New Britain herald., 1924-01-31
GOVERNOR AROUSED
 BY PETTY STORIES
Not Responsible for Auto Marker
 or Church Pew Plate


 or's car and the state flag on tn, same car continues to rage. In :
 letter made public, Gov. Templetol charges misrepresentation of the fact, regarding the auto markers and fagi in an article in The Hartford Cou, rant, adding that the story of ths pew-plate was as petty as it was false." The letter was addressed tc Commissioner Robbins B. Stoeckel oi the state motor vehicle department and in reply MT. Stoeckel sent let ter in which he disclaimed all respon- sibility for the newspaper article complained of by the governor.
 Governor to Mir. StOeckel.
 Gov. Templeton wrote to Commis- sioner Stoeckel as follows:
 Hon. Robbins B. Stoeckel,
 ',Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, "State Capitol, Hartford.
 My dear Commissioner:
 T accept in the spirit in which it was offered your expression of re- gret over the article which appeared in the 'Courant' of Jan. 4th and which was commented upon in a Times editorial.
 But must gay I feel you ought to go further than that, since your de- partment was so largely responsible. Either your publicity man ought to avoid giving out misstatements re- garding the head of another depart ment of the state government, or else he should be willing to see that it is retracted with equal prom thence.
 .The article was a misrepresenta- tion from start to finish. For exam pie. the preparation of the governor plates for the car was your own sug- gestion. The idea is a good one, but it was not mine.
 'The letters on this marker are one and one-half inches high. The arti- cle said they were five inches. l did not ask for Judge Woodruf's No. I. but merely told you that in several states No. 1 was assigned to the gov ernor. and 1t struck me as a good plan for future reference.
 "The flag is IS inches long. not yard long. The article mentions a special device for carrying it. This
  ficial carriage back in Gov. Bulkel- ey's time and was placed by Gov. Lake on the present automobile. Other governors also used the flag on similar brackets. As to painting the state seal on the official car, Goys. Iiolcomb and Lake had it done p0 sumably as a deterrent to joy riding and for the sake Of Identification. I did likewise.
 "Frhe story of the new-plate was as petty as it was false. The Waterbury papers promptly printed a denial from Rev. F. Baldwin Todd. As he wrote, it was he personally who had the plate put on and l knew nothing about until l saw it there one Sun day morning.
 "You would have expected the Hartford papers 10 reprint this cor rection with as much prominence as was given the original falsehood. But to date neither has seen fit to do so.
 At any rate, Mir. Stoeckel, you are equipped to take care of this thing in the best way and sec that it is properly corrected. Your department would naturally want to straighten it out, and I prefer that 1t should.
 sincerely yours,
 "Chas. A. Tempeton."
 NIT. Stocckcl to Gov. Templcton.
 Commissioner Stocckel, replying to Gov. Templeton's letter, wrote as follows:
 Hon. Charles A. Templeton. Hartford, Conn.
 My dear Governor Templeton.
 Permit me to disclaim absolutely any responsibility for the article re- ferred to in your letter of Jan. 17. This disclaimer is for myself individ- tally and as commissioner of the de- partment. I know nothing whatever asto the inception or origin of that article; did not know it was going to be written, and Of course gave out no for 1t.
 "I am, of course, ready to state those matters in connection with the article about which I know; that is, to cover the subject of the making of the automobile marker. The fol- lowing are the circumstances Of the between you and me on that subject and of the making of the marker, as remember them.
 Some time soon after your return from the governors conference in the west, you either summoned me 10 your office or I called there on business relating to the department. During the course Of our converse ton you stated to me, In effect, that at the conference there were a num- Der of governors cars In line and most or all of them. except the Con- necticut car, were marked by No. 1, in the respective state series. briefly explained the Connecticut sys- tenn of reservations 10 you, to the effect that under our system the holder Of No. 1 in the previous year has a right to reserve it and that very likely Judge Woodruff, who has had that number in years past, had already reserved if, whereupon you said that you would not want 10 take Judge Woodruff's number in any event. 1 thereupoB suggested to you E at I make a special marker for the
 ernor's car.
 ZI went directly from your office Commissioner Rudd and asked Zt to design such a marker. Com .sioner Rudd and had some talk . ut the details of the marker at . ious times and finally he brought . the marker which you now have. zI having worked it out with the =anufacturer. The specifications for { were probably never written out put if they had been they would have 'pecifed the Connecticut colors and he word governor in letters one