The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-02-18
STORY GIVEN OUT
 FOR A PURPOSE
FAKE REPORT OF MEETING ANENT THREE-HEADED HIGH
 WAY COMMISSION BILL.
NOT EVERYONE BIT AT IT
Story Evidently Put Out To Give Its Authors Chance To
 Deny It.

New Haevn, Feb. 1s-The Journal Courier prints the following today:
 In Bridgeport there was printed yes terday story about a meeting to be held in New Haevn yesterday af- ternoon, anent the three-headed high way commission bill. The story which
 was printed in the Bridgeport Tele- gram, told of a meeting to be ar ranged by Prentice w. Chase. Philip Troup and others, and it told also of Senator McDonough's refusal to at i tend such al meeting.
 Macdonald men have been so eager
 to pick up the story and contradict it, and to use it to throw sand about, i that the story of that story ought to be told.
 On Friday last a man who some times comes into contact with the highway commissioners friends, | showed a letter around New Haven. This letter puported to be an invita-
 ton to gathering at the Hotel Taft 1 on Monday to take steps to further i the bill for a. three headed highway
 commission. The letter so read. The i signature to the letter, was trn off The person who showed the letter vouchsafed the information that it
 was a circular letter to be sent to
 various leading Dedocrats, and that i it had been signed ,or would be sign ed, by Philip Troup:
 
 Donough and Mccarthy, Major Louis E.. Stoddard, Chairman Forster of the Democratic state committee, Philip Troup and Senator George M Land l CTS would be present.
 1 Now a particular point was made, ] in spite of certain perfunctory adTno- to the Journal-Courier and to the Bridgeport Telegram. After a little inquiry the Journa1-Courfer felt OCT tain that there was nothing to the <tr int fGd iY1
 the purpose of it all.
 i At first all that could be seen was
 5s+ an attempt sngt t to get che story L printed Me
 Carhy were to attend a conference in
 company with Senator Landers to
 boom a. measure which Governor
 days ago thus to get all the other Democratic senators, who had sup ported Governor Baldwin suspicious of Senator McDonough and Senator 1 McCarti.g. There is certain opinion that that was the primary purpose The fact that Major Stoddard was fore today, was the first blow to the
 story. The fact that neither Sena- 1 tor McDonough nor Senator McCar-
 thy had received such a letter was
 the next. The further fact that, un der existing circumstances, neither would attend such a conference. was known before hand
 But there were other things which killed the story. It is mot generally known, but 1t is true, nevertheless, that Senator Handlers is no longer in favor of a headed commission. He announced that fact to the news paper men in Hartford last Thurs
 day.
 Those were some of the reasons why the story wes not printed in the Journa1-Courier. The Bridgeport Telegram, howeevr, printed the story. The publication of the story gave At torney Prentice W. Chase, than whom there is no one closer to Highway Commissioner Macdonald, and others, 1 a chance to deny it and to declare that they were in favor of a change from the one-man control of the highway department.
 The only incident in the whole mat ter and this may have no possible bearing upon the situation, was his refusal to meet Prentice w. Chase in New Haven on Saturday Attorney Chase called him up and asked him if he would attend a. conference in New Haven on Saturday. Senator Mo Donough told him he would not. Then Chase asked the Democratic leader if he, Chase, could see him if he went to Naugatuck. Senator McDonough, | who is member of the senate com nnittee on the Senator Hurley charge of bribery, knowing MT. Chase's posi- | ton in relation to the highway com
 missioner, replied that if Chase want
 ed to see him he would be in the sen l ate at each session and he could See him there
 {, And that's the story of a story that was not a. story.