Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-08-19
PLAIN TALK FOR PLAIN PEOPLE.
Crisp and Breezy Comment on Mat
tiers in the Public Eye.

The expressions Of high and holy
horror emitted by such journals as the
Free Press aud the 81
Johnsbury Republican when confront
ed with the offer OF the democratic
state committee TO buy space, Is some,
thing that would make the sacred
white elephant OF siam snort Win
mlrth. They don't propose 10 be po-
litlcnl incubator aud hatch out the
eggs of the democratic cow-blrd, they
say, they have duties 10 their repub-
lean supporters, they trust they don't
propose that democracy shall nave
hearing In their balllWlck' they re
nulte sure. shades Of an unfettered
press ana a discriminating public, are
these newspapers or organsa If there
Is anything 50 convincing IN the claims
of the opposition ms Ia threaten "A po-
lItIcal revolution then, In the name OF
"A totterng aud stricken republican
ism, suppress It. But. If my friend
has something To say TO
Vermont's voters in decent way
wants some effective publicity and Is
willing to pay the price, why, IN the
name of business common sense ana
decent fair play, can't he have It?
As a matter of fact, it's every news
paper's business TO review as thor
oughly as may be the claims of both
and democrats. A repub-
lican paper ought To examine ana
answer the chief arguments OF the
democrats and the only reason they
don't is because their editors are lazy
or their space Is limited. Now the
democrats offer 10 pay for having
their arguments printed and VIII give
the panic stricken editors all the
time they want 10 answer VIII they
get the chance? All depends on the
paper whether 1t wants To tell an
the news or just what news helps ITS
own little political coterie. Size 'em
up and see.
| have thought at times that | had
a fair working acquaintance win
the English language but, after hear
ing Congressman Littleield's poly
syllabled vocabulary, rolled together
three and five phrases deep ana then
fired into the quivering air at the
rate of 1900 revolutions per minute, !
have made up my mind that | be-
longed i'm the dim, regretful back
ground of the erstwhile. Mr.. Little
field is n marvel He has more square
idea than any other political big gun
i'm the field and he has voice that
would be worth AT least IS simoleons
per week To the heavy villain OF the
Lorne Elwyn company. Not that ms
speech isn't thoughtfui and full OF
political strong meat, but it's SO en-
wrapped empowered and disguised
with a mass OF verbal Horticulture
that It resembles a small IL brilliant
Jewel surrounded by ten or twelve
of tropical plants.
# / had Littleheld's command, or
rather despotism, over the helpless
language. I'd get steady job with
the Century dictionary and hurl
SYNONYMS forevermore. And he said:
Il don't carry a glossary to explain
my speech" He ought 10 bill himself
as "Rapid-dre Littleheld, the only
Orator in the world 10 Deliver 1900
Words In 80 Minutes, Escaping the
Mob in a Rroosh and a
Wilted Collar" He'd have Calling
Maxim and Hotchkiss faded to
.imid tint.
And Uncle Joe Cannon? Well say
he makes me think Of Old Jed Prouty,
Denman Thompson and the return OF
little Willie in the fourth act with
The double male quartette singing
sweet and low behind the third flat
AS the conversational party on the
front seat remarked at intervals III
The rally, You're all right To the
audience that alternately eheered (
Uttered and snivelled. he WAS a sim
pie, kindly old man. telling big point
of
leart. To those who have viewed the
'ootlights from a secure seat on a
,anvas balustrade from the dukes /
palace. showed temporarily into the /
wings, he was master player on the (
luman emotions, Personality is
what does IT, Cannons printed speech J
,eads natter than a Hank Goodman [
nonologue-with Hank absent. It's /
when YOU get the shrewd, whimsical, /
'ough- diamond personality that you /
augh before you think. cheer invol- I
Intarily and gaze off into the trees /
when he tells about that little home /
bought with the first thousand dollars /
hat he earned It's mostly all art, /
md | admire it because it's the best /
Kind
Here's mein freund Strawser of I
he wilmington Times actually
printing things on his editorial page! /
How did it happen? say you. Bust !
ness must be dull. Lewis says: AT /
er l.. A. Hindley'-he means me-
had read over the copy of his latest /
for the Brattleboro Refor-
ner he signed himself, Yours ad- /
niringly Very neat, dear boy. /
With practice you'll have real
bought every little while. Meanwhile, !
think you only think you think.
| note that my brother Stone of the /
st. Johnsbury Caledonian has been
printing the views of state newspaper (
men on woman suffrage. And the boys /
Ill seem to be fer it," Strange, too. |
have distinct recollection of writ
ng something for a proposed leaiet
pn that subject that took the ground, /
now accepted by MANY advanced wo-
men. that the best and most telling /
legislative work they can do is
through personal influence, not by ell
bowling their way to the polls and |
voting-the wrong way. |
But | didn't notice it in that inter-
.sting collection. l wonder,
The Rutland baseball team has cost
over $1,000 for ten weeks of indiffer-
,nt sport AS l write, it has won Is
md lost IA games. 1t has been con- |
,ervatively managed. What the game |
las cost Burlington with its array of
stars one may only guess. The pace /
$ simply baseball suicide. But pro-
'essional ball is a sort of midsummer
madness anywhere outside of the big /
eagues, at best.
Mr.. Cannon says Vermont's vote is
he nations index. Wonder why he /
md the other spellbinders are so anx-
ous to twist the pointer to the right /
figures. Why don't they run along /
md let it go ahead and index, peace
ably?