News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-07-16
Mr.. Clements Candidacy.


Percival W. Clement is at present
conducting the transparent farce of
inviting himself to run for governor
as an independent candidate. His
agents have been active in various
quarters getting up petitions to him
to run, and organizing or reviving
local option clubs, to secure turnouts
to mass meeting to be held in Bur
lington about the middle of this
month to formally confirm his de-
cision to be a candidate. He will
then nominate himself and accept his
nomination.
Several things are to be noticed in
connection with this situation.
In the first place Mr.. Clement can
not honorably be a candidate for
governor. His delegates to the Repub-
lican State Convention were in consid-
cradle proportion chosen by fraud
the fraud of packing republican
caucuses with democrats. Neverthe-
less they all took their seats un-
challenged and participated in the
proceedings. If there was anything
on which to base bolt, Mr.. Clements
delegates should have withdrawn and
organic d their boiling convention
before the convention balloted. They
remained and voted, and had fair
treatment. They went to the ballot
expecting that their opponents
would recognize the principal of ma
jority rule, and support Mr.. Clement
6 h oh hn n n
They of course bound themselves by
the same rule they expected Others
to observe. Under no other rule can
nominating conventions be a posi-
bility. The man who submits his
chances without protest to such a
convention, is in honor bound to
abide by it's result. General McCul-
Tough was fairly nominated and his
nomination made unanimous. Mr..
Clement waits month while he and
his friends are investigating to what
extent he can count on democratic
support, and having received suffi-
Gent assurances he decides tOrun. A
more dishonorable proceeding has
never been witnessed in Vermont pol
itics.
If Mr.. Clement lives illnext Septem.
Der he will realize that in the course
he has determined upon he made the
mistake of lifetime. He will have
cut loose from the party to which he
belonged, and from which alone could
he expect any political advancement
The democrats while glad to see the
Republican party divided and willing
to clap him on the back and to shout
for him as long as he is firing on the
standard he has always followed,
will not trust him, or have any use
for him after he fails, and fail he will,
in his present desperate endeavor.
He will find that it is one thing to
carry caucuses by adding to this
high license republicans as many
democrats as are needed for the pur-
pose, and quite another thing to try
30 carry a State election in Vermont
without regular republican nomi-
nation. The republican masses in
our State are not going to desert
their party standard. They believe
in it's principles. In their ranks are
men of all shades of opinion upon
the question of the best method OF
restricting the liquor traffic; but the
mass of supporters of the present
law have refused to join or to counte-
nance any political temperance
party, and the honest and honorable
believers in local option and high
license will not join a political liquor
party. All are republicans first OF
all; and Mr.. Clement and his demo.
cratic allies and advisers will dis.
cover, in due time, that the repub-
lican State of Vermont-the "star
that never sets will never cut loose
from it's moorings as easily as they
supposed. There is no spontaneous
or manipulated call for Mr.. Glen
ent. No cause except that of the
democracy can be helped by his can.
didacy. His bolt is destined to fail.
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