Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-10-24
Being Worried Every niuuls- SsssaiIepsl spd Ridiculous Slorles in LiIley's Behalf - What One veier
 Thinks.
To The Editor of Democrat:

upoH tacii Ichucis the SohNiStioh
 that MT Lilley is being unjustly per- secuted, hoping in the end to cause revision of public sentiment in his favor. The American gets hold of a story from some out of town corre- spondent that Is so absurd upon the face of 1t that no sane person would
 think of giving 1t weight, posting 1t
 in large letters upon its bulletin
 board with the comment in it's even- ing edition to the effect. l do not pretend to use the exact language. that such brutal attacks upon MT Lilley will only cause his friends to rally to his support. Take the latest story of this character pub> lished in the American and re-vamp- ed in the Republican that insurance companies in Hartford would not in- sure Mr Lilley because of the moral hazard, explained in the Republican to mean that they are afraid MT Lil- ley would set fire to his own build ings to get the insurance money. Does any person believe that there Is a company on earth that wouldn't
 be glad to insure MT Lilley for all his property would stand for? The motive of the papers is plain enough but to publish such stuff Is fling in the face, an insult to the intelli- gence of the people of this city. MT Lilley was never sympathetic in his attacks upon other people. The sucking dove of peace and mercy was never perched upon his banner when the representation of other men were at stake. Asking for quarter himself, when did he ever give 1t! Nobody who amounts to anything has ever slandered Mir Lilley or per- secuted him. Even the detectives which he claimed were following him in Washington were shown to be the government, guardians of a pub lie building. Because We are MT Lilley's fellow townsmen We can't stand for everything, not even for the saintly American or the subser- vient Republican. And what good is it doing to try to blind men to the real facts in MT Lilley's case? Here in Waterbury ex-Governor Me- Lean contended that not ten men can be found who believe that MT Lilley was fairly treated in Washing ton The statement is so bald that 1t refutes itself. But the criticism of Mir Lilley in this connection is based largely on his own voluntary conduct even before the investigat- ing committee was appointed. In asking for the investigation this is what he said to the committee on rules: T am not talking on hearsay, know my grounds, and know that can prove these things before a committee that means business. Well, how much did he really know! Nothing at all, and he was finally compelled to admit under oath that his charges were based largely upon rumor, hearsay and newspaper clip- pings. Here again his course, un- seemly remark that among so many members it would not be strange if there were to be found cases of foot rot and scabies." It wasn't very nice for MT Lilley, was it, to try to crowd down into the mire his fellow mems bers of congress and seek to rise upon their shoulders into an atmos- phere of personal prominence and popularity? These were things that happened before MT Lilley ever went into the presence of the committee of whose actions he complains.
 But MT Hill our ablest represen- tative in congress says that he too saw a skunk. Mir Hill has been in- vited to tell all about that skunk in the columns of respectable news paper in this state, but he has not responded and the public is still in the dark as to just what he refers to. It was only the Saturday night be- fore he came to Waterbury about a month ago, that lie even publicly mentioned the word. If anyone wants to believe that MT Hill, down there in Washington, had in his pos session any definite information that would either excuse or justify the conduct of MT Lilley. or protect the honor of his state whose representa- tive he is, there is certainly no ob- jection. But there is another mat ter In the words of the Hartford Courant, we favor leaders but not bosses. We do not wish to have choked down our throats two years in advance the nomination of any man by such bosses as Fyler, Rora- back, Gates and others. It is a representative government under which We live, but not by the bosses of the bosses and for the bosses, not If We can help 1t. It Is not denied that Mir Lilley stepped aside two years ago in favor of Governor xr-{fh n1 standing that MT Lilley was to be the candidate two years hence. This was the agreement entered into among the bosses. But what become of the state convention as a delib- erative assembly? What right had these men to act without authority from you or me or at least from some faction of the public of this state? It is unwritten law in this state that members of the general assembly shall be members also of the next state convention. There are twenty-four county commission CTS in the state; members of state central and town committees; com and many other officials all standing or falling together the machine.
 We do not like the political adver- tisement of MT Lilley because 1t is too abominably cheap, more espec- ially in Waterbury where we have known MT Lilley so well for nearly twenty years. It says George L. Lilley, the Republican candidate for Governor sprang from the soil" We do not appreciate the significance of this unless it Is an appeal to the Certainly 1t Is of the