Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-04-18

perfect fairness. This fairness, we may
say, has not been initiated by some of Mr..
Pages organs, the Ludlow Tribune Rich
ford Gazette Montpelier Argus, White
River junction Landmark and other papers
devoted to his interests, which have teemed
with false charges of liquor selling, corrupt
political trading, etc, against Col Wood
bury, which tho writers thereof ought to
have known and probably did know, to be
absolutely untrue.
But since the Waterman brings up Mr..
Pages war record, we have no objection to
considering it. We cannot, however, be
roped into fathering the story relating to
it which has been current in Lamoile county
for many years, and which is understood to
have very seriously affected the result when
Mr. Page was candidate for the State
Senate in 1874. As the Waterman appar-
emily aludcs to this story, we may allude to
it simply to say that We have seen no evil
dence of its truth and that we would not
believe it unless compelled to. We prefer to
accept his 'war record asst is stated by his
friends, who represent it to be substantially
as follows:
Mr.. Page was of military age when the
war broke out. He was enrolled as liable
to draft IN 1861. At that time he had
some responsible charge in connection with
the extensive barter business conducted by his
father and himself at Hyde Park and in Can
ada. AS this business required him to spend
much of his time in Canada he was necessarily
absent from Hyde Park most or much of
the time, but he visited Hyde Park, Boston,
New York and other places in this country,
as occasion demanded; and while in Canada
his stay there was without reference to the
draft. There was the less inducement for
him to avoid this, because he and his father
were making a thousand dollars month in
their business and it would not have
troubled him particularly to pay $500 for
substitute if ho had been drafted. His
friends, so far as we are aware, do not
claim that he was active in promoting en-
listmeuts or any special duty relating to the
support of the troops in the field or of the
national cause. While he undoubtedly
wished this to succeed, he was busy in max
ing money and laying the foundations for his
fortune in the trying times when the youth,
manhood and patriotism of Vermont were
pressing to the front for the defense of the
dag. He of course considered and no doubt
still claims, that he had right to be so en-
gagged. This claim we do not dispute.
Such, then, is Mr.. Pages "war record. "
If anything can be truthfully added to it in
his favor, we shall he glad to add it. We
fail to find in it any reason why the people
of Vermont, proud as they are of her patri-
otto history and jealous of her fame should
pass 10y candidate, who, possessing every
qualification of high personal character,
pure life, business capacity, experience in
public affairs, and devotion to the best in
terests of our commonwealth that can be
claimed by Mr.. Page, adds to all these
the priceless possession of war
record, worthy of the name-a record
of prompt and eager response to his coun-
try's call; of postponing all selfish and
money making interests till the government
was safe of effective service in the field as
soldier of wounds and Imprisonment and
| terrible suffering, endured with manly for
titude for God and country; of return to
the front, to give another arm, or his life,
if needed, to the great and good cause; of
faithful service to the close of the war.
This, in brefest statement, is Col. Wood
bury's record; and we will not insult the
republicans of Vermont by supposing for
an instant that they will forget it, or deem
tsof light account, when they select their
nominee for governor