Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-04-17
FOR vERMoNTERS.'

$1,000 newspaper investment at Lyn-
donville had an article bearing on the
political situation in Orange county,
in the course OF which it quoted a par
agraph from this paper and com
mented as follows -
HAS the phrase Vermont for Yer
monters' appeared anywhere rs an
argument for Fletcher ID. Proctor ?"
We take it that this is a candid ques-
ton, and that anybody is at liberty 10
answer it. The first place we ever re
member of seeing it publicly advanced
was in the same HERALD AND News
March Is. 1902, where an editorial Of
about two columns appeared, headed
.'For GOyernor-A NermOnter.a That
editorial started off with statements
and extracts from the Windsor Journal
and a Brattleboro paper attempting
10 show that both Webb and McCul-
Tough were not Nermonters, and with
frequent statements of this vermont
Tor Vermonters" idea. The HERALD
AND News adopted such editorials as
part OF its argument, and it immedi-
ately follows them By its own state
ment, These utterances are but the
natural feeling coming to the surface.
Later on it saws as a part OF its argu-
ment for Proctor, .'Born and reared in
Vermont, he has no other associations
than those in which we all take an in
tereSt.
From the above it would strike any
candid man that our friend answered
his own question several weeks before
he put it, We will be fair enough 10
him to say that he has since abandoned
the narrow view he must have had
when he made these editorials a part
of his argument, and now seems TO be
standing on the "close touch' and
later arguments that are being pushed
to the front.
As the journal said, the question
was a candid one. The answer is
neither candid nor truthful. The
phrase, vermont for Yermonters, y
did not appear in the article alluded
to, nor the editorials quoted. Neither
has it appeared in this paper at any
time, or in any other Republican
newspaper as an argument for
Fletcher d. Proctor. Nor has any
thing been advanced that could fairly
be construed as an endorsement Of.
that sentiment. 1t is a stock phrase
coined by the Mccullough papers and
ascribed to the Proctor sup
porters, for the purpose Of embarrass-
ing them before the people.
Now we will be understood in this
matter, once for all, if we are capable
Of writing the English language plain
enough for fair men to understand.
Fifty years ago, a widespread move
nent existed in this country against
people OF foreign birth who came to
.hese shores to make their homes. No
natter how long their residence or
low worthy they were, these people
we're to be prescribed because they
were not natives of the soil The
slogan was, america for Americans.
This movement gained much power
or time, until the better sense OF the
american people asserted itself, when
t speedily fell into decay Today, the /
lnow-nothing party and its cry OF
America tor Americans are re-
,roach. They have sunk into richly
nerited oblivion. In all sections of
'ur land, it is firmly established and |
recognized that locality of
birth has no bearing whatever on the |
question of citizenship.
This is just as true of Vermont as OF
my other state. Vermont doesn't I
top to ask where a person was born
Defore she admits him to her social,
Material or political enjoyments.
Vermont for Vermonters" would
mean TOR Vermont just what America
or Americans" meant in Know-noth-
ne times-nativity to the soil 1t
would stand for exclusiveness, narrow
less, bigOtry Its natural results
you'd be stagnation, retrogression,
ecay. The supporters of Mr.. Proctor
resent such an imputation on
heir sense of fairness, justice and
oyalty. They have not, by their
ctions or utterances, given any
rounds Tor these representations, and
hey are forced to conclude that their
pponents are wilfully distorting their
Jews, to suit the exigencies of the
resent situation.
Nobody cares where Gen. J. G. Nc
was born. He may have
rst seen the light in Oshkosh or
Ioboken, for all that concerns our
eople. What they are interested in.
owever, and what they have a right
, be interested in is, Where does
len. Mccullough live now ? Is the