The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-29
GovERNoRsHrp OF CONNECTICUT.

governor IS provoked by a feellng on the part of his friends towards Cover nor Woodruff or on the part of his friends toward Lieutenant Governor Lake, that if those two gentlemen were illustrious shades no opposition would be offered Mir. Lilley's inordi- nate ambition. Nothing could be far ther from the truth as a proposition in political morals. Mir Lilley should not be nominated for governor by any party under any circumstances.
 It is unquestlonably true, however, that the Lllley candidacy has called more emphatic attention 10 the un- finished work of Governor Woodruff and to the quality of the work done than perhaps 1t would have been pos sible had another than Lilley been agreed upon by the organization. It is long way from Woodruff to Lilley and the direction Is on the descent not the ascent, and for that reason people have been forced to ask the reason for ignoring the more deserv- Ing of the two when one represents political Ideals and the other the or ders of the organization. In the case of Lieutenant Governor Lake the question has been asked why party tradition should be set aside to his detiIment when to suppant him a man has been selected who haa no reason to plead tradition, and who for other definite reasons has disqualified himself for the position IL Is Mir. Lllley who has directed attention to MT Woodruff and MT. Lake Gs his superiors in tho. political hela not their friends who have sought to dis- credit Mir Lllley as a candidate in their behalf.
 The popular resentment al. the pro- posed nomination of Mir. Lilley for governor at the hands of the repub- lican party can be accounted for, not on the ground that interested people seek to dictate the action of the re- publican party. but on the broader ground that the nominee of the re- publican party Is apt to be elected governor. That likelihood makes, not the action of the republican party the topic of controversy, but the governor ship of the state of Connecticut. in which every one has an equal Inter est The political parties, when they are in the ascendancy as the repub- | lican party appears to be to-day in Connecticut, owe 1t to their sense of political integrity to nominate with high office, just as much as they would in this instance If they feared l defeat as consequence of their folly the hands of the party of opposition The resentment of the people at tho proposed nomination of Mir. Lilley would be less strong If 1t was limited to his selection by the organization z year and half in advance. Othel ,,,a, i,o,,o hoan ,aIoota1 fla that p,n n ner and have later made good gover nors. The resentment at the Lille, movement has Its roots in the goot name of the state of Connecticut.
 We repeat what we have said be fore that Mir. Lilley's course at Wash ington in the matter of submarine legislation as written by men as hon orable as he and condemned by Con gressman sherman, the republican candidate for vice president, is of sucl a nature that his nomination would b, a disgrace to his party and his cleo ton a discredit to Connecticut. Tha is the issue in this preliminary cam paign and no amount of clever ant disingenious counteractlon, including the motives of Mir. Lilley's critics, 1 they exist other than we have inti mated, should permit 1t to become ob scured between now and the time tn republican caucuses are held mex month Whether the friends of Gov ernor Woodruff and of Lieutenan Governo or Lake try to take advantag of the conditions is an incident, o whether some new man is substitute for them. The issue in which tn sober minded people of the state 0 Connecticut are interested and wit which they are concerned Is the elim ination of George l.. Lllley from tn canvass.