Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-05-30

When the republicans of Vermont
met recently in convention at Bellows
Falls the public mind had settled with
general favor upon Mr.. Billings rs the
nominee of the republican party tor
Governor at our next state election. The
canvass began early and was conducted
with considerable yigOr by the press
throughout the state, and yet, with per
haps a single exception, with marked
courtesy on all sides. As the result OF
it we hazard nothing in saying that Mr.
Billings would have received the nomi-
nation at Bellows Falls with remarka-
BILE unanimity, had the convention which
met at that place been empowered to
make it.
BY the turn affairs have taken since
that time the GOvernOrship has come to
be "al at sea, " as the saying goes, and
we propose to state frankly why this is
so. Before Mr.. Billings was named rs
candidate tor Governor, his friends,
who are the friends also of Gov. Stew
art, received assurances from the latter
that he should not ask for a reelection,
as he felt compelled to yield to the ur-
gent call of many citizens and allow his
name to be presented as a candidate for
Congress. But Mr., Stewart said then,
as we understand he says now, that his
own choice would be to accept again
the office of Governor, should the people
choose to give it to him. Moreover, Mr.
! Billings, while approaching the honor
his many friends would confer upon
him, wanted it clearly understood that
he should not push for the place, much
! less make a contest to obtain 1t, and de-
clmed to allow his name to be used,
until Mr. Stewards position had bech
| made known to Inn. 10 conilrm the
| truth Of this statement regarding GOV.
! Stewart, we need not go beyond the iaCt'
| known throughout the State, that he
| allowed the canvass to proceed 10 an eN-
! IRENE point, without a Word or oDJec-
| ton on his own part. ct he could not
| help being aware OF the probable result,
| the point being granted that the public
| understood correctly his own position
| in the matter.
But at Bellows Falls It was whispered
about that Gov. Stewart had said to
some one. a day or two before. that he
| should ask for a denomination. The
! statement was received with surprise
and incredulity by his own trusted sup
porters, some of whom had been proml-
| nent in urging Mr. Billings to become a
candidate, while the friends Of the latter
could not but feel that it was anything
but manly and square, to say the least,
to change front at that late day, anC
| thereby place them and their candidate
in such an unfavOrable position before
the public. Men of all parties, there
| fore. were slow to believe that the rnmOl
| had any GOOD foundation, and the as
sembIv broke up and people returned
TO their homes with the general cxpecta-
| ton. we venture to say, that Mr. Bill
lings would receive the nomination WheI
the State Convention met
On the very dav of the convention al
Bellows Falls, announcement was made
in a prominent newspaper and made un,
der authority. that Gov. Stewart would
be a candidate for denomination. The
following week a lame attempt was
made to explain away the announce
ment, but it was taken up by other pa
pers. and has been repeated so often anC
so plainly as to establish the fact beyond
a doubt When this governor question
was first mooted, it was expected tina
Vermont would lose one of her three
members of Congress. In that event i
was generally supposed that the STATE
would be divided into two districts, will
the mountain as a dividing line. The
western district, so called, would receive
as n legacy the animosities engendereC
bv the recent bitter contests in the ole
third and fourth districts. With thi
fact before them the friends OF Mr.
Stewart, doubtless for good reasons
were claiming that he was the only MAJ
upon whom the new and enlarged dis
trict could unite. Furthermore, as W.
understand the matter, he had virtually