The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-06-27

smith. The latter took his time to
answer these allegations and accuse.
tons. He seems to succeed in sup
porting the essential facts of the re-
, port which, he allows, he wrote and
sent to the Free Press. Mr.. Smith
summarizes as true these facts:
Fl. I. Laclsir OF Washington, D. c., and
an officer Of the Machini sts' Union OF that
city, did come to St. Adams with General
Grout last Wednesday and did come here
again Saturday, registering on both occa-
sions as from Bellows Falls; on Wednes-
day he did request meeting OF the several
labor unions OF this city to be held Satur-
day evening in order that he might ad-
dress the members. 1t did appear at that
meeting that Mr.. Laclair is stumping the
labor unions OF Vermont in the interest of
General Circuit; that after the meeting Mr..
Laclair did go from st. Adams to Mont
pelier and Barre for the purpose of sd-
dressing the granite cutters unions OF
those cities; that he stated in the meeting
here Saturday evening that he came to
Vermont for the purpose OF advocating the
election of General Grout to the United
States Senate that he also stated he was
paying his own expenses while thus tour
ing the State, and finally that he produced
at said meeting and proposed for adoption
some kind OF resolution which was almost
unanimously voted down.
AS to the character of the resolutions
Mr.. Smith submits two affidavits, by
men who were present at the meeting
on Saturday evening, declaring that
Laclair presented resolution asking
the members of the St. Adams labor
unions to support H. Charles Royce
for State Senator; that Laclair said, in
reply to inquiries, that Mr.. Royce had
pledged himself to support William
w. Grout for United States Senator,
and that Laclair at the meeting advo-
Gated the election of both General
Grout and Mr.. Royce.
The essential facts of the report Of this
meeting must be regarded as sustained.
The Free Press report Of the meeting did
not charge, or intimate, that Mr.. Royce
had any personal connection with the
meeting and its doings, or any knowl-
edge of either. 1t simply stated what
was done at the meeting, and the re-
port appears to have been accurate and
trustworthy in every important particu-
lar. Mr.. Royce declared that he had
no personal knowledge of the meeting
or connection with its proceedings.
His statement must be accepted as suf-
ficient in this respect, but it had not
been charged or intimated that he had
such knowledge or connection. The
circumstances that operated to Mr..
Royce's disadvantage were the connec-
ton of his known supporters with the
meeting, an ardent adherent of his be,
ing chairman, and the inclusion of his
name in Laclair's statement of facts
and incidents.
The thing that is important is the
new revelation of General CIRCUITS
methods and agencies in his canvass
for the senatorship, importing into the
State such instruments as this Laclair
was shown to be, concealing his ident-
ity and place of residence by falsely
registering from Vermont town, COM
ing here like thief in the night and
employing in clandestine way his arts
and devices to win the support of la
boring men for his employer. The
freemen of Vermont are not used to
this sort of political PROSECUTING, and
they are not going to get used to it this
year.