Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-12-19
Judge Bsnls IDsiead of Ceiling a Reiracii0D Is Scored
 Still More
MINISTER'S DEFIANT

day gave out a copy of letter which mas been mailed to Mr Banks in re- ply to the latter's letter of yester- day.
 The letter follows:
 Stamford. Ct, Dec. l9, 1908. Judge Elmore $. Banks,
 Fairfield, Conn.
 We, the undersigned, acknowledga the receipt of your several letters bearing date of December lG. 1908. As you do not enclose the circular referred to or any newspaper pub fishing the same we can only infer that you allude to a circular which lies before us in which you are re- lerred to, l, as a man unfit for he position of speaker of the house; ,, as one who in his association with his county commissioners has played fast and loose and has shown marknd sympathy with brewers and saloon- keepers; g. as one whose custom 1t has been Ito act on behalf of saloon keepers while at the same time he held an official position in connection with the board of county commissioners: in other words he has in such cases been on both the side of the prosecution and the de fence. In your several letters and over your own signature you admit flor emphasis We quOte) the fact is was attorney for the Bridgeport Liquor Dealers association for about one year." ''I have acted as attorney openly for brewers and saloon keep CTS We add the following facts:
 That in the hearing of rem0n- strants in Darien on February H. 1906, against the granting of i- cense to one Haggerty you appeared for the applicant before the county case for him before them and the license was granted. At this time you were county treasurer by dp- pOintment of the commissioners. . In January or February of the same year, 1906, you appeared before the county commissioners as counsel for one Dzsa, applicant for a license in the city of South oNrwalk. A large body of remOnstrants appeared in protest. You were at that time county treasurer by tbe appointment of the commissioners before whom you appeared as an attorney for the applicant You admit in your let ter, i've Quote) 'I call upon you to show any instance in which l have shown sympathy marked or other wise with brewers or saloon keepers or done anything in their favor eX- cept to appear openly and publicly in court and before the commission CTS as their paid counsel" |" the only official position I have had which bears any relations to the county commissioners is that I was county treasurer for about three years.
 The only possible connection which the county treasurer has in any phase of the liquor business is that it is the duty of the county treasurer to collect the bonds of liquor dealers when forfeited in the manner provided by law The fact is have never been counsel be- fore the county commissioners eX- cept that I have rendered several written opinions to them at their request, all of which are public"
 We again refer you to the fact above mentioned of your appearing in remonstrance on the side of the liquor dealers before the county commissioners during the period in which you were acting as county treasurer and admittedly rendering written opinions for the commission CTS. We believe you confess enough in your letter to justify everything that is in the circular but We un- hesitatingly disavow malice of any intention 10 attack you as an indi- vdual but simply as a candidate for public office. Human nature is such that lawyer almost inevitably ab- sorbs the spirit of his clients cause and almost unconsCiously comes to believe in his client and his cause. and while this may not be ground for criticism from the standpoint of professional services 1t may, and we believe il does, disqualify a man for public office in which he would he called upon to seek or adjust the in- terest of his client. As speaker of the house he would be in duty bound to appoint all the committees of that body, including the excise committee. in which the Fairfield Association of Congregational ministers is deeply interested. and We believe that your confessed affiliation with the liquor interest would disqualify you to ap- point such committee. We believe that as treasurer of the county and as attorney for the county commits sioners you should have recognized the impropriety of your appearance before them as attorney for certain liauor dealers. Your failure to rec ognZe this impropriety convinces us that you are unfitted for the speak ership of the house and in the inter est of the public as well as in your interest We respectfully urge you 10 withdraw from the speakership con- test. and We suggest further the pro- priety of your resigning from all po- sitions with prosecution or with the defence of public interests, in order that as a private citizen you may not be open to just criticism in con nection with associations similar 10 those referred to by you in your letter to us. In justice to you we will give this letter the same pub Iicity as the circular referred to.
 Yours truly.
 HERBERT s. BROWN,
 LOUIS F. BERRY,