Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-08-26
Mr.. Fits, the Republican Nominee.

Clarke c. Fits, the Republican nomi-
nee. was born in West Wardsboro. oct.
Il, 1870. son of the late Osmer c. Fits
and Abbie NJ. tTwitchelD Fits He at
tended the common schools in Wards
boro Leland & Gray seminary i'm Towns
bend and Brattleboro high school. grad
uatng here in 1856, before he was l6
years old. He came to Brattleboro TO
live in January. lSSS, when he entered
the law office of Waterman Martin &
Hit. He was admitted to the bar of the
supreme court oct. 81. 1891. four days
after he was 21 He at once opened an
office in Crosby block. and has occupied
il ever since. All this time he has been
actively engaged in practice in the
county and state supreme courts, and
more recently in the United States courts
and the courts of Massachusetts and
New York
Mr. Fits ranks easily today as the
leading lawyer of his years in the state.
in fact. he is in the front rank of the
Vermont bar. He made a name for him
self in his early 20's in the Marlboro
South pond case which he won for the
people of Marlboro against a syndicate
which tried to maintain exclusive fishing
privileges on the pond by buying all the
land around 1t. The late Judge Read Of
Bellows Falls was associated with Mr.
Fits in this case After the victory had
| been won Judge Read declared that Mr..
man he ever knew. and he told how the
| young lawyer had studied the case so
| that he could give the details of all the
| 60 odd transfers Of land around the pond
| covering a period of over 100 years, when
the number Of any deed was called. His
work in the case of Sherman VS.. Estey
4 Organ company, In the Barna
| Clark insurance case. and in important
| criminal cases added to his reputation.
| In 190l-02 he devoted months of work to
| the Thompson will case, which brought
| to Brattleboro an annual income of $780,,
| 000 for charitable and other purposes. and
| from its accumulated interest the hospital
| is now being built In 1902 he was
counsel in the White mill case in Boston.
| involving $3.50. 900, and for the past year
| he was engaged three months as senior
| counsel for the plaintiff in the case of the
| Casein Company of America VS.. Alden
| Speare's Sons of Boston. This case af-
| fected the fortunes of a business amount
| ing to millions of dollars annually. and it
| ended i'm complete victory for the Casein
| company. MIR. Fits has been success
| full in prosecuting the claims of many
poor people against large corporations,
| and is counsel today in many important
cases in the United States courts
Mr.. Fits has been active in politics
since his boyhood. and is familiar fig
| ure in county and state conventions His
work was an important factor in win
ming the senatorial election for William
p. Dillingham; and in securing the nomi-
nation of Col. X. Haskins for Congress
He was offered the position of judge OF
the United States court at Cape Nome
Alaska, at a salary of $500, but declined
on account of his personal affairs. Four
years ago he was considered as the most
representative young Republican for
Brattleboro to send to the Legislature, but
| owing to a contest before the caucus he
withdrew in favor of Judge f. L. Water
man. Two years ago he was the
nominee of his party, and was beat
en- at the election of the late DIR. James
Conland, the license question being push
ed to the front as the main and almost
| only issue of the contest.
There are particular reasons why the
business men wish to have Mr.. Fits in
the Legislature to work in behalf of the
Connecticut river dam charter. which
they wish amended to meet changed
conditions and in behalf of other meas
ures in which Brattleboro is deeply inter-
ested.