The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-20
The VERMONT canvass.
The Plan of Campaign Against Senator
Edmunds and Its Chance of Success.

The Plan of Campaign Against Senator
Edmunds and Its Chance of Success.
II the anti-Edmunds crusade is not to
end in smoke the first open fight in the
Republican campaign against the SEN
ator will have to be made at the State
convention. 1t will be fight for posi-
ton by the Senator's enemies, and will
occur in this way: Chairman Gibbs
was appointed the member of the State
Committee for Chittenden County two
years ago when he resided in Burling-
ton, and was elected chairman of the
committee upon the refusal of Hon.
George Nichols, of Mortified, to serve
longer in that place. But Mr.. Gibbs is
now a resident of Franklin County,
and is the grinder-in-chief of Governor
Smiths own hand-organ, the st. Adams
Messenger. 1t is therefore an apparent
matter of course that he can not again
represent Chittenden County on the
committee. But he can represent
Franklin. if the delegates from that
county to the convention select him as
committeeman. Will they?
Franklin is Governor Smiths own
county, and there, if anywhere, his
influence ought to be potent. Ii his
influence is such, its first manifestation
in the campaign will naturally be to
secure the election to the convention
of delegates who will unite in naming
Mr.. Gibbs as the member of the new
committee for Franklin County. This
ought not to be a hard job for Gov
ernor Smith and his friends to accom-
plish, and if they succeed in the under
taking the next step in the programme
will be to get Gibbs reelected chair
man of the committee. That will prove
a more difficult job, as it is highly i'm
probable that Smiths friends will be
in the majority in the committee, and
even if they should be some of them
would undoubtedly hesitate to show
their hands at 80 early stage in the
struggle. OF course Smiths adher-
rents will argue that the choice of
chairman of the State committee
should have and can have no relation
to the matter of the Senatorial success
ion. ''Gibbs has been chairman only
two years." they will say. ''Why not
re-elect him? There was General w.
w. Granedy, of Vergennes, for in
stance. He held the craftsmanship for
twenty-five years, and his successor,
DR.. George Nichols, of Mortified,
served until he got sick Of it. Why,
then, should we not re-elect Gibbs, as
has been the custom? Because he
doesn't like Edmunds? Pooh! That's
no reason. Lots of people don't like
EdmundS.
If, then, Gibbs succeeds in getting
on the committee, desperate effort
will be made to make him its chair
man, on the ground that he ought to
have it, and that, as between Edmunds
and Smith in the Senatorial contest,
the election would have no significance
whatever. But should the effort prove
successful. the Edmunds haters would
Immediately and joyfully proclaim
Gibbs election Smith triumph, and
would proceed to make the most of
their victory. In the event of Smiths
strikers seeing that it will be impossi-
BILE to re-elect Gibbs, they have an
easy way to let themselves down.
Gibbs will be put in nomination to the
committee merely for the purpose of
giving him an opportunity to withdraw
his name in pretty little speech eX-
planning that, while he is grateful for
past hOnors, his Onerous editorial du-
ties will not permit him longer to re-
tain the craftsmanship. And then the
Smith whipcrackers will still have a
chance to assert that the election of
chairman was without significance
N Y jSUR