that the language used by some Of the legislators with reference to the moral status of Waterbury was un- charitable in the extreme and would scarcely be tolerated in the lowest brothels in the towns the men disgrac- ed by their unseemIy conduct, but af- tet all Waterbury people should not think too unkindly of the men, they simply reiterated what our neighbors had said of us, and while prudence should have dictated less severity on their part. still it should be remember cd that they had some ground for their position so long as similar ale gafions had been made by MT Lilley and others who essayed to represent the real character of the average citi- zen of this town Like many of our prosperous residents, Mir Lilley came to Waterbury few years ago and found it good place to stay. He is Identified with the business interests of the community in one way and ar- other and If he has been interfered with to such an extent that would justi- fl such poor opinion of his neighbors, the public know nothing about it, and in allowing the community to be falsi- fled in such a public way he earned the contempt of many good citizens who warmly advocated the consolida- ton measure from the day the subject was first introduced into the city gov ernment
 A large number of people are but little concerned about consolidation, one way or the other but all reputable citizens take a pride in the town and naturally feel hurt at Mr Liliey's sill ence while 1t was being vilified before fhe representatives of the whole state.
 Too much cannot be said in praise of the splendid efforts of Representa- tive GuIlfoile to defend the city of his birth from the aspersions cast upon it by Mir Pratt of Torrington and MT Tucker of Ansonia.t With out any desire to express an opinion on consolidation at this time we feel safe in venturing the Statement that MT Guilfoile came much nearer voicing the sentiments of 1his fellow citizens and of the people of fthe state of Connecticut, regardless of party, regarding the character of the people of Waterbury, than Mir Lilley and the gentlemen from Ans0nia and Tofrfngton MT Guilfoile did nobly and his fellow townsmen will not soon forget the spirited and manly part he played in this matter He met the ex- pectations of those who voted for him and of many who opposed him. We regret that we cannot say this of Mir Lflley, for, while we contributed noth- ing to his election, we should have been pleased to hear that he had said word or two in refutatiOn of the charges alleged against ourselves and our neighbors.