St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-01
He BOUGHT CALFSK|NS
Peculiar Argument Against
a Candidate for Gov
ernor in Vermont.
Hon. Carroll S. Page Accused
of Grinding Farmers to
the Earth.
The Sudden Fall in the Price
of CaIfskinS Laid at His
Door.
A Yankee Who Amassed a
Great Fortune on Very
Small Profits.

Special to the Globe.
MONTPELIER, VT, July 91.-No ele-
ment figures politically in the remote
little state of Vermont outside Of the G.
o. P. as everybody knows. The ex-
element all centers on the nomination
of candidates for the Republican ticket:
the ensuing election is a needless for
mality. During the recent contest for
gubernational honorS between Hon.
Carroll S. Page and Lieut. Gov. Wood
bury, the primaries were unusually well
attended, and the discussions were of a
most lively and interesting character.
The typical Vermonter loves to talk,
ana if there is anything in which he is
,os.rticularly gifted, it is talent for de-
bate. A very little thing snffices for
starter, and almost any question devel-
opes countless phases and ramifications
when once it is opened up by the in
quisitive Green Mountainer. But let
there be some really important issue,
something touching either of his two
great passions-his patriotism and his
pocket-and his eloquence tumbles
forth with the
Uncheckable Spontaneity
of the mountain brook. And there is
something very serious and consequent
tial about it, and that yet strikes the
outsider as possessing the elements of
the most delicious humOr in the world.
In this late campaign both of these vital
principles were involved. On the one
hand were the Grand Army men, ar
rayed under the Woodbury. banner.
not as an organization, but as separate
and distinct individuals united by the
inevitable spirit of camaraderie. On
the other, the more practical men of
affairs, who, from intimate knowledge
of Mr.. Pages history, character, and
business methods, had confidence in his
ability to promote the material interests
of the state. in a particularly excited
caucus i'll one of the smaller villages, a
Grand Army man, named Stibbs, in
nominating a Woodbury. delegate TO the
state convention, bore down hard on
the fact that Col. Woodbury. had made
a splendid war record, and bad cleft his
good right arm on the soil of Virginia"
Mr.. Ramsay, Page man, popped up
as Stibbs sat down.
"There you go again, brother Stibbs,
harpin' away on the same old thing.
The war has been over for some time,
I'd like to remind you, an we've got
another bit O. history to make that
doesn't REQUIRE fightin' talent. There's
nobody got a higher opinion O. the
in their day an generation. Now it is
for us to do ours. And want to say,
right here, that Pm opposed to any ring
man for governor of the stare of Yer
mont. Col. Woodbury. belongs to
The Lumber Ring
an to the Central Vermont railroad
ring, an to your ring" looking hard at
the Grand Army coterie. ''lf L have
any influence it shall go for man that
no ring Or clique would dare to come to
with a Job. And such a man is the Hon.
Carroll S. Page. He's well acquainted
with public affairs, an knows what he's
saying when he declares that there
ought to be reform in government adj
ministratiOn, an Stricter economy in the
matter of state expenditures"
''Yet no doubt he knows what he's
sayin'," spoke up a third individual.
ut doesn't take very astute politician
to pitch that kind of tune when but
ter's 10 cents pound"
"Well, you'll see that he'll carry out
his theory if he's put into the chairE'
declared Ramsay, with the confidence
of strong conviction. ut amt jest a
mess o political bunl1um with him.
He's business man, and"
ION. yes, he is a business man,"
Snorted StibbS, springing to his feet,
and wrestling the floor from Ramsay.
"If we had few more like him a farmer
couldn't raise anything in the state O.
Vermont with takin' to market A
few years ago when he fust begun
buyin' up calfskins they fetched dol
lar and half apiece, an now you can't
get but 25 cents"
"But we paid IS pair for boots them
days, Neighbor Stibbs," ventured sly
Page partisan, THAT we can buy now
for IS; amt there correlation OF things
there somewhere"
Stebbs could not see it, but stupidity
persisted in the notion that Mr.. Page
was somehow responsible for the low
price of the commodity which consti-
tuted his stock in trade. Ramsay saw
his opportunity and managed to get the
floor again.
81 should think you couldn't have any
better guaranty for mans ability to
manage government affairs in thrifty
and economic way than his success as a
private individual" he declared. Mr..
Page has shown
GAtIStOI OiAIslIy AdleHG
and capacity in his own peculiar enter
prise. Right up here in the little vii
lage of Hyde Park, mere sandbank, a
town with 10 natural advantages and
with but single insignificant line of
railroad. he has built up an establish
ment whose arms stretch out over the
country almost from ocean to ocean. He
has constructed extensive warehouses,
which are filed with bales upon
bales of sorted skins, so that a
tanner can give his order for
anything he wants in his line, am in
heard of his shippin' over to England
an invoice of $4,000 calfskins, all of the
same quality an weight. Think of a
business like that, an all built up, by
Neighbor StibbS' own showin', in the
short space of a few years."
"Nobody's denying Mr.. Pages talent
for maxim money!" retorted Stlbbs.
firing up again. lille has squeezed a
fortune out o. the farmer, that's what
he has. He's got beautiful system of
his own for dOin' it-fust, crowds the
price o. calf skins down to quarter
an then docks the seller ten cents for
every little cut"
That's So" observed the wag of the
lHcttlItS' lOOh d hue W Hill ONCE
with three Sits in it, am had to give
HIM nickle TO take it off my hands,"
There were couple of strangers on
the outskirts of the crowd who were
getting good deal Of entertainment
out of the speeches and remarks.
Truly Remarkable.
at Is true what they say about Page,''
one of them observed. "That establish
ment of his up at Hyde has made him a
rich man; he is a remarkable manager
and linancier."
"Who but Yankee could amass a
fortune out of calf skins at 25 cents a
piecew philosophical his companion.
WHO but Yankee would skin a
calf for % cents" returned the other.
When the caucus resumed the bust
ness of selecting delegates, the name Of
Steb Kinney was proposed. Mr.. Kin
ney was Immediately called upon TO de-
clare his preference. lie modestly ex-
pressed himself in favor of Page.
"0f course" piped up strident
voice In the background, ''he keeps
lerSeyS and his calf sLIns ain't worth