Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-08-10

Ever since last Tuesday night Brattle-
! bOro Democrats have had a sickly, all
gone feeling. The attack came upon them
suddenly, from an intimation received
through Republican sources that their
county nominations had not been filed
with the county clerk and could not be
printed on the official ballot. Section 10
of the new ballot law provides that certif-
Gates of state and county nominations
'shall be filed not more than 80 nor less
than 30 days" before the day of the cleo
tion. The state election occurs this year
on the 4th of September, and the 30-day
limit therefore expired Monday night at
the latest. We believe Secretary of State
Brownell holds that it expired Saturday
night. Tuesday morning G. G. Fits tum-
bled upon the fact that the Democrats had
not filed their nominations and cOnfded it
to his legal brethren, who further investi-
gated the mater, looked up the law, and
found surely enough that the Democrats
were in a pit of their own digging. By
evening Republicans were in a broad
laugh, and the Democrats wore a "before
taking" look. Lawyer Hit put up slick
job by calling up the editor of the local
| Democratic newspaper by telephone and,
personating Thomas E. O'Brien of Bellows
Falls, asking him about the omission and
| giving illLu d plCCt vi llllllu dbOllI IllO
way Brattleboro Democrats were running
things. The man took it all in, used cuss
words, and never dreamed that he had
been sold until brought face to face with
o. Brien when the latter was in town the
next day.
Some lively hustling was done by the
Democrats to see if there was any way out
of the hole, but to no avail. They made
| up certificate of their county nominations
and filed it very late Tuesday night with
Judge Royal Tyler, the county clerk, but
the Judge told them that the provision of
the law was explicit and he had no option
except to refuse to have their candidates
printed on the official ballot. Their GER
tifcate he filed away with this indorse-
ment: "This not being filed in season it
will not be printed on the official ballot"
For the sake of 'having some fun with
the Democrats three Republicans-Has-
kins, Hit and Fitts-fled a protest against
the nominations being received The
Democrats do not themselves question the
correctness of Judge Tyler's decision. 1t
is plain that he had no option except to
obey the letter of the law.
Individually, S. Il. Davenport of West
Brattleboro, the chairman of the Demo-
cratic county convention, and A. n. Sher-
man of Williamsville, the secretary, are the
men responsible for the blunder, and Mr.
| Davenport generously shoulders the larger
portion of the blame. The provision of
| the law is that certificates of nomination
made by any political convention ''shall be
| signed by the presiding officer and secre-
| tary of such convention" Davenport says
| he knew the provisions of the law in
general way, but it entirely slipped his
mind that he was responsible for the certi-
| ta baipn ba
also chairman of the convention, but some
one else made up the certificate for him to
sign. The real trouble is that w. H.
Childs is taking vacation from political
management this year. If he had been on
the county committee the nominations
would have been filed "before they were
made" as he himself calmly remarks.
1t is delightful to consider what howl
will go up from the rank and file of the
county Democracy as the news spreads
and it soaks into their consciousness that
they have been euchred out of their dear
est privilege. There is talk of getting
writ of mandamus from a supreme court
judge to compel the clerk to put the nomi-
nations on the official ballot and try the
case out on this basis, but at the present
time there is small likelihood that this will
be done. The size of the situation is that
don't know what to do. There is ques-
tion, it is clear, whether, under any law,
the body of voters can be disfranchSed by
the neglect or blunder of their leaders or
servants. AS the matter stands now, how
ever, the only way will be for the Demo
Gratis to write in the names of their candi-
dates on the official ballot on election day.
The Republicans are jublilant over the
discontinue of their adversaries, not be-
cause they want them deprived of their
vote, but because they are the first to trip
over the much-vaunted secret ballot law,
of which they claim the paternity. They
have been loud in their boasts that under
its operation they would soon carry Wind
ham county for their party, that it was
the Re Jublicans who made the bunders
and hadn't the intelligence to vote properly,
that the new law would make Democrats
by relieving the voters from espionage on
election day, etc. After all this here the
local Democrats are, and it is no wonder
the Republicans laugh and jeer.
g If the Democrats are to get in their votes,
g writing masters will have to work hard
E from this to election day.
, Other Similar BIunders.
t The Prohibitionists did not file their
= state nominations with Secretary of State
i Brownell until Tuesday and the names
cannot go upon the official ballot.
= 1t was discovered Monday that the Gale
6 donia county Republicans had not filed
: their nominations. The Caledonan says
e "Section seven of the law provides that
candidates may be certified in by the sig
natures of at least one per cent of the
voters of the county, of the same political
u division, and this phase of the law was
v taken ADVANTAGE of, The certificate WAS
! circulated and the signatures obtained, the
: document being filed with the county
y clerk before midnight of Monday, the las
II u chance to come within the demands of the
u statute" This explanation is not entirel!
y clear, since the same provisions apply tt
q q nominations by petition as by convention
- - 1t would appear that the president and sec
- - retary of the Republican county conven
v tinn must have haen hevond raach ON Mnn