Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-05-29
Reasons why Col. Hooker ought not
to be elected.

it does not support its townsman
In the Bellows Falls Times of last
week there appeared letter on the
congressional question, signed, "A
Republican" and dated at Brattleboro,
which stated why Gen. Grout ought TO
be defeated from a return to Congress,
and gave list of reasons why Col.
Hooker ought to succeed him. As
this letter may be fairly presumed to
set forth in full the grounds on which
Col. Hooker makes his canvass, we re-
produce it entire in another column,
and take the occasion to see how well
grounded these claims are.
The reason given for Gen. Grout's
proposed retirement is that he is not a
Collamer, a Foote, a Morrill, or an
Edmunds. Granted, but has anybody
discovered any symptoms that Col.
Hooker would make himself rival of
any of these illustrious names! If so
he should be given the place by all
means. If not, careful examination
of his qualifications, or lack Of them,
for member of Congress from Ver-
mont will be in order. We have never,
on our own part, set up any extrava-
giant claims for Gen. Grout, nor have
any of his friends for him within our
knowledge. We have said that he was
a man of more than ordinary ability
and fitness for his place, well read
man in political history and political
economy, close student of public af-
fairs, and diIigent, tireless eonscien-
tious worker, ambitious for himself
and ambitious to serve his constituents
well, and none of these claims have
ever been seriously disputed. However
interested persons at home may affect
TO sneer at him no one in Washington
will be found attempting to belittle him.
On the contrary his high standing is
cheerfully recognized, and never so
much so as at present, when he holds
one of the. most important chairman
ships, the wearing work Of which is
responsible for his present illness. In
this place, which is practically that of
of Washington, he is brought
into close relations with the leading
men of the city, and the tribute paid
him in a paragraph elsewhere, copied
from one of the foremost papers of the
city, is a notable and significant one.
With the list of seven reasons given
to prove Col. Hooker's capacity and
qualification" for Congress there is no
fault to be found, except that they are
quoted for this purpose. In point OF
fact as this writer very well knows,
they have nothing to do, except in the
most indirect and general way, with
the qualifications which Vermont has
always demanded in her representa-
tives in the national Legislature. The
real point in this presentation Of Col.
Hooker's supposed claims is found in
the paragraph on the postotiice ques-
ton, where it is said, or intimated,
that the local opposition to Col. Hooker
is based on the Brattleboro postoffice
issue.
This is by no means true, but let us
see how the point is stated. "The
friends of Col. Hooker" this writer
says, ''reply that he is too ardent
Republican to support Democrat for
the best Federal office in this con-
gressional district, and as a Republican
declined to be bound by a Republican
caucus that nominated a Democrat.
Indeed But it happens that when Col.
Hooker asked for this caucus, endors-
ed, and took the most conspicuous part
possible in it, he knew that Demo-
crat would be leading, and probably
the winning candidate in it. If this
justified Col. Hooker in bolting this
caucus it would justify him in boiling
any caucus. The fact of it is the Col |
onel made what is probably the worst
political mistake of his life in thus
boiling a caucus which he had asked |
for and participated in, and with this /
borne in mind the statement that ''Col. |
friends have from the first
declined to drag into the congressional
,anvass any local matter like that OF
our postoffice controversy Is as
.amoosing" as an Artemus Ward joke.
This brings us to say that, notwith-
standing the explanation so kindly fur
lished in our behalf in this letter, the
sround for the opposition of this paper
Q Col. Hooker is not the postotiice
question. or any other local issue or
local dissentions. but solely his un-
illness for the place. We admit freely
md cordially his good qualities as
,itizen and as town and village otii-
.er; we admire his good record as a
soldier there is no better man in the
tate TO run the horse show. the state
air or our local fair; he is eminently
, .sgood fellow" but the plain, sober
act Is. as every thinking man knows,
hat one, or all these things together