Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-04-04
LETTER FREE PRESS PUBLISHED
Studied Lawyers Plea to Make Out
Case for the Gentleman from Ben
nington and New York City.

[From the Burlington Free Press, March
22.l
To the Editor of The Free Press:
Dear Sir:-The friends of General Nc
Culough should now rally unitedly to his
support. No opponent of his nomination
has made or dares to make denial of his
pre-eminent fitness for the high office of
governor. The several newspapers which
by some carefully planned pre-arrange-
ment announce the candidacy of Mr.. +.
ID. Proctor place their opposition to Cen
eral Mccullough upon reasons which
should not commend them to intelligent
and fair-minded men.
That there has been not a little misrep-
resentation of General McCullough's true
position cannot be doubted by those who
understand 1t, as does the writer. 1t has
been broadly asserted that he is a New
Yorker, that his interests are chiefly
there, that the larger portion of his time
is spent not at Bennington. but in New
York. Now the truth is that while his
official relationship to one of the great
trunk railway lines of the country re-
quires frequent visits to the central office
of such company in New York from early
spring to late autumn his family continu-
ously occupy their residence on the old
home farm of the late Governor Hall, the
grandfather of Mrs. Mccullough. Fur
Their, there are very few weeks during the
winter season while the family are tenn
porarily in New York, In which General
Mccullough does not spend two or three
days on his Bennington farm, supern-
tending its improvements and looking af-
ter the local banking and manufacturing
affairs in which he is largely interested.
He has been a Republican voter in
Bennington nearly thirty years. He has
thrice represented the party in national
conventions and has served two years in
the Vermont Senate from his county.
But the same papers sneeringly say he
Is a millionaire" 1t may be so, l do
not know. Perhaps Mr.. Proctor is one
also, or if not now is likely to become one.
l certainly hope so. The more of such
rich men we have the better for our state.
General Mccullough started in life poor.
but had what was far better than riches,
a splendid intellectual endowment, thor
oughly trained by a collegiate education.
In this his first field of competitive
struggle he early showed his quality,
graduating at the head of his class. He
began the practice of law in 1860 in Cali
fornia. In 1861 he was elected to the Cen
eral Assembly and in the following year
to the Senate. His fine legal ability was
at once recognized and in 1863 at the age
of %, he was elected by the people Attor-
ney-General of that great state. serving
four years with brilliant success. His
fearless and eloquent defence of the cause
of the Union during the war, against the
dSRTeSSlNe dlleIIlDlS Vi ulSuIlOIlSlS III
California to ALLEVIATE that state chal-
lenged the admiration of all her loyal
citizens.
Whatever wealth he may have was
honestly acquired In his whole record
not a faint of dishonor or dishonesty can
be found. In every fibre of his being he is
high minded and honorable. He is a lib
eral giver of his wealth to every good
cause, but far too modest to make parade
of his charities. l venture the opinion
that there are not ten men in Vermont
more largely interested in nor more close
ly identified with her material affairs. nor
more concerned for the promotion of her
welfare than is General Mccullough.
Such in brief outline is the man and his
history, whom it is proposed at this late
day, when it is admitted he had won the
field as against his then competitor, to
whistle down, upon the pretext, false in
fact, that he is not a Vermonter, and
that If he is technically one. yet he is not
in sympathy with her people nor loyal to
their interests. The claim Is simply an
outrage upon the truth of history.
JOHN w. STEWART
Editorial comment by the Free Press. ]
If any man knows what he is talking
about on this subject it is Governor Stew
art, and his calm and clear statement of
facts should have weight with all fair
minded men.