Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-03-21
@indham County Retormer
BRATTLEBoRo, VT, FRIDAY, MAR, 81, 1909


mont governorship, which, was ar
nounced by the st. Adams Messenge
Monday, with the explanation that "a
this time'' he would not "atfront' tn
Vermont sentiment against an import
ed article in the executive chair
What the real explanation may be
what subterranean deals there may be
ordinary people can only guess. Tn
known facts are that there was a ICON
ference of his friends at New Yorl
last week, at which Colonel Fletche
D. Proctor was present, and that there
was a simultaneous newspaper pro
nouncement from many sources al
over the state in favor of Proctor
quickly followed by the news that he
had decided to ''yield to the pressure
and permit his name to be used in
the canvass. Heretofore of late years
the rule has been that the man who
withdraws should have the nomina-
tion four years later. Likewise the
man who is licked. And it has been
one of the factors of the steady cheap
ening and belittling of our politics.
If the deal is Proctor this year and
Webb in 1906, there will then be Gen
eral Mccullough to reckon with, I'M
less like Frederick Billings he shakes
the whole business in disgust. And if
Mccullough should happen to be the
n
announces that the deal does not
crowd him off the track and that he
will fight to the tinish-it would leave
Webb and Proctor, now seemingly
allies to reach for each others Threats
four years hence. Anyhow, as, all
three are millionaires. it leaves the
situation most interesting; and for the
organs, the workers and the caucus
fixers, Vermont for the next few years
may approach the paradaisical condi-
tion of Gov. Smiths vision four years
ago with his scheme for refuge for
tax lodging millionaires.
Interesting also as a psychological
study is the JUNCTION with which the
Gospel of Humbhg is being piled, and
this jump into the arena of organs
and workers with one united whoop
for Proctor represented as the spontan-
eous movement of the people hungry
and athirst for pre-eminent and over
shadowing merit. Through all the
octave the notes run to one diapason
against az millionaire candidate and I
in favor OF another millionaire. And .
the tremolo is delicious-in view of /
the deal four years hence-as the re-
frain is carried against New York
millionaire. All can picture the Yam
kee smile on Senator Proctor's phiz as
an interviewer went to question him
this week and he replied, II guess |
can say that the boy is running bis
crn political affairs without any as
sistance from here or anywhere else -
We can guess SO, too, in view of the de-
velopments of the past fortnight.
But the Humbug is not all on one
side How could it be in Vermont
Republican politics? We see it in the
way Proctor's enemies greet him as
the heir apparent" expecting "a
royal progress through the state at
tended by the nobility of Vermont. "
1t is no disgrace to Fletcher Proctor
that he is the son of an exceptionally /
brainy man-eyen if he prove to fall I
good ways short of the old mans abil- I
ity. Whether he will so fall short or {
how far so, the general public has no '
means of Judging and it may be as
well admitted, once for all, despite all {
the cheap talk, that the "pressure' |
that has forced him into the field a
would never have been exerted but for t
his supposed wealth. He has appar- |
emily handled well the large business /
his father built up: he acquitted him |
self creditably, though not remark c
ably. as speaker, and he has served in
both houses of the legislature, well.
but with no particular leadership. We v
are not denying that he may have I
iioii'S VI Nciy hiSh ohlt tHc
public has had no way of knowing l.
whether he has or not.
Perhaps the cheapest part of the r
Humbug is the shouting for Yer :.
nonter to the manor born The
ruth is that more than half of all the :
governors we have had-or to be exact Il
% out of 40 and as it happens ma
GRITTY also of the first rank, have "
;een born outside of the state The Ii
Effort to make a deciding issue out of o
his slogan against General McCul- Il
ough is an exhibition of the narrow n
spirit that is in large de- a
rec just what ails Vermont. His
lone for % years has been at North
Bennington where he has paid his W
axes and where he is also interested II
n several local institutions He has
arge business interests outside the ie
tate. So has Proctor and so have most d
nen of large wealth, and it is only
Inference of degree, the time they w
ave to spend out of the state to look fc
fter them Indeed it is this same II
arrow and belittling spirit that has a.
perated in many ways to bring about
that aro ,rool,l 81