Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1904-08-27
SOLID DEMOCRATIC TRUTH
Space Controlled by Democratic
State Committee
THE REPUBLICAN BAD FAITH

lated Measure Two Years Ago-And py
Vote Of Two or Three to One, at Different
Stages. Sought to Kill t--Democrats
and Clement Men Saved It-RswaTd Of
the Latter
The Republican platform OF 1902 with
reference to the nll-absorbing issue of
that campaign. said:
And we request the state Legislature at Its
next session ~ make provision iOr asceitainlng
the will vi the people by u direct vote on the
accept ince Or rejection Of lcence anu local
D tiVn law regutatii the sale OF Intoxicating
liquors and fu, ther provision that upon popular
vote IN favor uf sued law duty ascei tanned the
same shall become statute Of the state IN
force.
1nis was the promise to the people
on which the Republics" party ""n
that election. without il defeat would
have been inevitable. How did it fulfil
that promise!
In th. fr-t place the promise itself
contained trick. The Prohibitions,
Republican, politicians who drew that
plat tform knew--and they discussed the
fact before presenting the plank to
the conventon-that the Supreme
Court had said in a case Just
after prohibition was adopted. that such
direct referendum would he uncon-
stitutioml Yet knowing this. they re-
fused to propose form of referendum
like that by which prohibition was
originally adopted which indirectly AS
certaincd the peoples will by making it
question of dates. They planned to
lead the people into procedure that
the Court would annul. But for the
Democratic exposure of it, the trick
would have slipped through without
jar.
And vet when the legislature met, in
the face of this exposure. in the face of
warning from the president OF the Bar
Association. and OF overwhelming legal
authority that this procedure at the
very least involved needless risk, the
great bulk of the Republicans stood
doggedy to it. Can there be shadow
of doubt of their purpose to cheat the
people. when every man OF them knew
that a referendum in the form of that
of 1853 would Just as well answer the
purpose of ascertaining the peoples
will?
Then in the face of their promise to
the people to present license and
local option law the Republican party
instead attempted to foist upon us the
Battell state store, enlarged and loos'
ened town agency scheme. Defeated in
both these projects. by the union OF
Democrats. Clement men and few
genuine local option Republicans. they
bent every energy to spelling the local
| option measure with amendments, ana
succeeded i'm large measure.
Does not the record warrant every
IL, af Tho
| total membership of the last legislature
was 273 (30 senator's and 243 represen'
| tatives besides 3 vacancies). Of these
Al were Democrats. SO Clement men and
labor. Lawrence of Rutland. inc
vote for governor was A for McGet'
trick, 80 for Clement and lG4 foI
| Mccullough. with > absenteos. Several
| of the lG4 were elected as fusionists, Dut
to leave no chance for dispute we VIII
| count them all straight Republicans.
On the question of substituting the
bogus referendum the vote in the House
was III "yea" to l27 may
| OF tn. "nay" votes the Democrats were 4
J or the may" votes the Clement men
"0f the may" vote. the labor vote wss.
| or the nay" votes the straight Re. =.
pub. lean were ...............'.'..'...' IS
l IL
So if it had been left to Republican
alone. the people would have beeI
tricked out of the law by vote o
nearly three to one.
In the Senate and House together th'
vote for this bogus referendum was II
to l47.
OF the l47 that saved the state from
this cheat, AZ We're Democrats, ~
Clement men, ! i'p"' anu 80 neP"D, or
cans. vi ,ne ~ q" III ths Re
straieh' heP'p'''a"H, :" VI Il" W." .o Nv
punli'h"s ,na n, '"e .s,,'.., m"taa f,r lnow,
thiros '''' " 4''' '"''"
chra'' H., .,;,o1 :,
'ne 'So", i,:' ,"r ,;"r;,y % nr That n
nsha' hep"'''r'n l'"lo,,.' ,Ii w. how
looo' lne same perren."f i,; """" f"no
made the 'o'e Ia p,,:" ntpon:""" " ,I
OF the cheat 10 % hePuo'''"ns .;,u "H =
Democrats against IT, VI "'"'''''
~ Tor IL. ;..... a.
The question OF snps'l'"'l"S y"
Batte'l b'il iof lne license anu .Ho'
option law PROMISED III" ,"' ,-"'"
vote IN the reHa'p u"' III 'ne u
was 81 yea 'a,l n"t s''''s"' ~
publicans) 1" las nay.
OF the lis the Democrats w.re..: '...''''
or ne its h tne i'ig,nrn, n, H, ',.c" ~e'e
OF OF tho the lis the straight Republican were
.,. pon,,,,o,ns :;
So OF the straigh. hep"o''eans -. ~
vote was o. TO 90 ior a nat iepuais
ton OF their Plat1orm promise a'
if it had been ieft TO 'hein. .ht. s.a M
/ store system that mas wrought sue m
, decentralization IN S0uth Iaroiha III
built up an impregnao'e poht,ra' 'n
chine for lillman there, "o"ia ma,
been inflicted on TINS state. ana II u
Republican party has ITS expected M n,