Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-05-02
Some of Percy's Points.

about the state. They say he is s'n
orator." but he is proving to be tn
best kind of one, in being able to tel
the truth in way no one can under
stand, and in being able to bring clear
ly before peoples minds what the.
knew and believed before without ad
hitting it to themselves.
Percy has only been at it a few day.
but he has already succeeded in inject
ing a good scare into the other side,
and Brer. Morrow has issued or
ders to his lieutenants of the Anti
Saloon League throughout the state tc
drop everything else for the purpose OF
beating Clement and in every place
where there is the slightest possibility
of the latter getting the delegates for
the Proctor and Mccullough men to
unite in doing it.
Clement remarked with truth at Yer
gennes that this is the first canvass Yer
mont has seen for 40 years that has
been one of principle, not merely of
it is mighty aggravating one to the
political plunderers, that generate I'M
der present prohibition.
Mr. Morrow says his League regards
both Proctor and Mccullough as safe
men, on either of whom "the tenn
perance people of the state should
unite. - The convolutions of even the
conscientious mans mind, after prohi
bition gives its twist, the ordinary NOR
tai finds is hopeless to trace 1t ought
to be one of the chief benefits of
campaign of principle at last that men
will come forth and stand up like men
to their own convictions on question
of most important public interest. 1t
is the absence of just this spirit that
makes free government farce and,
operating in number of directions, is
the source of many of the evils that so
affiict Vermont.
Hope begins to peep forth with the
actually carry the state. And the au-
diences before which he speaks, report
ed as 1000 or more at different places, !
with that petition from Burlington,
circulated only two days but signed by
1000 Republicans asking him to come
there, are calculated to have SOLDERING |
effect on the machine. If it be pos
sible that he can carry a Republican
convention, it can only be by so stir
ring the people as to bring out a full
expression certainly it can never hap
pen through the ordinary kind of pri
maries. That, therefore. would mean
that not only a majority but large
majority of the Republican voters are
against the present law. No one can
say with absolute certainty that this is
or is not so. But if it is true or any
where near true. as the Democrats, -
approaching third of all the voters
are practically a unit on the subject,
the people are against prohibition and
would not only make it extraordinary
that this law has existed so long. but
afford a demonstration, completer than
could have been hoped, of the evil of :
the political inertia to which the Re
former has so long been calling atten-
ton.
Mr.. Clement gives his chief weight )
to the practical arguments in favor of c
local option, in making it easier to
regulate the evils of the liquor traffic, \
protect minors and dIunkards, and @
bring the traffic from the holes and e
corners into the light where public Q
opinion can act with something like {
sufficient knowledge on it. This in ad- +
dition to the revenue that would be d
brought to the state, enough for road
and care of the poor as
we'll as the capital it would invite, for Fl
the summer hotel business especially p
which is now ostracised. Mr. Clement Il
gives a number of specific instances of A
his kind that have come within his d
And the practical effect p
he other way, 'of, use of opium and 81
;HlOIdl ldl ger utlt, dCCOiulDS W pop T.
llation, than anywhere else, he does tc
lot fail to point out. W
Where the revenue the state ought fl
o get now goes, he tells very aptly L
when he says in his county of Rut- "
and it has been customary for tt
stranger. when he saw a particularly
inc residence, to enquire, ''What
states attorney lives ,here?' And spe- M
ifically he tells of one states attorney, re
lewly elected. who was making some &c
repairs on his house, and to TO
aise the necessary funds, instituted a pi
aid, getting one Irishman third l.
ime in one morning. Whereupon Pat IN
aid, as he paid the third fine, "Howly ga
doses! Hasn't the states attorney la
ot his ploombin' done yit:" That W
ort of thing hasn't been confined to &c
rutland county by any means If the
ruth or even fraction of it in the
tate at large, could be uncovered it ~
,ould bring a quick end to the pres ~
Mt law. a.
He charges that fines are being ex- m,
ensively perverted from public treas tn
rios and DocLye+ad bv dishonest off