The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-18
Saturday, July IS. 1908.
THE CANDIDACY OF MIR. LILLEy.

THE CANDIDACY OF MIR. LILLEY.
 The republican party leaders of the state of Connecticut must be begin ming to realize the meaning of the spontaneous protest which is being of- fered the cut and dried candidacy of Congressman Lilley of Waterbury for the gubernatorlal nomination. We have no record of similar outburst of public opinion, proceeding as 1t does from widespread revolt, on the one hand, against the determination of party policies more than year and half in advance of the. calling of caucusces. and, on the other hand, against the selection of man him. self willing to sacrifice an efficient public servant and profit ny the sell fish enterprise, with no call of the other people to justify his conduct. The politician Is mad indeed who does not see in this unprecedented protest a cause for reconsideration.
 
 The Journal-Courier printed in its issue of yesterday an unsolicited letter from the city of Waterbury, which. though written by one man, repre- sented the deliberate Judgment of a number of representative citizens liv- ing there, wh are thoroughly familiar with MT. Lilley's life work, his tenn peramental unftness for an office of such great sobriety and the inconsist- ency of the politicians of that city in offering him as candidate to succeed "Hawley. Jewell, Hubbard, English, Harrison, Ingersoll, Waller and oth- ers." When men of their character, who have been willing 10 leave the care of their party in the hands of it's leaders, and who can be duplicated in every city and town of the state, feel it their duty to enter their protest and to give their reasons for the faith that the spirit of revolution, which was so strong in the fathers, still lives in the sons. They demand that the people shall do their nominating in their own way, and that faithful rep resentatives in office. who have receiv- ed the popular approval of the mass es shall not be sacrificed to make a boss holiday
 In this crisis 1t is the duty of the business and professional men of the state, head workers and hand work CTS, to stand up and be counted The significant silence of the party leaders is to be explained on the ground of their hope and belief that the storm will pass, that those who are protest ing to-day will tire tomorrow and as usual leave the leaders n contempt ous control. Thus far not single leader has appeared to defend MT. Lilley. Thus far not single news paper has dared discuss his fitness. MT. Lilley himself, four weeks in ad- vance of the party primaries, declares that it is not necessary for him to de- fend himself; he has the nomination in his pocket, reinforced by personal and written pledges of men foolishly caught mapping more than year and half ago, and before his ridiculous submarine cruise brought to light his blundering qualities as a political nav igator The confidence herein re- vealed in the power of the machine and its ability to crush all opposition should of itself work Its overthrow. Its overthrow can be accomplished if the people of the state will follow the example of the men who have stood up through the columns of this newspaper and been counted.
 The friends of representative gov ernment, the friends of popular rule and finally the friends of MT, Taft have reason to work together for the elimination of MT. Lilley from the preliminary canvass. For him tc