Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-08-01
come to speak to me about. Ireplied,if what he
wished to say to me We're all right would keep

come to speak to me about. replied,if what h
wished to say to me We're all right would kee
his name secret.
Then, said he, you know you will not seeIth
prohibitory law repealed in Vermont for tn
next hundred years. The men who are in til
| fight for governor are all rich, millionaires I
fact. There is plenty of money being spent /
the fight and If / were in your place wou
take all the money ! could get; somebody
going to get it, you might as well have 1t. NOV
] have been asked by an agent of Gen. McCul
between you and him. What he wants you t
do is to vote for Mccullough on the second bal
lot. You can vote for Clement on the first bal
lot, but after that he wants you to vote for Nc
Cullough so as to prevent a stampede in th
convention to a dark horse. For this he is Will
ing to pay you not $50 or SlOO, but it will be $50
or $1,000, and there will not be any trouble abou
the goods being delivered.
replied with some warmth that / regarded
my ballot as sacred as my honor, as the tangible
thing l possessed Of American independence
and manhood, and that Gen. Mccullough nor NJ
other man had money enough TO buy my vote
also told him not to send Gen. Mccullough
agent to me, nor to tell me his name for if h,
did would expose him (the agent)
We had some further conversation, during
which he was good enough to says that he hat
told the party who sent him that he did not be
lieve 5. j. Beatty was the man who would dt
that sort of thing.
Then inquired of him if he had been asket
to see any Of the other delegates. He replied
that he had been asked to see two others.
After he left the thought occurred to me thai
he il poor soldier who will not fire his gur
when the enemy are on the picket lines; so
communicated the incident to f. G. Harrington
A. o. Humphrey and DR.. Vincent that they
might have an opportunity of knowing that at
tempts at bribery were being made.
would like to add that 1t was never my in
tention to give this matter to the public. All
desired was to preserve the Burlington delega-
tion solid for Clement, but the incident got
bruited around Montpelier long before our del
egation arrived there and it was impossible foI
me 10 shirk the responsibility of making state
ment when requested by the leaders of the party
to do so.
1t has been intimated that was seeking no.
toriety and wanted some office. Those who know
me best would hardly accuse me of seeking no.
toriety, cheap or dear. While as to my running
for any office or desiring any political prefer
ment, the public may rest assured that have
no political ambitions one way or the other.
Clean politics appeal to my nature, and for
movement for the repeal of a prohibitory law
which has done more to corrupt the manhood of
Vermont, TO my own knowledge, than all the Ii
quor you could get men to swallow in the next
Is years would do.
Men go into courts and perjure themselves
with the same nonchalance that an aHctioneer
would show in selling an unsound horse. The
sanctity of the oath is gone. and a man who
would hesitate to steal a pocketknife will swear
he is the proprietor of business he never paid
a dollar for. because he is paid and hired to
swear it.
Unclean politics in Vermont are largely due
to the demoralizing influences emanating from
the prohibitory statute. and it is the duty of
every man who has the welfare of the state at
heart to register his vote and use his influence
to regenerate the state.
A political and not religious revival is what
Vermont.needs.
Continuing Mr.. Clement said
"The opposition press has claimed
that the license party does not want
the support of the Democrats. In
that assertion they are simply
their own wish. The IL
local option party wants the
support of every voter in Vermont who
can honestly support license, who is
ready to rebuke the bribe giver and to
stand for honest and clean political
methods and every statement that has
been made to the contrary is mali
ciously and absolutely untrue.
''The machine will tell you stories
relating to the administration of af-
fairs in the Philippines. Its members
will pretend they wish to sound the
keynote of the next presidential cam
paign, and raise foreign issue for
he purpose of having you ignore the
corruption which they are guilty of
lere in Vermont They will rehearse
20 you the glorious record of the Re
publican party of the past and in ey
Try way try TO divert your attention
rom the serious issues of the present.
II stand with them in their Repub-
icanism. With them | glory in the
'ecord of the Republican party. But
when the ring asks me to support
nan who has secured his nomination
~ bribery, | say never.
Rather let us, men of the Republi-
AN party, turn out the corrupt ring,
he guilty men who have disgraced
and are now trying TO in
olive the whole party in their dishon-
II. Let us turn them out in order
hat the eternal principles of truth
nd honor may live here in Verment. "