The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-05-29
THE CLUB MEETING.

THE CLUB MEETING
An Evening of Wit and EloIMence-
speeches by Meyers Gordon a. Brown
r. W. Mctirttrick, A. =. ChiIds ana j
II. HOltOn.
During the afternoon of Tuesday
meeting of the executive committee o
the state Democratic club was held
pursuant to instructions at Rut
land, and constitution adopted de
claring its purpose" to extend knowl
edge OF Democratic principles. to pre-
mote the success of the Democratic
party and to encourage Democrats to {
more active participation in politica
affairs" making any Democrat o.
voting age eligible to membership a,
a fee Of 81 and 81 ann ually, providing
for the promotion Of the formation OF
local clubs all through the state. anG
providing that each may send one del
egate and one additional for each ter
members to the state club. The annua
meeting is to be held on Jefferson &
birthday or as near that as possible
G w Busrleson OF st Adams, who had
been one Of the most useful members
o the committee, resigned his lIosit
ion and 4 II George was elected TO sue
coed him.
The public meeting at the Blanch
ard opera house in the evening had
been widely advertised and large mum
bers of delegates had come early to at
tend, as a result of the efforts of Secre
| tary jackson and Assistant Howe, Off
GERS of indefatiable industry and en-
| thusiasm. But all the arrangements
Of the management for speakers had
been rost exasperatingly upset. Efforts
were first made TO get ex Gov Russell,
then John f.. and then MayorQuincey.
but all unsuccessful. Then George
Fred Williams was engaged, with John
G Burke, now of Lowell But during
the afternoon a telegram stated that the
unexpected calling for case on which
he was engaged had stopped Will
Jams. and when the evening train ar
rived, only about an hour before the
opening of the meeting, Mr. Burke
failed to appear. But + W McGet
trick, A p Childs, r II Brown and
} II Holton were drafted into service
and with results that We simply mar
Vicious. Mr.. McGettrick said truly Of
Mayor Gordon's address that ii was
the equal of what Mr. Williams would
have given if he had been there. and
if Williams had made such an effort,
a million copies Of it would have been
printed as a campaign document and
it would have been circulated as one
of the greatest great efforts of his
life. This could also have been said of
Mr.. Gettrick S splendid speech and SO
on through the evening. A p Childs
in 10 minutes, was simply gem, May
or Brown s. was a master piece OF
and high thought, and Mr.
Holton's in few moments closing was
a fatherly and fitting close of an eve
ming of rare oratory- nearly all of il |
almost impromptu, due to the capacity |
Of the men and the inspiring nature !
ofithe occasion.
The opera house was we'll filled and
with goodly number of ladies in the |
galleries The Montpelier military
band escorted the delegates to the
nall. c II Davenport as president of
the state club, opened the meeting with
4 few words of welcome, stating that
It's name was the Democratic club of
Vermont not the Young Mems club as
)ften called, though il means the same
hing. as the Democratic party, in its
ipirit. its purposes and it's broad hu
nanity,i its basic idea OF faith in fol
ow men, whose corner stone was laid
" the Great One of the common PEG
BE. the Carpenter Of Nazareth, was al
WAYS. IN the nature of the case, the par
y of youth and young men. For this
eason it had eX listed since the foun
iation OF the government and would
Ontlnue as long as there was a consti
ution to interpret and defend, its
outhful energy had carried the nation
through the great crises of its history,
S il would the present one that de
ides whether ours is q government /
f the people or Of pIutocray, trusts
nd monopolies, it was born t1gting the ,
lien and sedition laws. the very
anne thing as it is fighting today in i
he \. p. \. revival of the bigotry OF ,
he dark ages. In this spirit and as
sculiarly representative of the idea !
/ r. Davenport said he had invited ,,
he efficient and progressive young !
democratic mayor of the young city ,
Barre, the successor of another able !
mayor there and the pred !
ressor of many more, as well as of
governors. TO preside over .
ne meeting, and he introduced John =
Z Gordon. :
Mr.. Gordon's address deserved every {
ord of Mr.. McGettrick's praise. He S
escribed the club as an organized L
Dice for Democratic principle, not an t
rganiZed appetite for spois. He al S
ided gracefully to Will Lords taunt il
bout Democratic excessive study of A
lie constitution and acquitted Lord ii
al his party of any such weakness. il
e marshalled in telling array the Re r,
lblican record of misrule and OBJ a
rived that The work of undolng A
eir vicious legislation cannot be 49,
fely entrusted 10 its authors They h
gard their spurious brood with lin p
1 fondness. The serpent does not de az
roy its own trail. but leaves the curse
ION the land. They have neglecte d .
e food tide of their opportunity and
e bound in the shadows. To hide
cir broken promises they put forth ca
ndidate who has nothing to say. sSS
d in the good providence of God af- at
r next November he may have nothing wi
do F jfr
Mr.. McGettrick closed with a phil
tic against the prohibitory law and
corrupt administration, as illustra-
re generally of Republican misrule. Al
violation of true principles. and all =
tural To any party which has been az
power So long His arguments were -,
illanty supplemented by Mr. Childs, ma
10 in series of epigrams condensed on
umes of argument. Here is one on
I'VE want the money -
t into the treasury OF the state in
,ad of lining the pockets of high 7
-. l. !