St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-04-12
THE LIEUT.-GOVERNORSHIP.

THE UT-GOVERNORSHIP
The News and Citizen, as every
body knows, has been a strong advo-
cate of the idea that the interests of
the republican party of Vermont are
not best subserved by prom citing our
Acknowledgements to the COVER
norship. While for special reason, it
warmly advocates the nomination
of ex-Lieutenant-Governor Wood
bury for the governorship in ga, it
nevertheless feels that the time is
now ripe for the republicans of YER
mont to take decided stand in OPP
position to the further continuance
of this rule.
If there is any one feature in Yer
mont politics, which has become dis
satisfying to the younger element of
the party. it is the idea that the
nominees for the political offices are
all arranged and fixed for two, four,
and six years in advance; that when
a man has been nominated to the
office OF acknowledgements he has
reason to expect, from an established
precedent, that by that nomination
he has pre-empted, and has a prior
right to, the governorship six years
hence. The most natural result of
this precedent is to place the nomi-
nee for lieut.-governor in grooming
for his race for the first place, and,
while other and ADLER men are quiet
ly attending to their private affairs,
our nominee for the lieutenant-gov-
ernorship becomes a tireless pipe
layer. He attends public gatherings
everywhere; he contributes with lib
erality altogether unprecedented in
his former life to all public, pious and
charitable enterprises that he thinks
will make him solid with this or that
faction he joins all the secret organi-
cations that will accept him; he at
tends editorial and press excursions
ad hbitum ad nausean1; in fact, from
the moment of his nomination to the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS he becomes
an acknowledged candidate, and,
with six years the start Of his COM
petitor, is an exceedingly poor po-
litical thin blerigger if he has not so
far manipulated the political ropes
that any self-respecting man feels
disinclined to make a fight with him
for the highest honor in the gift of
the people. What is the result? The
younger element of the party feel
that they have nothing to do but go
to the convention and ratify the six
year-old plans OF the "old rounders."
That this condition of things is de-
cidedly unhealthy for the republican
party Of Vermont is now quite gen
orally admitted, and a change of
front in the conduct of political af-
fairs in the state is being vigorously
demanded.
From Proctor to Orrnsbee there
was but one exception to the rule OF
promoting ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to
governor direct, and that exception
was when Lieutenant-Go Col
ton removed from the state and was
not eligible to the Office.
We have now again commenced on
the promotion plan, but one degree
removed from the old way in that
we now let the candidate rest six
years. We have made Lieutenant
Governor Fuller governor after six
years waiting. His successor,i Lieu
tenant-Governor Woodbury., will be
governor after waiting six years.
Indlca lions are not wanting that
the friends of our most excellent lieu
tenant-governor of 1890 (Fletcher)
will urge that he is the best man for
governor in 90, and who shall dare
say that the promotion theory, thus
well established, will not make
Stranahan governor in '9S and the
good fellow we nominate lieutenant
governor this year our governor in
1900.
Already there are presented for
considers ton at the next convention
eight or ten good names for lieuten-
ant-governor. Among them are
Messrs. Mansur, Grout, Bates, Arms,
Lincoln, Vail, Perkins and Brown.
That any one of these men will pre-
side with becoming dignity over the
thirty peaceabl senators who assem-
bic IL that little room in the east
wing of the capitol, no one doubts.
All are worthy men, but no one of
them is so much better than the
others that he should ask to be