The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-06-16
THAT RUTLAND CAUCUS.

The result of the caucus in Rutland
Saturday evening is of special inter.
est to the whole State because of the
questions which lay behind the bare
election of delegates. 1t was the fact
that P. W. Clement was making a
desperate struggle to regain the con-
troll Of Rutland Republican politics
which was wrested from him in the
earlier contest few months ago that
drew all eyes to the Marble City. Mr..
Clement lost by small majority in a
caucus which for size broke all REQ
ords In sense, however, Mr.. Glenn
emit won in principle, for the candi-
dates to whom the delegates elected
are pledged, declared that they IA
vored the maintenance for at least two
years more of the license-local option
law. DR.. Mead and Mr.. Carpenter
each stated that they desire to see the
license law have fair trial and that
to insure that fair trial at least two
years more should be given. it before
final judgment should be passed upon
its merits.
The Rutland Herald sees fit to call
both Mead and Carpenter "prohibi-
tionists'' and appears to question the
sincerity of their declarations as to the
continuance of local option. Where
the justification for such slurs on the
honesty of the men can be found is
hard to see. 1t may be that in the
past they have been prohibitionists, or
local option men, or believers in the
State store system. That in no wise
prevents them as fair-minded men
from desiring to see the local-option
law we'll tested. 1t is the belief of
great many avowed prohibitionists
that the surest and best way to kill
local option in Vermont is to give 1T
just that fair trial that is spoken of.
They believe that should the next
Legislature repeal the license law the
action would be premature and would
not be decisive, while two years later
the voters of the State will have be-
come SO disguised with license that
they will throw it down and trample
on it with such vigor that for many
years to come it will be dead issue.
1t is asserted by local option men
that these first months of license have
failed to give the new law a better
showing, partly because of the natural
excuses of a few over gratified license
men and partly because of numerous
crudities in the law. They assert
that with the law amended as they
natural reaction which will result in
many former license towns going into
the "No'' column the State will see
an orderly and satisfactory solution
of the liquor problem.
1t may be that the Rutland men
mentioned are prohibitionists with
the above views or they may be in the
undecided ranks. But In any case the
Herald should not think men are in
sincere merely because they do not
declare in favor OF local option for all
time.
The Herald further states that the
result Saturday night was a victory
for Proctor and "the ring and that
it means that Rutland will "be gov
erned again from the outside" But
in the same breath the Herald says
that the check list used was larger
than the total registration of the
voters Of the city and that the caucus
was practically mass convention Of
members of both PARTIES 1t appears
that the total number of votes cast
for Governor in Rutland two years
ago was but little larger than the vote
in the caucus the other night. Rather
strange "ring methods those by
which the Democrats, the known OPP
ponents, should be allowed to par
supposed that Mr.. Clement would de-
fine ''the ring" as 'all anti Clement
Republicans. Then why didn't the
ring" keep out the Clement Demo-
Gratis who packed the hall?
1t is all nonsense. Why does not
the Herald frankly admit defeat under
circumstances much in favor of its
friends? The defeat is recognized all
over the State as one chat should be
decisive 1t is useless for the Herald
to grow bitter about it. 1t had better
feel rejoiced that local option, in
which it is 80 much Interested. did
not go down in total defeat with Mri
Clement but survives his control