Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-07-18

Warning Republicans Try
ing to Rope in Good
Democrats.

War has been declared in the repub-
lican camp and from now on the fight
will be continued with considerable
yigor. 1t is hard to tell whether the
battle is a sham to deceive unwary
voters into enrolling as republicans or
not, but in any case it is on and to all
appearances the end in view is the an
utilization of the Peasley- Kelsey wing
Of the party and the bringing back to
power of II. r. Durant and others who
have been playing in hard lines the
past year or so. The fight is being
conducted in all the wards, in some
quarters by stealth and in others in
broad daylight. The following is q
copy of an appeal for aid sent out 10
several voters in the second ward;
Waterbury. Conn, July z, 1904.
Ny Dear Mr. --.
Please consider this letter as strict
" confidential. I am enclosing you
two blanks for the coming republican
primaries with the hope that you will
fill out one yourself and induce some
friend upon whom you can depend, to
sign the other and return them to me.
Then when the caueuses are held,
bring your friend with you and vote
the anti-Kelsey ticket, providing, of
course, the ticket is worthy of support.
II you can do this it will he a great
personal favor to me, and you may be
sure If you care to help my friends
and me in this matter you will not
find us ungrateful.
Yours faithfully,
HI. r. DURANT.
Dictated by d.
Besides the above communication
and the two registration blanks q
stamped envelope was enclosed adj
dressed to Mr. Durant so that parties
willing to comply with the reque st
may not be put TO any expense. In
passing them about one of them found
its way into the Democrat office and
it was decided to pass it along, a re-
publican who has no use for the Kel
seys or Durants and is not dead in
love with the machine, either. was
shown the document and after reading
it he remarked that he thought it
would be a good thing If a certain
number of democrats should vote that
way this year. He said that there is
a struggle on between the Peasley-Kel-
sey faction and others who have no
use for them and that a great effort
was being made to break their power
and also to dethroRe John r. kellogg,
and added that Durant is the only
man In waterbury who has
the necessary backbone to take
the initiative, He supposed
that the defeat of the republican
machine would mean the sending of
Mr. Durant to the senate, and. this
would cause lne regulars and their
friends to wear sackcloth and ashes for
the next twelvemonth Whichever side
comes off the yictors, it is certain that
the tussle is going to be battle royal,
and after the smoke of the battle lifts
above the high hills and folks get a
chance to look the belligerents squarely
in the face, some dee scars will be In
evidence and tears will be falling al
most as rapidly as the rain came down
last night Durant is a fighter and
the Peasleys and Kelseys are no cow
ards. The machine is bound to bury
both turbulent forces, but there is some
question about its ability to perform
the feat and in the event of the sue
cess of either, the G. 0. p. will pass
into the hands of new managers, All
the republican Office holders with one
exception are enrolled in the ranks of
the machine and are doing missionary
work in all parts of the town. 1t is the
hottest political scrap that ever was
pulled off In Waterbury and the feeling
stirred up has already caused so much
commotfon in the camp that the state
central committee has been asked to
siVe the matter some attention,