Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-06-06

The Watchman's Outside Canvass.
The Montpelier Waterman inaugurated
the campaign in behalf of Mr.. Page by n
canvass of selected prominent republicans
on the subject of the promotion of leuten-
t-governors. Though the Waterman or
its hacker picked the men who were I'D
dressed on the subject, the results Of this
canvass were SO unsatisfactory that the
Waterman would never publish the replies
it received, nor give the public anything
but its own doctored statement of the re
turns Evidently disheartened by the home
outlook for its candidate, which has grown
unpromising as the canvass has progressed,
the Waterman has been looking outside of
Vermont for aid and comfort 1t has can
vassed the other States of the L nion, through
their respective secretaries of state in order
to discover whether or no the republicans of
Vermont ought or ought not to be free to
select for governor the man whom they
prefer. This outside canvass appears to
have PANIED out very much as the other
did. The Waterman sees fit to print re
plies from but mine of the thirty
seven Statistics than quarter of them.
The Waterman says that the answers
it has received ''do not disclose single in
stance in which the promotion of the lieu
tenant governor TO the governorship has re-
ceived the sanction of either of the dominant
political parties.N Its own columns fur
nsh the contradiction to this remarkable
statement. What the replies it does not
print may contain we do not know; but
those it does print mention eight or ten
cases of the promotion of as many lieuten-
ant governors to be governor. In Michi-
gan, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa, it
seems TO make a man lieutenant-governor
is to shelve him. Massachusetts has elected
| four acknowledgements as governors
| The replies from other States are in sub
stance that there is no rule of rotation or
promotion from lieutenant governor to gov
ernor in them. WELL there is no such rule
in Vermont, and we certainly desire the
establishment of no such rule The secre-
tary of state of Connecticut writes: Pre-
vious to the year 1850 there was general
feeling that an election to the Office OF
| lieutenant governor ended mans political
career, but there is no such feeling now.
Nor is there any such feeling in Vermont.
| The people of this State simply wish to be
| free to take the man they want for COVER
nor whether he happens to be or not to be
holding some other office. They do not
wish to cheaper the office of lieutenant
governor by making it by rule the end of G
mans political career. Nobody is urging
Lieut. Gov. Woodbury. for governor by vir
tue of any rule OF promotion. No such rule
will be established by his nomination AND
election. If we can correctly gauge the
popular feeling, there is distinct purpose
on the part of the republicans of Vermont
to hamper themselves by no rigid rule, one
way or the other. They quite certainly viii
not permit the possession of one honor from
the State to damn politically promin ant
honest, able citizen, sound in the faith, ex
perenced in affairs, having a splendid
patriotic record and whose attitude is no
that of an importunate seeker for the Office
or manipulation of political wires; but The
attitude of a dgnifed and honorable man,
who says, by word and deed, Let the free
will of the ma jority prevail. Ny character
and record are before the people. If they
think me fit to head the republican Stat
ticket l shall be proud to serve them. Blu
| value their respect more than any Office
and the governorship has value for me onl,
as the free, unbought choice of the republi
| cans of Vermont -