Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-05-23
NUMBER 21
SNAP CAUCUS TACTICS.
What. MAIDS the McGulloughites- Real Reason
They We're Afraid of Clement How 1t Hap
pened, and Where and When

pened and Where and When
'You no need to have set trap for
us; we'll be there anytime you want
Saturday as well as any other day. "
So remarked President Blodgett of
the Local Option League to Chairman
Gordon of the Republican town COM
mttee
What be referred to was what the
Mccullough men are hotly denounc-
( ing as ''snap game' in calling the
caucus next Saturday-at least echoing
verbatim the howlings of the Procto-
rans all over the state at the early
caucuses last week which Mccullough
carried every one, except that at Es-
sex which means contest before the
state convention.
The truth about them undoubtedly
was that they were called--all in Chit
tenden county-to get ahead of Glenn
ent's appearance there. Neither Nc
Cullough nor Proctor have any appe-
tite to await the landslides of public
sentiment that apparently follow Clem-
ent's appearance anywhere. The local
developments of the past week Justify
surmise that this was the real ami
mus of the call here.
The facts are that the call was de-
cided upon Friday evening at run
together of the Proctorians at Water
man 4 Martins Office, at least the an
nouncement was made the next day
from attendants at that conference that
the caucus would be held next Satur-
day. The ugly look of the matter is
that this decision was made without
the presence or knowledge of, or any
consultation with, the one Mccullough
man on the committee. Col. H. E.
Taylor. 1t is fair to presume that the
other two members of the committee,
Messrs. Gordon and Spaulding, when
they went to the gathering, had no
idea of deciding upon the caucus ques-
ton: TO suppose otherwise would be to
charge Sheriff Gordon with trickery,
of which no one can believe him cap
able. even in politics, in going to a
committee meeting, without notifying
his colleague in the same office and at
the next desk to his. The necessary
inference, then, is that going to the
gathering as individuals, not commit
teemen, they turned themselves into
the latter and took committee action
as a result of what developed at this
or what seemed to be in the
Proctor interest.
Monday morning they presented the
call to Col. Taylor for signature, and
he finally signed it, under protest.
as he declared before number of wit
nesses, and improving the opportunity
to tell them IN language that was
plain what he thought of that kind
of politics.
The plain moral of the thing is that
the place for committee work, repre-
senting a whole party. is not in gath
arings of any faction or part of a par
ty, but in meetings of the committee
regularly called by the chairman held
by itself, as far as possible beyond the
reach of the influence or interested
views of any faction.
The only ground of objection to the
oall as made is ipsufficiency of notice.
There should be time enough for pub
ication and reading in the local pa
Ders, which in this case will only come
)ut the day before the caucus and will
lot in natural course be read by
arge part of the farmers and laboring
nen until Saturday night or Sunday.
But in this case there is ugliness
,nough developed and canvassing
'nough being done so that every voter
5 pretty certain to know about it in
eason. So whatever the purpose, the
aurse adopted is going to hurt Proc
or rather than help him, as is always
he case when unfairnesS or even the
ppearance of it goes before the whole
,eOple