The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-08-22
THOU ART THE MAN.
Editor French Writes q Sharp Open
Letter to General GrOut Which
Is "Mighty Interesting Read
ing.O

" - FrGnCn, editor or the Brtttle
boro Ph0nig, and lie long friend
and supporter If Genera Grout, address
es 70 maj person the subjoined pungent
open letter which is self-explanatorg
My dear GenerdL-You and have
known each other ever since we were
boys. In the old days in the Odeans
Liberal Institute at Glover you we're
one OF the "yuung men" Of the rchOol,
a student il the higher classes and old
enough to play the gallant to some Of
he girls, vail l vas young Ter not
yet in my teens, but knew you very
well, and we have kept our a,q Iaiut-
ance and friendship ever siuce. 1 have
w.tcfed your publ. career and your
personal success. with pIlde and salts
faction. l have always thought YOU a
GOOD represC ntative N COGgre g, and
have defended you as such. l have
new r believed IN any of the attempts
winch have been made to belittle you
and your record. / have known you as
a shrewd and successful political ma
nipulator, with an unusual faculty for
taking care of yourself, but / have
never suspected you of any dishonest
or questionable methods. | have be-
lieved in you as a man and legislator,
and the only reason | have not sup
ported you in your ambition to succeed
Senator Morrill, in the Uuited States
Senate is because l think there are
other men in the State, Ex-Gov. Dill
lingham among them, who come nearer
to fulfilling the Vermont ideal of d
United States Senator than you do.
Ii is for these reasons that l am sur
prised at the recent developments in
the senatorial contest which is now on.
When, early in July, the Essex Record
led off with its attack on the oleomar
garine question, charging in effect that
Governor Dillingham; opposed the in
terests of the farmers in the legislature
of 1884, and was the means of killing a
bill intended for their benefit, was
taken aback. 1t was new feature in
our Vermont politics, which have usu-
ally been clean and above board. l
wondered where this attack originated.
| did not believe you were responsible
for it or would countenance it.. l more
than half expected to see you come out
and denounce it, and wash your hands
of it. But to my surprise recent de-
velopments have proved that you are
undoubtedly responsible for the whole
business. l have myself seen two diff
ferent circulars which are being sent
broadcast over the State, retailing in
detail all the misstatements and half
truths about Governor Dillingham; on
the oleomargarine question, and l know
that these circulars could not have been
used without your knowledge and con-
sent. You are therefore responsible
for them.
Rnt thia 10 oil 10 ~ hu
means the worst, for there appeared in
the Burlington Evening Ne,os on Tues
day afternoon of this week an article,
"Who Pays the Freight" which seems
to me as villainous piece of business
as have ever seen in political warfare.
The very next day this article was
copied into the st. Johnsbury Repubh-
can, your own home paper and mouth
piece, in double column and double
leads and endorsed by the Republican
editorally. l think publication was
made IN the Republican before the
Ne,CS could have reached St. Johns
bury and the article have been thus
copied and commented on. 1t looks to
me as though the article must have
been furnished the Republican indie
pendently of the Ne,DS, SO that you or
your friends were directly responsible
for it. The article is very carefully
worded, written or revised by shrewd
lawyer as l believe, to prevent it from
being libelous in suit at law. What
it charges by insinuation is that Gov
ernor Dillingham; is the agent of the
"oleomargarine trust" to prevent the
enactment of legislation controlling the
manufacture and sale Of that product.
1t charges that he is pledged to oppose
any such legislation if elected to the
United States Senate,-b far worse
than this, il charges, in effect, that the
millions of money of the "oleomargar-
inc trust" are at the back OF Governor
Dillingham; candidacy in this State,
and that this trust money is being used
as a great corruption fund to secure his
election.
You know perfectly well, General,
that there is not word of truth in any
of this. You know, moreover, that it
is absolutely false; that it is manufac-
tured out of whole cloth; that Governor
Dillingham; is no more the agent of the
oleomargarine trust than you are; that
he is no more foe to the farmers and
no less friend TO them than you are.
You know that, if elected to the
United S ates Senate, he would use his
best judgment and best efforts to pro-
mote the farming interests of Vermont
and of the whole country. You know
perfectly well that not dollar of out
side money is being brought into Yer
mont from the oleomargine trust or
from any other source, to aid Governor
Dillingham; in his canvass. But you
are using this charge for effect on the
farmers to try to make them think that
Governor Dillingham; is their enemy,
while you pose as their greatest friend.
Such methods are unworthy of you.
| think they are blemish on your
good record. l am sorry you have
adopted them. 1t looks to me as if you
had become frightened over the pros
pect of your success, and were hitting
out in this wild way. AS personal
matter between us two, in behalf of
clean political methods in Vermo t, in
the kindest possible way, and without
any intended breach in our personal
| friendeb him / tell Won this TINS frankly