St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-05-15
Obe Californian.
MR. PAGE AND THE RAILROADS..

Mr.. PACE AND THE RAILROADS..
1t must be said that Hon Carroll
S. Page has a very happy and graft
fying way of rising above the charges
and insinuations of his opponents,
and that so far he has come out of
them all in a manner which proves
more and more his manliness and in
dependence. The charge that as a
bov he skedaddled to Canada to
avoid the draft was wiped out as
soon as the facts were known. a
charge which followed, that Mr.
Page is responsible for the present
low price of calfskins, and that he is
getting rich at the expense of the
farmers, quickly followed the Canada
assault into retirement when the
common sense of the situation was
stated, and now charge No. 3, that
Mr. Page tried to get Central Yer
mont railroad support III his canvass
and failed, has followed suit. This
latter charge was contained or i'm
piled Ill a letter published by Lieut.
Gov. Woodbury. in the Free Press OF
April %, allusion to which was made
in this paper at the time. The para
graph containing it was the follow
ing:
I'm December or January last, some
six weeks or two months before l re-
ceived any intimatiOn that could ex-
pect any support i'll that direction, a
well-knOwn attorney OF the east side
came here and went to St. Adams III
the interest, as he said, of a certain
aspirant for the governOrsh1p. Not
finding the person or persons whom
he wanted 20 see, the attorney sub
sequently went to Boston and found
them, and told them he came to get
the Central Vermont railroad inter
est to support Mr."for the govern
Orship. He exhibited list of news
papers that were to support his
client, and said that he had a sure
thing, and suggested that they fall
into line They did not fall in. Now
| do not recite this to censure i'll the
least the attorney "a man for whom
| have the utmost respect) or his
principal, but in view of these facts
may be permitted to ask this ques-
ton: If it be disreputable to accept
the voluntary support of a party or
person, is 1t not equally SO to at
tempt to obtain such support and
fail -
The Montpelier Waterman has
looked the matter up, and gives the
result of its investigation IN detail
this week Learning from some OF
Col. Woodbury's friends that Hon.
Chas. =. Marsh of Woodstock, the
present representative from that
town, was the attorney referred to,
Mr.. Ropes of the Waterman wrote
Mr. Marsh a letter asking for the
facts In reply Mr. Marsh says i'll
substance that last fall he met Mr..
Page at the Quincy house, Boston,
entirely by accident. The guberna-
tOrial canvass was casually alluded
to, and Mr.. Page remarked among
other things that he did not know as
he should have the support of certain
gentlemen prominent in the railroad
interests, because he had understood
that the appointment of Il chairman
for the last republican state conven-
ton had given offence to certain per
sons connected with one of the lead
ing railroads. To this Mr.. Marsh
replied that he did not believe any of
these gentlemen would be hostile to
Mr.. Page on this account, and he
said i'll addition that he would make
an explanatiOn of the situation when
circumstances offered. Mr.. Page
made no objection to this, but did
say that las Il republican candidate
for governor, he would not, even for
the sake of being governor, tie his
hands III any way, or pledge sub
serviency to any interest" Mr..
Marsh adds that the proposition Oh
his part to make such an cXplana ton
was an entirely free will offering, and
that any conversation which he sub
sequently had on the subject with
any person III the railroad interest
was incidental to other business.
The utmost franllness of speech was
used, and each party to the CONVEX
sation was left free to the exercise of
his choice as to what candidate for
governor he might support. There
was no attorneyship about it, no fee
nor reward, nor any hope or ex-
pectancy of any fee or reward"
This certainly puts Mr.. Page in q
good light and relieves him of all
suspicion of having tried, through
an attorney or otherwise, to secure
railroad support for his canvass. No
mani i'll Vermont is of higher personal
character, or enjoys more universal
confidence and respect than does MIR.
Marsh, and there can be no doubt of
the truth of his statement.
While the fact that Col. Woodbury.
is understood to have, in this can
vass, the sympathy and support ofthe
railroad interests, ought not to I'M
duly counted against him, it ought not
to be understood, on the other hand,
that Mr. Page, if elected governor,
would entertain any hostility toward
those interests. We believe he would
simply try to hold himself free from
undue influences or prejudice of any
kind, and administer his office for
what he conceived to be the best in
terests of all the people of the state.
We believe, moreover, that he would
give the financial affairs and cOndi-
ton of the state the competent
scrutiny and attention of which they
certainly stand in need Brattle-
bOrO Phoenix.
THE MORRILL, PENSION BILL.
The Morrill, service pension bill
which has naSSed he House ant hO-