A Gross Outrage

The Evening Post of New York thus describes how the people of Connecticut have been cheated out of the officers they elected: Up to the time, early in last January, when the republican members ot the house committee on canvass sions in company with the republican party "steerers," there had beeD no serious talk as to the non-election of the democratie minor state officers or as to keeping them out of their places. A republican newspaper or two by way of a threat, had thrown out the hint, and Mr. Benton, chairman of the republican state central committee, had in a newspaper interview given out the nice moral idea that "if the democrats are mean we can be mean too," referring in these words to the non-seating of the minor officers. For some weeks after the house committee began its nominal "investigation," no talk of the kind was heard either Everybody at the state capitol assumed that the democratie minor officers would be seated, simply because everybody knew that they were elected. The supplementary schedule showin the votes thrown out, and the reasoDs for throwing them out. had long before been sent from the secretary of state's office. It had been caref ully scrutinïzed, no new discoveries had been made from it, and the seating of the minor officers was deemed, therefore a matter of but a few days. This prevailing opinión at the time gives emphatic meaning to the sudden change of policy by Port er and Lis associates, which is so strongjy brought out in Judge Harrison's letter. The committee, however, temporized, went through the merest form of an enquiry, and kept the impatient legislature waiting. Their position at that time may be summarized in about these words: "We intend to report finally in favor of the democratie officers below governor. But if we delay we may be able to bring the senate to terms. Perhaps that body will consent to reopen the question of the governorship. To that end for awhile let us ■nang iip tiie other officers for a trade." But the senate did not vield and "trade." It had "declared" all the democratie officers and sworn them into office. And the time carne at last when the republican members of the comniittee - the democratie members having ref used to take part in its proceediugs- having failed in the attempted "trade," found thatthey could delay no longer, and must make a report of some sort. It was at this juncture that Bulkeley entered active! y the contest in which iip to that time, as regarded furthering any arnbitions of his own, he had been passive. He saw his opportunity. The csmmittee was hesitating asto the form of its report. There had been several test votes in the house, which indicated that the party leash was pretty tight around the majority. Bulkeley himself, had then, as he has now, keen ambitions for his futnre in Connecticut politics; and the temptation, by holding over as governor, to beconae a spectacular figure as "watchdog" of the state, and to thwart the enemies who had signally defeated him in the previous state convention. were no small temptations to a coarse nature sucli as his. Exactly in what way he "bulldozed"the falteringcommittee is not absolutely certain. The democrats allege, and it was common talk in the capitol at the time, that he threatened to hand over his office to Morris nnless he could have the "support" of holding over republicans in the miner offices, the secretary of state in charge of the state seal being a very necessary officer for his scheme. What he did specifically we do not know, though we are likely to know soon as a secondary result of Judge [larrison's exposures. But generally ïulkeley became an agile and aggressive plotter for his own succession, seeking an adjournment of the house, and puiling wires and strings in all directions, being throughout aided by ?orter. In this connection it wil] also )e recalled that Bulkeley's efforts to keep Comptroller Staub "out," even after the house had declared him elected, was only defeated by the surrender of the office by the outgoing comptroller, Mr. Wright, who refused to be Bulkeley's catspaw. How Bulkeley also OYercame the opposition of Representative Eaton, of North Haven, by promising and subsequently obtaining tor a relative the assistant dairy commissionership of the state is yet another episode to be recalled in the seandalous story. The majority report, which the committee made at last under Bulkeley's prompting and after their several weeks of delay; was, much of it a mere rescript of the official snppleinentary statement of the vote, and was such a document as any halffledged reporter might have penned in a single day- a fact which by itself shows the committee's "trading plan " or sudden change of heart, or botii. lts conclusions were monstrous The three minor democratie candidates banger, Pnelan and Alsop, had each clear majorities over all of several hundred votes, which could not be nullined by counting all the "for" votes thrown out and also the rejected marked ballots in Bridgeport. But the committee audaciously took all ballots doublets and the like, thrown out by town moderators, for reasons perfectlv lega], and counted them against the the democratie candidates. By splitting words and making cobweb distinctions in the pbraseology of the returns, they got up also a flimsy legal argument to support their finding. The subsequent history of the outrale Is wel] known : How the house gradually came under the control oí the Bulkeley men, led by the "convertedForter; how a separate vote on the caudidates was refused; how amid the high glee of the Bulkeley men the house adjourned until next November the autocratie Speaker Paige, to make' a quorum, countine. Eeed fshin,, (lemocrats who had ventured a step or two inside the door, and how thus three candidates, whom nine republicans out of ten admitted in private wei-e elected, carne to be dispossessedof their offices and are dispossessed still. Through the whole of this rascahty hardly a republican in Connecticuthas dared to protest, and but for the "personal" and somewhat accidental quarrel between Porter and fuaired1 W0UM nOt CVen n0W be In the meantinae the hold-over plot has npened to more material fruits wtaich werepartlyitsobjects. Bulkeley has appointed men to the various state commissions and boards and thus bound most of them to himself in furtherance of his remoter aims Meantime, also, a recount of the ballots in about one-half of the towns in the state has shown that the groünds onwhichthe committee kept out the viiervCf s were utter]y baseless as everybody knew them to be. When the legislature, therefore. comes together next November, the quandary of the repubhcaus is a serious one H they let 111 the minor officers, they confess their offence; if thev do not, they continue to blazon their own infamy and iurnish substantial "capital" to their party toes. In neither case can tion which for its mingied turpitude and cowardice, is unmatched in our po htical history, or matched in the palmiest days of Southern carpetbaggism alone. l