St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-04-05
THE HARRIS WITHDRAWAL.
Some Note and Comment PoIitica
Methods.

some
Methods.
The "withdrawaP of B. D. Harris,
elsewhere printed, is quite suggestive.
"The voice is Jacobs voice, but the
hands are the hands of Esau."
The "common people" who read Mr..
Harris's letter will naturally wonder
why a man of such sound views, evil
dent ability and broad craftsmanship
was invited to decline the nomination
for governor; for that is what Mr..
Benedict's letter really means.
The question arises, that if the po-
litical managers in this state, in the in
terest of "harmOny," or for any other
reason, felt sensitive about having two
such good men as Messrs. Harris and
Dillingham; come up as candidates for
governor the same year, why did they
not write Dillingham; instead of Har-
ris Harris is the older man, and
without any disparagement of Dilling
ham, it is safe to say he is superior in
ability and the grasp of vital questions
which should interest the people of
our state. Mr.. Harris is in the ma
turity of mental vigor, and if the peO-
pie of the state ever expect to call him
to service, this seems of all years to be
the time Mr.. Dillingham; is yet a
young man, twenty years or more the
Junior of Mr.. Harris, and he can afford
to wait. The state can hardly afford
to let Mr.. Harris wait.
People who have memories cannot
fail to recall the fact that some months
ago, after the name of B. D. Harris of
Brattleboro had been received with
much favor in all parts of the state as
the possible candidate for governor in
the coming campaign, one c. S. Forbes,
political fugler and accredited tool
of the railroad ring which has made
our state by-word and reproach for
SO long a time, also the state manager
for the Boston Journal, went of his
own accord, or was sent, on a mission
throughout the state, in the interest of
Dillingham; boom. Meanwhile let
tiers appeared in the Boston Journal
intimating that Dillingham; if nominal
ed could probably get the prohibition
vote, thing which was doubtful in
the case of Harris. Just as though the
men who Forbes works for care where
the prohibition vote is cast They
simply want a governor they can man
age and they know Broughton d. Har-
ris is not that man.
An editorial in the Burlington Free
Press of Monday, evidently written by
the same pen that invited Mr.. Harris
to withdraw as a candidate for COVER
nor, says: Mr.. Dillingham's name
"would probably have been earlier
suggested, if repeated public mention
of him in connection with another i'm
pOrtant place had not to some extent
withdrawn him, in the minds of many,
from the canvass of names for the gov
ernOrsbip." This is a very carefully
worded statement, and may mean any
thing or nothing to the average read
err; but to those who have kept the
run of the political machine for the
past fifteen years, it means something
like this: "Mr. Dillingham; has had
for some years, or thought he had, a
first mortgage on some office. His
heart has been set on a seat in con-
gress, but for good and sufficient rea-
sons he has been induced to withdraw
for the present all intentions in that
direction if he can be made governor
of the state this year.
Now some thick headed partisan
will probably pop up and say the Cal
edonian is attacking Mr.. Dillingham;.
There is where they will show their
stupidity. The CaledOnian does not
yield to any one in it's regard for Mr..
Dillingham;. He is a good, clean man,
and an honor to our state, and if made
governor, he will be a credit to the Of