The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-04-22

Side," whose communication appears
elsewhere in this issue, makes out a
strong case for Brookfield and Cassius
Peck in the matter of the senatorship
from the west side of the county.
Whomsoever Orange county republi-
cans may nominate for this office, they
will not find better man than Mr..
Peck. He is man of the people, level
headed, experienced in legislation and
in state business, competent in every
way, and does his own thinking.
INDICATIONS multiply that the ma.
jority sentiment in Vermont is for Nc
Kinley, although Reed has large fol
lowing. AT the Brattleboro caucus for
the election of delegates to the state
convention an informal ballot was
taken to show the preferences Of the
members. The result was for McKin-
ley 80, Reed %, Allison l. The dele
gate tickets were made up with three
Reed and six Mckinley men. Ina per-
sonal letter correspondent from an
eastern political center states the situa-
ton thus: "The indications are plain
enough that unless there is change
Mckinley will be nominated on the
FIRST ballot. / do not think Reed is
gaining in popular estimation at all,
while every workman knows what Nc.
Kinley means" Vermont farmers and
manufacturers know what Mckinley
means. Estimates of the relative
strength of Reed and Mckinley vary
with the point of view. With the close
of the conventions held last week Mr..
Reeds friends saw 1913 votes for their
favorite, 2l4 for Mckinley, 1913 for all
others, GA doubtful; total GOA. Mr.. Nc
Kinley's statistician saw 376 votes in
the GOA delegates chosen, including, as
usual, the full vote of Ohio and Indiana.
"JoNEs" appears to be paying the
freight nowadays on large amount
of printed paper. Among a number of
others large edition of the Farmers
Advocate of Burlington has been
worked off upon the suffering agricul-
tural population. An elaborate illus
trated article on "Clydeside," the farm
of Major G." which, according to the
Newport bard, it would sucker man
out" to travel around in days time,
and booming write-up of the Major
himself explain this deluge of ''agricul-
tural" literature. For the execution of
this task western boomer of the Ok
lahoma type was imported into Derby.
This man, born in the West, reared in
the West, who came east to raise $780,
900 for some western institution, anent
whose connection with that enterprise
hangs tale that would make inter-
esting reading, and who has been con-
nected with other wildcat schemes, was
engaged in congenial and profitable
work in booming Farmer Grout, and
the work was unquestionably profitable
to the publishers of the Advocate. If
it has the effect on the farmers of Yer
mont it ought to have, the Advocate
plan of working up public sentiment is
a gun that will kick harder than it
shoots. Meantime the long-suffering
people of central Vermont are getting
two or three copies every week of sun
dry and various newspapers bullying
out with eulogies of Grout.
THAT nameless, nondescript, anony-
nous editorial writer, said to be Josiah
himself, reappears in the Enterprise
this week, reeking with bile and billins-
gate. He is knocking his head against
the hard facts the WATCHMAN has
printed, which have also set the Barton
bull a roaring again. The people can
see through the rounds of ladder.
They do not gather figs of thistles or
grapes of thorns. They do not look for
a protective tariff bill from committee
of free traders, or a sound currency
scheme from fiat money advocates.
Nor do they look for such railway
commission bill as was demanded in
1886, and which member of the legis-
lature of 1886 briefly describes in this
issue, from committee made up of
men, majority of whom were radi-
cally and openly opposed to such a
measure. The rage and fury of these
Grout strikers show that they have got
blow from the shoulder, on the under
jaw. 1t is entirely consistent with their
theory of things, and their code of
morals, to declare that Governor Bar
stow was recommending a "crank"
for the railway committee in 1886.
Governor Barstow, one of the best,
ablest and truest executives Vermont
has had in late years, had a passion