The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-08-27
DEMOCRATS.

y
nished music. f. p. Carleton, chair
man of the city committee, presided
and introduced the speakers of the |
evening, Hon. Felix McGettrick of |
st. Adams, candidate for Governor, |
Hon. Elisha May of st. Johnsbury, |
candidate for lieutenant governor, and |
Thomas w. Moloney of Rutland. The |
speakers sought to rip the Republican |
party up the back and down the mid |
die, all to the enthusiastic delight of !
the faithful. All in all -, the meeting |
was very interesting.
Hon. Elisha May was the first speak
er, and after lubricating his tongue
with glass of water, he started to
speak but the rank and file thronging
in drowned his opening words and he
sat down to wait until the hall was
quiet Mr.. May referred to the func
tons of the Fish and Game League
and thought it was the whole thing in
Vermont politics. He made an at
tempt to revive the old story of brib-
cry upon the part of the Republican
party, but his remarks did not strike
a responsive chord. Fletcher d. Proc
tor, he said, has the promise that he
shall be Governor in two years.
cit is very strange of any Republi
can of the old school to say anything
good of the Democrats" said Mr..
May, insinuating upon what Senator
Dillingham; said in Lyndonville, about
there being noble men in the ranks of
the Democracy. He referred to the
issues of the campaign, and tried to
rebut statements made by Republican
speakers, and told a lot of funny
stories. He seemed to think that
Democrats had never received any re-
cognition when the Governor was
making appointments. He touched
upon State expenses and few other
things without awakening much en-
thusiasm. A general summing up of
his remarks would be a simple exhibit
ton of pettifoggery.
Mr.. Moloney congratulated the
Democrats on their prospects this
year, as he believed the governorship
will be settled by the next Legisla-
ture He would as lief have the
chances of McGetterick there as of
Mccullough or Clement. He believed
that Mccullough will not have ma
iority of the popular vote, but will
have good lead. When the matter
comes to the Legislature and the
Democrats stand together there will
| be an election of McGettrick and
May or there will be no Governor,
| for he did not believe any party will
have majority there. The faithful
were warned not to chase after false
gods, as vote cast for McGettrick
was as much against Mccullough as
one for Clement. He would not say
anything for or against Mccullough
or Clement for there was a beautiful
| scrap on between their hosts and it
was better for the Democratic party
to keep out of it and look to its own
interests.
He said there was not word or
line in the platforms of either of the
other parties which provides for the
benefit of the laboring man, and or
ganized labor should not turn to either
of the three parties unless, like the
Democratic party, it holds out to it
the right hand of fellowship. Speak
ing of representation, he said Yer
mont was not now governed by the
people but by the square mile and for
that reason there were short sessions
of the Legislature and hasty Legisla-
ton which resulted in poor laws.
Touching on prohibition, he said
that at the time the prohibitory law
was enacted it was opposed by Dem
ocrat and it has been opposed by the
| Democratic party ever since. The
people now demand repeal of that
law, and this is owing to the work of
| the Democratic, and no other party.
1t would be pity if this party
were to lose vote because of this is
sue this year.
In the past month at least twenty
Prohibitionists, while believing in
prohibition, were opposed to the law
in its present form, with its injunc-
tions and imprisonment of citizens
without trial. The Republicans are
now reaping the whirlwind and he
hoped they would get enough of it
and thatFthe outcome would be, at
least, an honest prohibitory law and
on which is constitutional The
liquor clause of the Republican pla t
form was an elegant punch, being a
mixture of prohibition, license and
local option, but he would give the
party credit for being honest in it's
claim that it would carry out its
promise. He explained clearly the
nature of referendum and claimed
that if the question of local option
was submitted to the people and it
was voted by them it would be un-
constitutional, as the State Constitu-
ton provides that the only tribunal
| which can make law is the Leglsla-
ture. He quoted Judge H. H, Wheel
er and the case of State VS.. Parker,
in which a decision along this line
was rendered in the Supreme Court.
If Clements plan was carried out TO
the letter, as laid down by him, we
would not have local option, as, if a
referendum law were passed and the
people accepted it the Supreme Court
would invalidate the law, on consti-
tutional grounds. The speaker would
like to have the local optionists think
of these things sand decide whether
they would not rather have local
option without any trimmings.
This speech, here, Mr.. Moloney
said, was the first of the campaign
and he wished to here challenge Hon.
John w. Stewart Of Middlebury, who
framed the Republican platform, as a
lawyer to come out over his signature
and say that referendum clause is
constitutional. Neither the election
of Mccullough nor Clement land he
might have included McGettrick
would give local option. The Rev.