Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-09-02
TOWN REPRESENTATIVE.
A Plain and open Discussion Of the Pres
ent Situation in erattleboro.

| A Plain and open Discussion Of the Pres
ent Situation In 5ratteboro.
Under the situation which has devel-
oped during the past two weeks the main
local interest in next Tuesdays election
/ will centre in the vote for town represen-
tative. At the Republican caucus which
was held on Saturday. Aug 20, there was
a fair and open contest between three
candidates Each candidate. by himself
/ or through his friends. made his own ap-
peal for support before the caucus. Ample
time and full opportunity were given for
this purpose The caucus was conducted
under rules mutually agreed upon and
the ballot box was kept open for six
hours afternoon and evening" length
OF time ample for every vote to be cast.
The friends Of all the candidates were
active. both before and during the eau
Gus. in their efforts to bring out for them
all the support possible. The result Of
the caucus was the nomination OF Clarke
c. Fits by a plurality OF 20 votes over
his nearest competitor No claim was
made at the time. or has been made since.
that this result was reached by fraud or
unfairness. 1t was a straight. open,
stsnd-up fight to the fnish-and Mr..
Fits won out.
BY all the rules Of political warfare this
result should be accepted as fnal and
there should be no question about the
caucus nominee receiving the full vote Of
his party. But It has become we'll un-
derstood within the past week that there
is movement by men who took an ac-
tive part in this caucus to carry Repub-
licsn votes over to Mr.. Moran, the Dem
ocratc nominee. and. if possible. 10 de-
feat the election Of Mr.. Fits. In some
cases Republicans who count themselves
men of substance and OF prominence in
the party have openly declared their in
tention to vote for the Democratic nom
! nee In Justice 10 Mr. Moran it should
be said that this is done without his So
! licitation or connivance
such a situation raises two vital ques-
tions:
l. Can any Republican who went into
/ this caucus and took part in it now vote
{ for the Democratic candidate and main
tain his personal and political honor in
doing so?
| >. Would not such a course. if taken i'm
peril all united. organized political work
! in the future? In other words. will it
not be a serious blow to our party or
ganization which the Democrats will re-
| joice to see given?
/ II is a well-accepted rule in politics
/ that participants in a caucus shall abide
/ by the result OF the caucus. When
/ voter goes into caucus he virtually
/ pledges himself to do this II. in a close
state like New Hampshire or Connecti-
/ cut. or New York. a man were TO go into
a caucus like that held by Brattleboro Re-
1 publicans two weeks a go and then come
! out OF the caucus and vote for the op-
position candidate he would be forever
discredited by his party-and he ought
to be. for he would have acted in bad
| faith And the same rule ought to hold
and must hold in our Vermont politics if
/ either Republicans or Democrats are to
| maintain a party organization.
II any Republican who took part in the
caucus OF Aug 20 knows anything OF Mr.
Fits, or has any reason such that he can
not in conscience vote for him. he ought
to withhold his vote, for there is no obli-
CATION moral or political. that can COM
pei any man to vote for a candidate
!
matter OF honor and OF good faith. he
must stop. He cannot in honor vote for
or work for the opposition candidate. Still
further. he cannot honorably beat about
the bush by writing in the name of some
other Republican. for a vote so cast would
count against Mr.. Fits just as effectually
as If cast for the Democratic nominee,
We leave it to any and every mans sense
of sels-respect to say whether all these
propositions are not true and unanswer-
able.
Our second question. as stated above
is already answered. Nothing could more
effectually disrupt our party organic
alton. nothing would more delight our op-
ponents. than to have the word sent
abroad on election night that Brattleboro
one of the largest towns in the state had
for the second consecutive time elected
Democratic representative.
AS to Mr.. Fits Personally.
Having stated thus plainly what W,
believe to be the moral and political as
poets OF the situation which will confron
D Republican voters next Tuesday. there II
a word TO be said about Mr.. Fits per
sonally. 1t is well known by all who ar
l active in local politics that charges ar
4 in circulation which are intended to dis
e | credit Mr.. Fits as a suitable man to b.
! elected town representative. After care
r ful and patient enquiry We believe tina
T these charges have no adequate founda
|. tion. Prominent business and profession
e al men who know all the facts believ
d that they have no such foundation. Nj
d Fits himself insists in the most positiv
t and unqualified way that he is ready I
y meet every such charge openly and with
out evasion, and to the full satisfactio
s of any man who will listen to the trutl
Al All that he asks is to have these charge
made openly and in a way and time tha
he can have an opportunity TO meet an
answer them Under such circumstance
is these charges ought either to stand dis
It credited once for all, or their promulga
l. tors ought to come out into the open. Tt
IT fact that they have their origin in larg
ct part with men whom, in the past, NJ
= Fits has opposed and prosecuted for viz
ic Iations Of the liquor laws does not help
te credit them in the public estimation.
l. In this frank and unreserved discus
it sion OF the whole situation We make