Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-02-03

The st. Johnsbury Caledonian makes a
square and complete denial Of the truth of
"A story printed in the Richford Gazette, to
the effect that c. S. Forbes Of ST. Adams,
the Vermont representative of the Boston
Journal told W. l.. Pearl Of st. Johnsbury,
prohibition candidate for lieutenant goyer-
nor Of Vermont in 1896, that if the proh-
bitionists would keep out Of the field this
year they might name their candidate for
governor and he (Forbes) would guarantee
his nomination and election by the Republi-
cans. The Calcdonian, speaking undoubt-
edly on the authority Of Mr.. Pearl himself,
says The entire story is built on a
chance remark made by Forbes to Pearl,
the former asking the latter who the pro-
hibitonists were going to nominate, and
loosely advising him (PearD to come back
into his fathers house, where there was
bread enough and to spare. During the
conversation Col Forbes asked Pearl if
Dillingham; wouldn't suit the prohibitionists,
and that's the whole gist Of the business.
All the rest of the strange story is not
only nonsense, but it is untrue Col
Forbes has enough to answer for in assum-
ing to pledge Vermont for Blaine at the
New York convention, and for various 9th
err assumptions of a like character, without
being held responsible for all the cheap talk
there is going"
The Caledonian's closing allusion is re
minder of the fact that Mr. Camp of the
Newport Express paid his respects to Mr..
Forbes in a very lively and pointed fashion
last week. Mr., Camp thinks there has
been altogether too much nervousness in
the announcement of Mr.. Forbes as one of
the delegates from Vermont to the Chicago
convention this year, and in Mr. Forbess
own action in declaring with the greatest
confidence" at the convention of Republi-
can clubs in New York city, that Vermont's
preference is for Blaine On this latter
point Mr. Camp wrathfully says:
I'VE say he spoke with the greatest con
fidence; We should rather say with the
greatest possible impudeuce. Forbes, nor
no other man, can today tell the prevailing
sentiment among Vermont Republicans, or
with any sort of certainty name their pref
erence for President 1t may be Blaine: it
is just as likely to be somebody else She
will send good strong men to the national
convention. We have an idea they will Tor
certainly should 90 unpledged but ready
to support the man who will most heartily
and honestly stand upon and carry out the
highest and best principles Of the Republi-
can party. Such attempts to forestall pub
lie opinion-to make the people of the state
believe that Blaine must he the man, and
so relapse into Indifference and allow par
ticular set of picked men to be chosen as
| delegates-are now, as they always have
been, despicable means
Further than this, Mr. Camp accuses Mr..
! Forbes of writing the letter which recently
appeared in the New York Tribune, dated
at Montpelier and naming William P. Dill
bingham of Waterbury as the Republican
candidate for governor this year. The rea-
sons given in this letter for Mr. Dillingham's
candidacy were that he is the son of ex-
| Gov, Paul Dillingham;, that he is a bright
young lawyer, very popular temperance
man. and that he would carry the 1900
votes cast for the prohibition ticket two
years ago. Commenting ON this attempt to
lorestall public opinion, Mr.. Camp says
"Now we like Dillingham;, aud should be
| pleased to see him governor sometime but
| he is comparatively young, and can wait a
| few years without injury. He will make
| just as good a governor. and perhaps bet
ter, in few years. We do not believe he
should he made governor because he chanc-
es to he the son of n former governor the
English idea does not exist largely in this
country-ofiice is not transmitted Nor
should he be governor because he can con
troll 1909 votes of third party. The state
has not been in the habit of electing rum
governors. Whoever is governor will be II
| temperance man, who will stand squarely
on the prohibition plank which has always
been strong, sound plank in the platform
With such a candidate let the 1900 swing
off if they desire, put an Independent man
in the field, or throw their support for the
Democrats. We have confidence in the Re
publican party of the state--that it will in
due time select the right man for governor.
He may not be the man presented by Forbes,
by his chief, by the state committee or by
any select coterie of dictators; but in the
months to come the people will think out
this matter, and will send up their repre-
sentatives to fix the thing
So far as Mr.. Forbes is concerned, our
own feeling is that he has probably been
unfortunate in the kind of newspaper no
toriety which he has acquired this winter,
rather than that he has been guilty of any
overt act, unless it was in presuming, with
out warrant or instructions, to declare the
preference of Vermont Republicans to be
for Mr.. Blaine
On the main point at issue, however, we
agree entirely with the Express. 1t has
become altogether too common "A thing to
try to forestall, or circumvent, or manu-
facture public opinion by specious publica-
tions of some sort in the newspapers and
of late it is very much the fashion to do
this through the medium of letters sent to
some outside paper like the Tribune, the
Boston Journal or the Springfield Republi-
can. Men who are parties to tactics like
these ought to be frowned upon and sat
upon. The people, fortunately, are finding
them out and in doing this they are com
ing more and more to have an idea of tax
ing their affairs into their own hands and
managing them for themselves
We hope it will be the people and not the
Schemers, or the men who try to Fix
things" who will take a controlling hand
in our state and national politics this year.