The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-08-27
SAM SMALL AT MONTPELIER.


he came so far from his southern
home to speak to the freemen of the
State on their personal matters He
explained that some years ago his
State got an awful licking, in which
Vermont took no small part-for
thinking each State should attend to
its business. So he had come up here
at this time to get back at them.
If one were to go into Georgia to
day and advocate secession he would
be promptly lynched. He didn't say
anything about the practice of roast
ing alive down there, but that is
probably luxury reserved for the
colored race alone.
Mr.. Small said whatever is done in
Vermont on the liquor question has
it's influence on the other States of the
Union and in speaking here on that
matter he claimed the consideration
of the people. He was comrade in
arms and fellow officer of the son of
ex-Gov. Barstow during the Spanish
American war he didn't say what
was the arrangement between Glenn
ent and himself. Since he had been
in Vermont reference had been made
to his former position on the liquor
question by the opposition press, and
it was thought he was in box, but
he got out of it by asking them to
bring all he has ever said in favor of
prohibition and against licenses and
he would endorse and reiterate it all.
Mr.. Small assertedEthat he was not
friend to the liquor traffic and never
had been 1t would cost only sixty
cents to telegraph to Atlanta and re-
turn and if no one had the money he
believed he had that amount left
since coming to Vermont. The reply
to such an inquiry in Atlanta would
be from the liquor dealers, damn
Sam Small" Small seemed to have
money to burn. He made several
offers to put it up during his address
and insinuated that Vermonters were
not in the habit of handling currency.
Then Mr.. Small would pose to give
his hearers chance to think it over
and applaud; then would turn toward
the reporters table waiting to give
the scribes time to make a record of
the funny joke.
Mr.. Small attacked the Journal be-
cause it had said that he might feel
depressed by playing second fiddle to
the coon quartette. He didn't know
about this but would rather follow
a niger than the editor for he could
follow the scent and know where he
was going. He said he was the edi-
tor of the Atlanta Constitution, but
being questioned explained that he
the people of Vermont as the most
cheerful and self satisfied set of
hypocrites he had ever seen. He
quoted from the United States treas
ury report to show that there was in
Local Option Georgia only one liquor
dealer to every l,767 as against one
dealer to every 500 people in Vermont.
He said the prohibitory law was lie
and the Republican party, which had
had it in charge for the past fifty
years is a liar.
He asked his audience to vindicate
him as minister of the gospel for
not standing for lie, and in the
same breath he denounced the clergy
men of the State, who support this
law He would want TO be a mile
off when the Lord passed Judgment
upon these clergymen.
Anyone who said Vermont could
get high license and local option as
well by voting for Mccullough as
Clement was either liar or too ig-
norant to be regarded. He scored ex-
| Gov Stewart claiming that the Gov
ernor had said his referendum plank in
the prohibition platform was the slick
est thing that had been done in Yer
mont for fifty years. Mr.. Small char
acterized the plank as bastard max
ing other indecent references to it. =
Speaking of the visiting union men
from New York and the circulars
they have put out against Clement,
Mr.. Small said he had been a union
man for twenty mine years but did
not think missionaries were needed
/ from New York to tell Vermonters
how to vote. He said he knew moth
! ing about Clements part as regards
labor but he was out of the railroad
business now and was the friend of
labor.
At the finish Mr. Small scored and
abused everything Republican and
Democratic, declaring that Clement
was the only thing to save the COM
monwealth.