Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-28
HOT AFTER CLEMENT
Vermont Labor Men Will Defeat
the Hard Taskmaster.
Appeal That May Cost Him Good Many
NOTES.-THE May Be DISAPPOINTED BY
the Democrats, Too-Phaseso Of the
Big Fight for the Governorship.

The Vermont correspondent of the Bos-
ton Herald who is advocate of mgA
license and local option, SENDS MS pap
the following regarding the campaign III
Vermont:
Organized labor has begun open warfare
on T. w. Clement, candidate lor COVER
nor of Vermont. No labor union, as an
organization, is expected to take any dc-
ton unfavorablc to Clement, nut lhulNlu-
ual union men will be appealed to not 10
cast ballot in favor of man VINO Is &C.
clared to be the opponent OF organized
la Dor and an opprcssor of the laboilu
man II this appeal is effective 1t VIII
cost Clement many votes, for d large part
of his following is made UP of laboring
men and union men.
Clement is attacked for his action as
president of the Rutland transit company,
when he refused the request OF the freisht
handlers at Ogdensburg Tor the same pay
as was given men at other ports on the
great lakes; for refusing to meet repre-
sentatives of his employees and for employ
ing Italians in their places after they hao
refused 10 work day and night for % cents
an hour; for cutting down the pay Of city
laborers when mayor of Rutland anu I'M
porting foreigners to work on the streets;
and for attacking organized labor through
his Rutland papers. The trades IN YER
mont are well organized and the men wro
are active in this matter believe they WIN
succeed in defeating Clement dSpiid-
tons.
An old democratic campaignor. discuss
ing that phase of the situation, said
1t is with Clement much Is it was with
us in 1896. We had unusually large meet
ings all through the State that year when
we were discussing the silver question
People turned out in crowds to hear us
and gave every evidence Of being impress
ed with the argument we made. But they
voted for the other fellows when election
day came, and we lost heavily. 1T Will
be the same with Clement in September
| The Argus and Patriot, the only demo
cratic paper in the State, has been claim
| ing that a referendum on the local option
law would be unconstitutional and demo-
| cratic speakers have taken up that line OF
| argument. The regular republican and the
Clement platforms call for the passage of
a local option law, to become effective
when submitted to the people and APPROX
| ed by them The democratic platform
calls for a straight local option law with
no referendum attached.
The question has once been decided by
! the supreme court. There has been gen
eral belief that the original prohibitory
| liquor law in 1852 became operative on its
approval by the people. The fact is that
the people only fixed the date. The la
provided that If the people approved il,
| it should go into effect in March, 1888,
otherwise in December of that var That
provision was made so that If the people
did not approve the Legislature, which
then met every year. might repeal the la "
before the date for it to take effect The
matter was decided In the case of State
VS.. Parker, and the court held that if by
a reference to the people they were there
by clothed with legislative power, as they
| would be Is such a course as is contem-
plated by the Clement platform, it would
| be in violation of the constitution.
Bringing this argument forcibly to the
attention of people has changed the atti-
tude of some democrats who intended to
support Clement, and has brought some
Clement republicans over to the democra
tic side. as they now believe that the demo.
| cratic Plan is the only one that offers
them any relief from the present law.