Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-05-02
\ Word with the Woodstock
Standard

The FREE Press must now be convinced
that it has done Mr. Page a grievous wrong
VIII it do him Justice:
So asks the Woodstock Standard-a pa
per for which we have entertained high re
spcct, ard with which we are always sorry
to disagree. In reply, we say that we are
not aware of having done Mr. Page any
wrong-and that we desire to do him full jus
tice-now and at all times. The Stand
are makes out a failure on the part OF the
FREE PRESS to do justice to Mr.. Page in
this matter of his war record, only by mis-
stating to use no stronger term, what this
paper has said, by INDUCING in groundless
suruses, and by jumping to false conclu-
aions What are the specifications Of the
Standards charge
First. Certain newspapers have in
dulged in dark hints, - Ii this be SO, the
FREE Press is not one of them. 1t has
limited at nothing it did not express, and if
into our words only the meaning which is
plainly there twill find that the bottom has
dropped out of its charge both as whole
and in all its particulars.
.NccouI. 'Privatey the story has been
circulated that Mr.. Page went tn Canada to
avoid the draft during the war Well the
| FREE PRESS has not circulated the story
privately or publicly. Not the faintest al
fusion to it was made by this paper, till it
was alluded to in one of Mr.. Pages papers
IN connection with "a direct challenge to the
FREE PREss:-and even then the story was
not repeated by us. No one ever learned it
from the FREE PRESS, and 10 credence III
it has been expressed by this paper.
1hiId. "The Brandon Union was Sc
lectcd as the medium through which a call
should be made for his Mr. Pages war
record. - How does the Standard know
that the Union ''was Sciectcd. Who Sc
lected the Union Certainly not the FREE
! Press. No one connected with this paper
had had any communication with the editor
of the Brandon Union, directly or indirectly,
on any subject, before the Union printed
the apparently harmless little paragraph
which has thrown so many Vermont papers,
including some, like the Standard, which
are wont to exercise some self control, into
such spasms of protest and abiurgation. Nor
had any one connected with this paper any
appear anywhere. We do not believe that
any one outside the Union Office made any
suggestion to the Union in reference TO it.
aliusion. What lrus the Unions item any
way 1t was two-line aluson to Mr.
Pages "War record. - 1t did not say that
anything was wrong with that record. i
contained no reference to Canada or the
draft. 1t merely suggested in the bricfes
possible words that another ten thousand OF
the News and Citizen he printed with Mr.
Pages biography, including his war record
This suggestion, by the way, was promptly
followed by the News and the Page organ
, generally. We have been reliably informel
that when the Union printed it its editor
! Rev Mr.. upper, who had been connected
with the paper only month or six weeks
had never heard of the privately circulate,
{ story. He had understood in a general wa,
t that Mr.. Pages war record was not one o
l much distinction. and noticing the omission
of any allusion to it by Mr.. Pages bio
5 graphefs, he suggested that the omission b
5 supplied without the faintest idea that hi
Q suggestion would stir up any particula
o. rumpus. We believe this to be the truth
t The Union can tell us whether it is 50 o
{ not But at any rate why should Mr.
} Pages papers all fly OIL the handle on &C
count of such a mild suggestion Would
/ request for information as to what he sal
n and did TO sustain the government in its grea
trial trouble L. A. Woodbury., or Thoma
O. Seaver, or Luther O. Green 1t is 70
5 Mr.. Pages organs to explain why they hay
D found il necessary to throw up such u