Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-07-08
PLAIN TALK FOR PLAIN PEOPLE.
Crisp and Breezy Comment on Mat
tiers in the Public Eye.

I'm going To talk state convention n
good deal this week, but | can SOL
EMMY aVouch that there won't be
enough politics I'm the spiel To plug
pin-hole in single-tube tire. Co
ing to talk about men, mostly, and OF
different kinds of men,
First of an, there were the young
men. A clean-run, currycombed ana
buck toweled lot they We're and In
them Vermont sees definite promise.
There was James +. Hooker for IN
stance. whom numerous well-meaning
old ulypads have insisted on recog-
nizing simply as his fathers SON.
Mr.. Hooker jr, need never fall back
on the record of a parent for prestige
and influence Recognized in his dis
trict, recognized at Chicago, recog-
nized at Montpelier, Mr.. Hooker Is
making himself felt by the sheer force
of personality. His speech, second
ing the nomination of Bell, was
model No plattudes, no SOAP, no
hot air he seized the attention at
once held it through a half dozen
ringing sentences and then sat down.
A whole lot of sere and yellow
leaves from the pages of history who
futtered their candidates into
premature decline might well have
taken a leaf from Hookers political
hand book.
While Frank Plumley was killing
Stanton by inches a wicked news
paper man transposed Mare An
tonys Grafton over Caesar and
passed around the sentence: i come
to bury stanton not TO praise him.
Many true thought is concealed in
merry jibe.
It was that perpetual josher of the
st. Adams Messenger, Frank l..
Greene. who was inadvertently count
ed with the Fair Haven secessionists
in the Rutland convention. Yes, Frank
voted against Foster all right
though he will probably claim he
didn't mean TO. When George Childs
called all Foster men to their feet
and the four soreheads from Fair
Haven refused to get up there was a
call for all those who favored the
nomination of o. NJ. Barber, Frank
got up. scribe fashion, to see who the
monsters We're who would dare to
vote against the Lords anointed and
despite the frantic coat-tail yanking
of Col Chnds, was counted for Bar
Der. for Frank was a St Adams dele
gate!
There's many a fine thing done by
accident, and. while Greene had prob
ably no wish to be anything but a
porter of his towns behest, stranger
things might happen than some
Young man of his type leading a de-
termined and permanent revolt
against readymade politics in YER
mont.
The farmers owned Montpelier-no
question about that Ii looked more
like a session of the Legislature, null
tiplied by four, than state conven-
ton. The De Boer men We're young
men, earnest and brainy but hope
less from the first. There was never
a chance for De Boer after the cru
ciai week before" had passed and he
stood pat on his don'tgiveadam plat
form. His friends realized that and
their only excuse for placing his
name In nomination was TO hold the
De Boer strength together and side
track Stanton. That's the factor
oNeIlpoheu IA NY PiNH'N'''H
week ago.
De Boer won't be governor Of ver-
mont this year.-perhaps he never
viii fool around with candidacy
but the De Boer idea and the De Boer
gang will handle more than 1872 votes
in the next state convention. For
that matter, on the plain, unvarnished
basis of aggregated intellect pro-
and hustle. the 1872 De
Boer men aren't making any apologies
to Bells 1913!
There was another young man
from Brattleboro who took my fancy,
and that was c. c. Fits. who started
Col Kit Haskins on the primrose
path of nomination Wednesday and
who roped some we'll shaped orator.
ical cattle for Joseph A. De Boer in
the state stampede. Mr. Fits picks
his words well, puts them together In
fashion and has a crisp,
incisive delivery that holds the atten-
ton and sends home his points with
telling effect.
The experience of the past week
demonstrates beyond dispute that a
thing worth having is worth asking
for and it won't do any harm to ask
for it with the proper stage agony
and fine poetic frenzy of a Dutton or
! Hubbard.
There is a lot of good-natured hum
BUG about this committee on resolu
lions business Orion NJ. Barber type
wrote his resolutions in manifold and
daily newspapers had the copy be-
'ore he was even nominated as chair
nan, and the members from each
county, tried and trusty, probably
never read the document till they had /
o. much less subscribed to 1t or die
.ated any Of its provisions. It was a Il
good platform and it was good be-
,ause one man, who knew his state
md his public. wrote it. without a lot
If excellent old aunties pottering over 7
{, pointing with pride, viewing with 4
alarm, etc.
Honest Mr.. Bell. what large and /
manly foot he inserted into the pud +
ling when he attempted to comment /
N those resolutions-before they had .
zen presented! Why, bless my soul, I
hose state committeeman almost F
,hoked in purple embarrassment (
when the dear man rambled away I
bout having seen them by accident. I
cling state secrets, making confess
ion. etc. Comment on those reso-
then in type in every daily
office and common prop
.rty about the press table, but not
presented? Horrors, and also
odents!
But 1 certainly had large and ex-
,ansive time, though I shouldn't of
ny own free will, have a state con-
-ention occur oftener than once in
wo years It's a shade too strenuous
or the sheltered life.
Yours languidly,
H L. Hindlev