The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-07-02
A Back Fire Returned.

element seems to nave been seeking
solace for its woes through certain
democratic newspapers in New York
and Boston. The Herald of the latter
city published, just before the conven-
ton, dispatches alleged to have been
transmitted from Montpelier, the char
acter of which is shown up elsewhere
in this paper. In its issue of June
"a, five days after the convention, the
Herald published an editorial that was
so irnpregnated with the campaign
rinsngs of the Vermont dailies that it
drew from Colonel Albert Clarke, now
secretary of the Home Market Club,
Boston, the following communication:
To the Editor Of the Herald Your edito-
rial reference in the Herald of June "A to
Hon. Carroll S. Page, the republican NOM
inee for governor of Vermont, was GER
tainly based on gross misrepresentation
1t is not true that the leading republican
journals of the state are intensely dissatis-
fed with him. Three or four of them pre-
ferred another candidate, but they all sup
port Mr.. Page, which they would not do II
they believed that he is g an offensive kind
OF politician, who obtained the nomination
through the free use of money and other OBJ
jectionable acts of management" Only
one paper has made such charge, and If
you understood the animus of the paper
you would not believe the charge any more
than the people of Vermont do. There
was, of course, some money used on both
sides, for the canvass was close, and both
candidates were able and willing to pay
legitimate expenses. But that either made
any corrupt use of money, or that such use
could be successfully made in a popular
canvass in Vermont, / can not for one mo-
ment believe, and | have been closely IA
miliar with the politics of that state for
many years.
The truth of the situation is the very OPP
poste of what you have been led to sup
| pose. Mr.. Page made a canvass against
what for the want of an equally compre-
hensive and less offensive term, ] will call
| ring politics. Against him were the various
combinations that cluster about corpora
! tions and societies. The veteran soldiers,
while not hostile to him, were largely for
his competitor, who wears Vernont's first
empty sleeve" Some of the dealers in
western farm mortgages had a grievance
| against Mr. Page because, as state inspector
! of finance, he had thrown out stationary
| signals as to that class of investments by
savings banks. Then, too, people who have
! schemes to promote at the expense of the
state opposed him because he favored closer
| ,
what there is left of it in Vermont, was all
| against him. Would this have been so if
his campaign had been meroenary?
The statement that he " compares poorly
! in qualifications for the position with other
men who have filled it, and with his lead
ing competitor" is another misconception.
| No one would, of course, think of rating
him with few distinguished lawyers who
have been governors of Vermont-John
! Mattocks, Stephen Royce, Hiland Hall,
Charles X. Williams Paul Dillingham;,
! Ashael Peck, and others who might be
named-but he compares favorably with
| the average laymen who have successfully
discharged the duties of the Office during
One-haf the history of the state. In ability,
| learning and business success he fairly
rivals his competitor, and in legislative ex-
perience and familiarity with public affairs
he excels him. Nobody would more cor
! daily agree to this than would Colonel
| Woodbury. himself, and doubt if, after the
heat of the contest subsidies, there can be
| found dozen we'll informed men in Ver-
mont who will not agree that Mr. Page is
well equipped for the office, is worthy of it
by his honorable public and private life,
and is especially deserving of the admira-
ton and confidence of those who like to
see candidate espouse the cause of the
people and make plucky and winning
fight against tremendous political odds.
Not having been partisan of either can
and so loyal to my native state that | can
not silently see her msrepresented or mis-
understood, | thought it my duty to give
you these facts. ALBERT CLARKE.
Boston, June 26, 1880.
To this the Herald responds:
Our editorial remarks on this case were
| based upon what was found in such repub-
lican papers of Vermont as the burlington
Free Press, the Rutland Herald the Rutland
Telegram and the st. Adams Messenger,
which were all against him. The Rutland
Herald and Burlington Free Press both
charged Objectionable methods Mr.. Page,
on the eve of the convention, in order to in
tiuence delegates, sent out personally a
telegram making an estimate OF his own
strength and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Wood
| burys, which telegram the harrington Free
Press declared did not tell the truth We
did not claim that there was to be boiling OF
the ticket in the press of Vermont. On the
contrary, we said that there was not likely
| to he, and gave the reasons. The Rutland
| Herald, however, intimates that IL supports
| the candidate only on party Compulsion
and the burlington Free Press, than which
there certainly is not a more prominent
paper in Vermont, declares that the NOM
! ination "proClaims TO the world that here
after the governorship of the Green Noun
tain State will be the prize of the man who
begs for it the hardest, and who has the
means to organize newspaper Blooms, retain
lawyers, employ agents, manipulate eau
cuses and fill the mails with personal
! letters"
The Herald undoubtedly has access
to most of the papers of Vermont, but
it selects small group, all dailies, and
all-for personal or corporate reasons
violently opposed to Mr.. Page, and
whose columns, throughout the canvass
were overlooking with calumny, false.
hood and detraction, from which tC
make up its judgment of the successful
candidate. Upon information thus OBJ
tanned, and which Colonel Clarke-whC
knows exactly what he is talking
Observation-Disclosures as "gross mis-.
representation, !" it published its edito
rial remarks" Verify, the Herald is
an independent " newspaper, and
here is most beautiful exhibition OF
" independent journalism "a term