Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-07-29
PLAIN TALK FOR PLAIN PEOPLE
Crisp and Breezy Comment on Mat
tiers in the Public Eye.

written for the Reformer)
That's rather a nasty story that
comes from Plattsburg I'm regard 10
the disqualification Of Umpire Shea
of the northern league. The story
goes that Nh. Shea refused to con-
slider a proposition to throw games
in favor OF Plattsburg aud was there
fore protested by the president, one
other league team joined him, which
made the legal strength needtul TO
sustain protest Queer tales of the
crookedness of Plattsburg sports nave
been circulated before but this last
one tastes Just little worse than any
of them.
I note that the Vermont Marble Go,
is no whit dismayed by the strike
aimed its way and is going right
ahead with the installation of an cleo
trio generating plant which VIII sup
ply power to the mills and for all pur-
poses about the property. The ne"
venture will cost for electrical ap-
paratus about 100000 and will con-
stitute the most radical Improvement
that has been instituted In the marble
business for years
"A
conditions at Proctor develops many
interesting facts. The community is
by no means a model village nor is
there much basis for the rot that has
been printed about white slaves,
but, In the suggestive transposition
so common, the trail of the Proctors
is over it ALL The system Is pater-
nal. OF course The company has MADE
the town. owns ii IN effect ana die
tates policies industrial, economic ana
I'm some degree. social. Rates of wage
are scaled to scientific standard that
enables the company to get out It's
work more cheaply than most COM
petitors; company stores, company
cottages and company public build
ings confront the laborer everywhere.
It's a common saying among the men
that the company will do anything
for the men except pay them wages
students of industrial problems will
say that these conditions are all
wrong and that they vest too much
power in the employer This is prob
ably true but the fact remains that
the Vermont Marble company is rum
ming on full time today with practi-
cally every other marble firm, run ON
the modern PLAN" tied up dead.
Paternalism is a bad thing, but a
successful paternal has more abso-
lutte power than the amiable car oil
all the Russias.
seem to be getting into trouble all
around from my tendency to quote
history and tell what folks think
about the Vermont National guard.
SO far however, l haven't said what
| think, so | don't see where the KICK
comes in. | visited the boys at mus
ter about six years ago and the I'M
preston / gathered was that a large
part of the guardsman's duty ana
privilege was to soak up all the bot
lied beer he could get his hands on.
dodge guard mount if he could and
have all the fun possible before he got
back to work.
The company street where | fore
gathered was a dump; paper, odds
and ends and empty bottles lay
around the tents: barrel of beer
stood against pole in a private's
quarters and discipline was not.
had a very pleasant time but the stern
Il
press me very strenuously.
Things are different now. | saw the
boys leave for that pest hole of Chick
amauga. They were all ready-even
anxious-to fight if they got a chance
They didn't have any trunks, any bar
rels of beer or any ice-cream freeZers
They meant business. | went to the
funeral of a lad who died in that rot
ten camp He was just as much a
imartyr as the boys who fell among
| the saplings at san Juan. l saw the
regiment when it came back home
| The boys were gaunt, yellow and
brown. with new lines of service in
their faces. They were men who had
\ been doing mems work and they were
mad clear through because they didn't
get a chance TO fight. They had a
new spirit. a new outlook. and a new
conception of soldering. That soldier
spirit has made the change in the
morale of the Vermont guardsmen
/ It's the kind of thing that compels us
To take them seriously.
And so l say that this Manassas
trip is a proper and needful thing
| an incident in the making of citizen
soldiers. an investment of time and
money that will pay good dividends
/
| Things pretty quiet this week.
am against apologies on principle
so merely sign myself.
Yours hay feverishly.
II. l. Hindley.