Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-08
An Organs Bad Break.

When the st. Adams Messenger appealed
to honest prohibitionists, which of course
included its candidate for governor, Mr..
Proctor, according to its characterization of
him, to rcpudiate Superintendent Morrow
methods, it made the worst break in its
long series of political mis-steps.
The Messenger, which has become famous
for its attacks upon the prohibtory law as
well as upon those most active in support
of that law, had been la boring to convince
the friends of the prohibitory law that, in
spite Of Gen. John G. McCullough's asser-
ton that majority of the people of Ver-
mont were in favor OF that law and that in
his estimation the law would stand, it
would be better for them not to support
him for the govcrnorship. 1t had reached
point where 1t apparently thought itself
in position to speak for the friends of
prohibition, when Superintendent Morrow
pronounced both Mccullough and Proctor
safe" as regards the prohibitory law.
This was too much for the acrobatic
contemporary to stand and it Immediately
disclosed its true animus by making an
outrageous attack upon Mr.. Morrow, and
asking the honest supporters of the pro-
hibitory law whether they acknowledged
Superintendent Morrow to be their leader
whether they sanctioned Mr. Morrow s
'ghoulish deed of this man in placartlinr
the State from one end to the other with
the name of a dead man." and and wheth-
er they acknowledged the White River
Junction spotter as one of their agents" and
accepted the responsibility for the muir
der that grew out of his youthful folly"
If the Messenger is correct in its pre-
mise regarding the governorship, it in eff
feet asked its own candidate for the gov
ernorship whether he Sanctioned the
ghoulish deed of this man Morrow" and
whether he accepted responsibility for the
murder growing out of the folly of the
youthful "spotter" at White River June
ton.
If the assertion of the Messenger re-
gardng the position of Fletcher Proctor
in the governor contest is correct, he is
the man to reply to the questions directed
to the 'honest supporters of the prohibi-
tory law by his liquor license organ But
he will not respond to these questions for
he can not repudiate Superintendent Nor
row and the Anti-Saloon League in ac-
cordance with the wishes of the Mes
senger without losing temperance votes
for which the high license Messenger has
been angling up to the time it attacked
Mr. Morrow
The question now is whether the friends
of the prohbitory law in Vermont are 10
be juggled by the organ of the open
saloons in connection with the campaign
for governor, or whether they will stand
with those newspapers which have all
along supported the prohibitory law
against the attacks of saloon organs like
the Messenger and for man who has
boldly expressed his belief that a majority
of the people of Vermont are in favor of
the prohbitory law and that it will ac-
cordingly stand
viii the Messenger deny the truth OF
General McCullough's statement that n
majority of the people of Vermont are in
favor of the prohibitory law or will it
continue to appeal to the supporters of
the prohibitory law, whom it loves so
dearly, to repudiate Superintendent Nor
row and the Anti-Saloon League one min
ute and call for support Of Mr.. Proctor
the next? The temperance people of Yer
mont will watch with peculiar interest to
see whether Mr.. Proctor will repudiate
| the Messenger or whether he will re-
pudiate Superintendent Morrow. If he
listens to the Messenger he must do one
or the other.