Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-05-17
Political Heliographing in the Sec.
ond District.

I ohb
/ The esteemed Barre Telegram says
there is no unusual excitement in the
Second congressional district" It throws
the reflection Of it's political Photograph
over the mountain however, and learns
that "adviccs from several farming towns
in Franklin county indicate the election
of Page delegates" It adds: Parties trav-
cling through Addison and Remington
counties report the same feeling there and
predict the nomination of Gov. Page"
This discovery unquestionably produced
unusual excitement in the office Of the
exploring contemporary, which in common
with other Page papers ON the east side,
seems to be more concerned over the cleo
ton of a congressman in the First district
than in it's own In view of the long
weeks which these neighbors of the Sec
oud district have devoted to the search
up ana down the west side for towns that
would elect Page delegates, it is almost
/ cruel to deprive the Barre Telegram of
the solid comfort which it is plainly de-
irving from the discovery Of several towns
in Franklin county which it thinks Will
support it's favorite for congressman out
side OF It's own district.
\ sense Of duty toward a neghbor, how
ever, compcls us to inform the contern-
porary that the reelection of its hello
graph, instead of striking franklin coun-
~, landed elsewhere The territory
sounded could not have been in Grand Isle
county: for that is for Congressman Pow
ors Possibly the Tcegram's Photograph
g ct bo n vt,1i rh
would explain everything. That journal
which was recently sold is understood to
he undergoing long-distance editing al the
present time, and any responses which the
Telegram might receive from that source
would naturally lead it to suppose that it
had established connections with Page
territory.
/ As a matter of fact three towns in
Franklin county could have been carried
by ex-Gov. Page eight weeks go, and they
were frankly conceded to MIN To-day
we arc informed that those towns are not
conceded to Mr.. Page at any stage of the
contest, and inasmuch as information to
this effect comes from prominent men who
were formerly inclined TO support Mr..
Page as well as from others we'll qualified
to speak advisedly on the subject we have
no hesitation in placing reliance on this
assertion.
But granting that the Telegram has "ad-
vices from several farming towns in
Franklin County" indicating the election
Of Page delegates and that there is the
same feeling" in Addison and Ben
ington counties. what ground is
there in all this for predicting
Mr.. Pages nomination? If it were
to find similar sentiment existing
in every county in the district the aggre-
gate would mean only seven times "sever-
al farming towns" which would not make
much of a showing out of the ia towns in
the district and would leave the great
ma jorty of the farming towns as well as
the larger towns against Mr. Page.
In point Of fact Mr.. Page is not conced-
cd several towns of any description in any
county, not excepting Lamoille and if
different counties having favorite sons in
the field stand against him he is likely to
have smaller number of votes than any
other candidate before the district con-
venton. The Powers men insist that they
can carry almost every town in Lamoile
County, and, unless Mr.. Pages popular
itY in his own county has increased, since
1880 when he ran for governor and when
he had majority there of only eleven as
compared with majorities in other years
ranging from 500 to 1900 in round numbers,
or even since the recent contest was des-
perately waged on both sides for the con-
troll of delegations, there would seem to be
good ground for the assertion.
Turning to the counties which have no
candida ties of their own, it is evident that
Mr.. Page can reasonably hope to make no
great showing when the convention con-
Venes There are a few Page men in
South Hero but the Grand Isle County
delegation will undoubtedly be for Powers.
In Addison County Mr.. Page can not hope
for Middlebury. or Vergennes, or Bristol
or other of the more important towns He
may have several of the smaller towns,
but it is evident that even conCeding him
this, his total delegation will be conspicli-
ously lean. As between Powers and Page
Chittenden, Franklin and Bennington
Counties are Overwhelmingly for the for
mer, so that Mr.. Pages efforts to secure
second choice pledges in anticipation of
break in the different counties are not
likely to bear generous fruit
But laying aside all other indications, it
is evident that when a Page paper feels
constrained to crow over the very indeii-
mite and inconclusive discovery that adj
vices from several farming towing" in
amy of his neighboring counties indicate
the election of Page delegates" thus tacit-
~ acknowledging that the remaining
terms, both farming and otherwise, are
against him that gentlemaus candidacy
must indeed be in Strengthened circum-
stances.
SITUATION IN FIRST DISTRICT,