The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-04-12
Letters from the People.
What IL Means.


Editor Sitter: / will do the best
l can to answer your inquiry why
Hon. b. d. Harris has refused long
er to be considered a candidate for
governor though ! have no special
inside information, and can only give
you what seems to be generally UNI
derstood on the street, which is no
doubt pretty near the truth.
From the beginning Mr.. Harris has
said plainly to all who have asked him
about it that he would not allow his
name to be used unless it should ap-
pear to be the pretty general wish of
the republicans of the state, and not
then unless he could have, without
begging on his part, the practically
unanimous support of the party in
Windham County, which meant of
course the dropping of the old fight
that has been kept up ever since Dea-
con Estey was candidate for gov
ernor dozen or fifteen years ago.
The Estey crowd have always, since
that time, made bitter opposition to
any man who didn't support the dea-
con, no matter how good or worthy a
man he was. When Mr.. Harris be-
gan to be prominently and favorably
mentioned for governor last fall it
looked for awhile as though the old
sores would be healed and that Mr..
Harris might have united support
at home where at least nineteen twen-
tieths of the people would be glad to
see him governor. Col. Hooker, who
was supposed to represent the Estey
faction, openly said, at home and a.
broad, that he was for Harris and
that all old quarrels must be laid a
side so as to give him solid support.
But by and by, after Guy Noble,
Gov. Smiths railroad lawyer, had
been down here, a change appeared to
come over his dream, and he and Full
Ter, as they were running about all
over the state, as they were constant
ly doing, began to talk about and
magnify the old feuds and contrived
to have their own names presented as
candidates, and talked about in the
newspapers, thus helping on the cry
of the ring papers that there was great
opposition to Harris in Windham
County, and that a candidate must be
found elsewhere. Whereupon Gov.
Smith, who hates Harris because he
knows he can't dictate to him nor use
him, began to prick up his ears and
take courage to hunt up some outside
man to bring into the field, which he
probably never would have done but
for the conduct of Hooker and Fuller,
who have played right into his hand.
For two OF three months reports have
been coming in from other parts of
the state that Hooker was playing
double Gas for Fuller, nobody here
has ever had any confidence in him =,
but the friends of Mr.. Harris refused
to believe these reports until quite re-
Gently, when positive proofs left no
room for further doubt. When these
facts came to Mr.. Harris knowledge,
though fully satisfied that he could
have solid delegation from this
county in spite of all opposition, but
being also satisfied that a small fac
ton were determined to oppose him
and that his friends must go into a
disagreable scramble for the delegates,
he promptly decided to do just what
he said from the start he would do
under such circumstances, and step
ped out of the whole business, being
disguised probably with the entire
lack of sincerity and good faith of all
professional politicians. Mr.. Har-
ris, it is understood, has refused to
have any part in bringing his own
name before the public, or to do any
thing to help himself, which is in
marked contrast with the conduct of
the general run of candidates and re-
freshingly SO with that Of the two
confederates who, having no chance
themselves, have played the part of
"dog in the manger," presumably
because they want to save everything
for themselves, and can't bear to see
any other Windham county man made
prominent. They want the whole
earth themselves, these modest seek
ers do. But in this case it looks as
though they had overdone the bust
ness somewhat, for there is very gen.
eral indignation expressed at their
selfish and tricky conduct. If they
had ability and character equal to
----.L