Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-05-30
" CROSS LIBELS AGAINST Mr.. PROCTOR"
COncusWey Answered and Dspoed by his Home Paper the
Rutland News


ly made as to Mr.. Proctor and Senator
Proctor.
Each and every one of the forego-
ing statements quoted from the Ben
nington Banner is unquaifiedly false.
There are many others in the article
equally so, but space does not per-
nit going further into detail. The
whole is malicious Islander. What
is the purpose of this fabric of lies?
Simply to lay the foundation for the
charge that Mr.. Proctor maltreats his
employees and for an appeal to the
workingmen of the state to array
themselves against him. In this eff
tort they have as an ally The Worker
the New York Socialist organ, copies
of which, with direct appeals against
Mr.. Proctor. have been sold on the
streets of this city at half price. 1t
must be said, however, that the
language of this socialistic organ. COM
pared with the Mccullough papers. is
both dignified and moderate.
In addition to the above quotation.
which is given in full as printed in
that paper The News takes up in de-
tail other charges that have been
made against Mr.. Proctor and proves
their falsity. 1t refers in explicit
terms to the advertisements which
were procured to be printed in the
Brattleboro papers last week by the
managers of the Mccullough cam
paign, and says that all the charges
there made are false. Referring par
ticularly to the charge or insinuation
that the sale of liquor is tolerated by
Mr.. Proctor in his home town of Proc
tor The News says:
ITO show our good faith in the
statement which we make DELHI
erately that the charge is false,
and base SANDER upon Mr.. Proc
tor and the people generally of the
village of Proctor, The News here
by offers to pay any person one
hundred dollars who will furnish
it with evidence that there has
been in the village of Proctor one
single violation of the prohibitory
law in the last twelve months"
The News also refers in detail to
statements of fact already made in
The Phoenix upon its own information,
about the humane and helpful manner
in which the affairs of the Vermont
Marble company are conducted in the
interest of its employees, referring es-
pecially to the free hospital, free medi
cal treatment, and free nursing pro-
vided by the company. Also to the
system of free accident insurance
| I'M nfr ~
which an employee receives half pay
| if laid up by accident, and $500 in
demnity paid to his family if he is
| killed.
The News further says: The COM
pany encourages its workmen to buy
and own their own homes. 1t loans
them money for the purpose or becomes
responsible therefore to the savings
bank until enough has been paid so
that the savings bank can legally take
mortgage"
Mention is made of the we'll known
fact that Mr.. Proctor has twice been
elected unanimously a member of the
Vermont legislature. That he re-
ceived a unanimous vote in each case
is significant from the fact that there
is in Proctor competing marble COM
pany, besides many people who have
no business relations with the Yer
mont Marble company, and a consider
able number of farmers who are en-
tirely independent of the company.
The News concludes it's article with
this broad and unqualified statement:
The News lately published the
statement that the pay roll of the Yer.
mont Marble company for the month
of April was $4,000 and that after
deduction of all accounts against its
employes-for store bills, rent, general
supplies, money advanced either on ac-
count or to men who left the com.
pany's employ and were paid off
there remained and was paid in cash
to the men over S63, 900 or nearly so
per cent of the whole And yet the
Montpelier Waterman deliberately
says in its issue of May 81 that the
bulk of the pay roll of the Vermont
Marble company never leaves the
treasurer's Office"
There is no use arguing
with such people. We will only say
generally that the Vermont Marble
company pays such wages and sc
treats its men that it has attracted tc
itself and steadily keeps as good a
set of men as can be found anywhere
Except a small proportion of the most
common labor which is taken on and
let go as reQuired-for example, al
present it has temporary force OF
125 men grading and ditching-the
average term of service of it's EN-
ployes is long one. In every branch
of it's service and in every grade are
plenty of men who have been in its ser
vice over 20 years. The employees Of
the Vermont Marble company are the
: equal in intelligence and independence
of any set of employees anywhere
They are men capable of earning theil
living anywhere and are not Obliged
to work for the Vermont Marble com
pany if they do not want to. II has
remained for a lot of politicians il
another part of the state, who probably
were never in Proctor in their lives
to discover that these employees are
white slaves" The false statements
which have been circulated broadcast
by McCullough's managers concerning
their condition are just as much of 6
libel of them as of Mr.. Proctor
There are more than 1000 men work
fng for the Vermont Marble company
within six miles of The News Office
and in their behalf we say that the
IA 20, 20 60 .ae<,.s