The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-07-01

on among the subsidized Grout papers.
A pewter-bottomed contemporary over
on Dog river is congratulatiug itself
upon its enterprise and accuracy in
cribbing the returns of the Grout
dailies, and is prodding the WATCH
MAN because the figures it printed were
not verified by the ballot in convention.
This simply serves to give prominence
to the fact that the WATCHMAN and
the other Stickney papers were giving
the figures in accordance with the facts
of the caucuses. We were giving the
number of delegates that were chosen
to vote for Mr.. Stickney and were ex-
pected, if they were honorable men, to
be faithful to the trust reposed in them.
We were not pretending to give the
relative vote, after Farmer Grout had
been "turning stones" for twenty
four hours in search of venal or doubt
full delegates, or after night of manip-
ulation in the fostering air of the Van
Ness. Had the contemporary been
printed twenty-four hours later, after
the =" stones" had been turned" and
all the agencies for fixing things !"
had gotten in their work, the four votes
which it says it lacked in giving CIRCUITS
exact strength might have been sup
piled. The real facts of the size of the
votes of the rival candidates, as de-
termined at the primaries, even after
these elections had been polluted by
fraud and crookedness that put to the
blush the practices of Tammany Hall,
were stated in the WATCHNIAN with
substantial accuracy. They were not
matters of guesswork or of buncombe.
So often as they may be compelled to
do so by the unseemly Boosting and the
invidious comparisons of the merce-
nary Grout editors, the Stickney pa
pers, in self defence, will give prom
inence to the Infamous means en-
ployed to wipe out the Stickney lead of
some twenty votes. While the Dog
river contemporaries Tyre was tuned
10 notes of triumph why did it not cell
citrate its victories in the local field,
fttest subjects for it's peansp 1t might
have told how it was turned down in
it's own town, and how in every town
where it circulates, excepting possibly
Roxbury, which was carried for Circuit
by other and personal influences, the
primaries chose Stickney delegates by
large majorities. AS usual the Dog
river sheet was barking up the wrong
tree when it began to exploit its " gu
bernatorial figures"
The Bennington Banner was con-
spicuous among the subsidized Grout
papers for it's blind devotion to the
cause of the Derby candidate. The
power with which it impressed it's views
upon the republicans of Bennington is
shown by the fact that its own town, in
caucus attended by nearly every re-
publican voter, elected Stickney dele
gates by large majority, and out OF
the forty-two delegates to which the
county was entitled, thirty-six voted for
Stickney and six for Grout. The Grout
people corrupted one Bennington
county delegate. The brilliancy of its
success as an organ seems to have
added the gray matter in it's Uranium.
1t is concerned about the WATCHMAN
because, during the late canvass, it had
expressed the idea that it seemed i'm
possible for the WATCHMAN to support
Major Grout, if nominated, in view OF
the mud flung at the Majors devoted
head" The contemporary displays the
same Unborn incapacity to distinguish
between cleanliness and mire, as the
SOW in the Scriptures, and lack of dis
erection in reviving these matters al
this time that forebodes the same bril-
liant results at election time as attended
it's effort previous to the nominating
convention. The Stickney people, aftel
the recent coup at Burlington, are no
in frame of mind to stand any prod
ding or any arraignment of their course
or motives. The WAToHMAN has con
fined itself to legitimate argument. 1
its objections to Major CIRCUITS candi
dacy were not fattering to the candi
date, that is no fault of this paper. 1
had no part in the making of the pub
lie record of the candidate, or in thu
conspiracy to force his candidacy upol
the republican party of Vermont; AM
these were the grounds of the WATCH
MANS opposition to Major Grout
The Banner and its subsidized contem
poraries found themselves utterly IN
able to meet or answer the argument
against Major CIRCUITS candidacy. S
in their poverty of mind and morals