Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-05-26
HOW SHALL | VOTE?

mdu0 ny Iuo pdrIlSdu press tHdU INC
average voter, even the one who has
read both sides is possibly at loss to
know just where he should stand.
There are some strange affiliations,
Page and Powers, for instance, both
supporting Mccullough. The prohi-
bition Brattleboro Phenar and the high
license st. Albans Messenger both sup
porting Proctor. The old lines are
good deal broken up and the cause is
largely P. w. Clement.
Let us get back to thu beginning
and see if we can understand the
tangle. Five years ago j. G. McCul-
ough made move for the governor
ship of the state. He was a man of
excellent ability, but his life in the
state had not brought him much in
contact with the common affairs of
the state. He bad occupied the posi-
tions, land had presided at political
meetings, positions which did not re-
quire close intimacy with state affairs.
Thinking that E. @. Smith of st.
Albans was likely to receive the larger
measure of support, he gracefully
withdrew from the campaign of 1898,
possibly thinking that that act would
give him the nomination four years
thereafter without opposition. Ben
nington county elected him senator,
and at the session of 1898 he was reg
ularly in his seat for the most part
and bore his share in the deliberations
of that body. At the same session DIR.
w. Seward Webb was a member of
the house from Shelburne, and he
also had an eye on the governorship.
In process of time both gentlemen
were announced as candidates, and
the contest was on. 1t had not pro-
gressed very far before many men
began to be alarmed at methods with
which were being adopted. Rumors
we're rife that very much money was
to be used in the canvass. an amount
greatly in excess of anything which
could be called legitimate. Probably
the rumors were exaggerated, but
there was enough foundation in fact
to create a widespread desire to pre-
vent such a campaign. Let any good
man be secured to prevent it, no mat
ter who, so long as he was a man oi
recognized ability. Naturally the
| ofv,I Ic Nf INV 10 1ata
Proctor, and he was importuned tc
allow the use of his name for those
to rally around who were averse tC
the money method. 1t was only after
long persuasion that he finally yielded
Very shortly after he did come into
the field Mr.. Webb withdrew. 1t hal
been claimed that this Withdrawal
and Proctor's entry were prearranged
but this is denied point blank, both by
,, Mr.. Proctor and Mr.. Webb, and it,
repeated assertion by the opposition
is only piece of political trickery.
But with this change of candidate
came a new alignment. Some o
Webb's supporters went to McCul
Tough and some of fMcCullough's wen
to Proctor. The newspapers declared
= for one or other of the men, and th,
: canvass began again with no othe
thought than the ordinary issue
, which come to the front every tw'
years, mainly which is the NOR
popular of the candidates who happel
to be named. A new issue, however
was presented when Mr.. Clement en-
: tered the race on an avowedly hig
/. license platform. Mr.. McCulloug
r was asked his position, and he de
: clared that he should be governed en-
: tirely by the legislature; if that wa
= prohibition he would be prohibition
q if it was high license he would be fo
high license. His record at the ses
sion of 1898 was looked up and it wa
% found that his present position wa
d strictly in keeping with his action a
that time. When the matter was
70 under consideration then he avoide
10 personal declaration, depending o
l. his associates for lis opinion. Will
t, he was regularly in his seat when a
's other matters were debated and cam
a to vote, he absented himself whe
Ie the paramount issue" came to th
D" decisive point. Mr.. Proctor was ais
k asked his position, and he made th
RS unequivocal answer that he was j
l. favor of the present law. His recor
9. at the session of 1900, when he wa
lg speaker of the house, was looked U
re and it was found that the only tin
b. he cast vote (the speaker does n,
'e usually vote) was in favor of the pre-
IN ent law.