The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-13
HAWLEY SURELY
 DEFEATED HILL
Brandegee Probably Had a Majority of
 Fairfield County Votes.
Retributive Justice "Sam Fessenden's Friends Played Important Part in Result -Senier United States Senator Beat Hill, Also - So Did Anybody Who Controlled Eight Votes.
(Staff Special

reasons why Congressman E. J. Hill was not victorious in his contest for
 the United States Senatorship. While 1 there were many astute political mani pulators back of the Brandegee candi-
 dacy, the three men that engineered
 the fight, Waged so successfully in his 1 behalf. are Michael Kenealy, Sheriff s. N. Hawley and United States Senator | Morgan G. Bulkeley. These men had the assistance of Railroad Commis-
 sioner Andrew Gates. in addition to a host of younger lieutenants. A change of eight votes would have made Hill Senator. More than that number were lost to him, in his own county, through
 the steadfastness of Sheriff Hawley to Senator Brandegee.
 The sheriff, from the time he made
 his public announcement of where he
 stood, has worked untiringly for the
 New London statesman. When, at the
 outset of the campaign, it looked as
 though Brandegee would make a run-
 away race of it, the Hill forces tried
 in various ways to win over the Sher-
 if, he gave a deaf ear to all entreat-
 ies. His position from the first has
 been that he gave his word to Bran
 degee. long before there was any
 thought or expectation that Hill would
 seek the place and, having given his
 word, he would not break it.
 All sorts of dire happenings political
 wise. are now predicted for the sheriff.
 The air is surcharged with threats and
 predictions that he has committed po-
 litical hari karl and that he might as
 well make up his mind to retire from
 political activity at the end of his pres ent term of office, which has two years
 to run The Hill forces in the county,
 it is said. are cunning for his scalp and the more outspoken of them aver
 that Hawley might as we'll prepare his obiter dictum.
 No one will deny that Hawleyycould have made Hill Senator. The same Chairman, Kenealy and Senator Bulke- ley. Of the latter's part in the defeat
 of Hill this much can be said: That
 had Bulkeley not come on and got in-
 to the work, Hill would be the man.
 It only required a change of eight
 votes, and Bulkeiey saw to it that
 more than that number who had been
 Wavering were set back on the right path; that is the path deemed right
 by, him.
 of Bulkeley,s take. this: Sixteen hours before the choice was made, the senior senator was asked to give his view of the outcome. Here is what he dictat- ed: 1T have gone over the list of sena- tors and representatives, canvassing the entire state, county by county, man by man. Brandegee ought to have, 155 votes. But we'll allow 20 per cent. for liars and give him 127. That's bed roc!..''
 It is enough to say that Bulkeley s canvas was within one of the vote re- ceived by Brandegee.
 Former Senator James F. Walsh of Greenwich predicted just before the caucus convened, that Brandegee would h9 than 106, which was a pretty good guess, in view of the conflicting claims nl:tde by each side. Judge Walsh said that he knew of votes which Roraback claimed for Hill that were going the other way, while he had knowledge of considerable support claimed in New Haven county for Brandegee that Hill was going to receive.
 In the opinion of Judge Walsh, and there are few shrewder politicians in the state, Fairfield county's vote went for Brandegee by a majority of from one to three.
 Speaker Banks, who refused to dis cuss the committee appointments with the leaders of either side, in advance oi the caucus, took good care that no one detected how he voted. The Speaker approached the ballot box any sign of ballot in either hand. The teIlers were closely watch Ing the DalIOtS as they were deposited and had fair idea of what was go- ing on from the size of the paper, the l
 Hill ballots being twice the size of the Brandegee paper. But Speaker Banks, l who never denied that he was Bran- degee man, cast his ballot in a manner that would have done credit to Kellar | the prestidigitator. The speaker was 1 wise to the fact that the tellers could | distinguish between the size of the bal l lots and, perhaps just to have bit of | fun on his own account, he decided to l
 William E. Bur4ham, Dr. c. c. God frey, Dr. c. Lincoln Banks and Attor- l ney James A. Marr of Bridgeport were l on hand doing their part in helping | along the Brandegee canvass. They | made no secret of their delight at the l outcome. MT. Hill lost votes in Fair l field county because of the feeling against him on the part of friends Of l Sam Fessenden, who have never for given him for allowing his name to be l used as candidate four years ago, when MT. Fessenden was a candidate for the senatorship. !
 Nevertheless the size of Hills vote was a surprise to the Brandegee forces | and it is probably true that if the l sentiment which was at work had a few more days to run the result would 1 nave been different.