The morning journal-courier., 1908-08-07
wATERDURY,s REPLY.

WATERDURY's REPLY.
 There are over ten thousand regis tered voters In the town of Waterbury, the home of Congressman George l.. Lilley, the candidate of the republican organization for governor of the state of Connecticut. More than four thou sand of them voted for Governor Woodruff a year ago last November. Tuesday evening at the party caueuses held to prepare a delegation to the nominating state convention less than a hundred republican voters attended In the various voting districts. These are impressive and suggestive figures
 The statement has been made over and over again by the Waterbury newspapers favorable to the ambitions of MT. Lilley, that the republicans of that town were so resentful of the at- titude of The Journal Courier towards that gentleman that they would take the earliest opportunity to express their dlsapprobation. The first op- portunity was Tuesday evening when the mighty throng of less than a sin gle hundred indignantly strolled to the polls and recorded their affection for MT. Lilley and their disapproba- tion of The Journal-Courier. Not since man was created has he given such a convincing demonstration of righteous indignation. Had the con siderably more than one hundred who will not vote for MT. Lllley, should he be nominated. attended the caucuses and expressed their adverse judgment of his ability, the Waterbury delega tion to the republican state conven- ton would have favored the renomi- nation of Governor Woodruff
 We cannot believe that Mir Lilley takes encouragement from this event in the political life of Waterbury. Up on no theory whatever that can be made to accord with a concern for the political welfare of that gentle man can the Waterbury caucus vote be considered gratifying. The lnsipid explanation is given that being no op- position 1t was unnecessary for the re- maining hundreds upon hundreds to attend the registration of the inevlt- able. Obviously the real reason for the failure of the caucuses to draw a larger crowd of enthusiastic sup porters must be traced to wide spread resentment at MT. Liley's can didacy coupled with natural though not altogether creditable shrinking from counter task involving local consideration of personal character. If the republican voters of Waterbury were ablaze with admiration and con cern for their congressman, and had they been fired with indignation at the course of this newspaper, 1t would have been labor of love with them to attend the caucuses and there and then register their friendly feelings. Their failure to do anything of the kind was manifestly deliberate
 te II, ~r al indignation and personal affection dis closed in this rediculous Waterbury caucus vote heightened by the fact that the caucuses were actually held over week before the expiration of the time set by the laws of the state for republicans to register and so ob- tain the right to participate. Two things are under the circumstances reasonably certain. In the first place if the republican voters of Waterbury took the Lilley candidacy sympathet- ically they would have trooped to the caucus polls, for the creditable pur- pose of practically answering the question which has been raised in a dignified way of his fitness for the of- fee of governor. In the second place they would have confidently awaited the expiration of the limit set by the Jaw for registration liberties, knowing that MT. Lilleys hold upon his fellow citizens Is so intimate and unshakable that the fullest recognition of the rights of republican voters could be safely given
 No explanation worthy the respect of reasoning men can explain the sug- gestive features of the Waterbury caucuses. They point with such pow CT as they possess to the popular dis. trust of MT. Lilley among the mem. bers of his own party as a possible governor of the state. They make fl perfectly clear that the unhappy i'm. pression, which his demonstrative bu futile attack upon the honor of con gress has made, has deepened an6