St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-02-01
Seeing Washington.
Editorial Correspondencel


. gan when lett St. Johnsbury on Jan. ]
and ended when | reached WashingtC
with the electoral vote of my nativ
" state. Lest any of my readers shoul
think it was fat office hasten to sa
that the only fat Offices in the govern
nent service are the Burlington and New
= port custom houses. AS lar as a govern
ment position in Washington is cor
cerned am assured that the expenses {
, living are so high that no one can liv
within his income unless he practices tn
most rigid economy and lives at all time
the simple life. A word to the office seek
ers is sufficient
There were four Of us in the party anC
| venture to say that it was the mos
congenial quartette of Vermonters that
ever Travelled together. None of us had
met before until we convened at Mont
pelier on jan and cast four ballots for
Mr.. Roosevelt for president and four
more for Mr.. Fairbanks for vice president.
The President told us in Washington be
naturally took lively interest in our
proceedings, and think all the electors
felt it was the prowdest moment of their
lives hen they balloted Tor one so wor-
thy to be the chief executive of this great
nation. The board consisted of Walter
H. Berry OF Bennington, landlord of the
famous Walloomsac Inn, the oldest in
Vermont; Frank A. Bond, Middlebury
merchant and member of the 1894 Legis-
lature; E. B., Finn, the Springfield
lawyer and campaigner, and the
humorist of the party; and the writer,
who had the honor OF being chosen offici-
al messenger. l did not sew the official
vote inside my vest as the California
messenger did, but confess it was with
a sense of relief that finally deposited
our vote in the vice presidents room at
the Capitol and escaped the fine of $1,000
imposed on any messenger who failed to
perform this simple but necessary duty.
| was the 32d messenger to bring my
states vote to the Capitol, and while |
was in the city the messengers from Cal.
ifornia and Nevada arrived.
The clerk to Senator Frye, who is pie
ident of the Senate pro TEN, told me that
the New Jersey messenger was the first to
arrive. had previously mailed copy
OF our vote to Senator Frye, as provided
by the United States Statutes, and the
clerk said that all the messengers had |
mailed the result of the votes except those
from Louisiana and Mississippi. The
votes are kept in their sealed package in
little safe in the vice presidents room
until Feb 8, where the president of the
Senate in a joint assembly opens the
package and announces the election.
1t is rather an Anticipated method of
choosing president and in close con-
tests-like the Hayes Tilden campaign
gives ample opportunity for the purchase
Of electors. But to the everlasting credit
81 American honor be it said that no
elector has ever failed to do his duty and
only once, so far as is known, has undue
pressure been brought to bear upon an
elector to change his vote. In the Hayes
Tilden campaign the Democratic candi.
date would have been elected if a single
one of the Republican electors had voted
Tor Mr.. Tilden. A strong appeal was
made that some one OF the electors should
exercise his legal discretion, and make
Tilden the president. as he had received a
in popular vote. The appeal
was supposed to have been addressed to
James Russell Lowell of Massachusetts.
Yet neither he, nor any other Republican
elector could be influenced. They took
the ground that they had been chosen to
cast certain vote, and they were bound
to do it, notwithstanding the majority
ot the voters of the United States were
against them, and that the gravest dan
gers might result.
Oh course the most interesting part of
he trip was our visit to the President.
The Vermont delegation arranged to take
he party and on Saturday morning we
went to the insignificant annex of the
White House opposite the great building
occupied by the war and navy depart.
ment and assembled with about 25 Others
in the cabinet room where the President
receives every other day from 10 until12,
folding doors swung back right
behind us and we faced the first citizen of
the United States. He quickly recognized
Senator Proctor who introduced us and
as each one was presented the President
Sald, with hearty hand grasp, IL am
pleased to meet YOU" He then addressed
the electoral board in short and inform.
al speech saying 1t is hardly NECESSARY
or me TO say, gentlemen, that took a
lively interest in your proceedings. When
your senior Senator, Mr. Proctor, tele.
sraphed me on the night OF the election
Vermont's majority l said to my friends
This doesn't look like democratic land.
'lide''" Col. z. M. Mansur was next pre.
'ented to the President and after looking
an instant at the empty sleeve he said
I can plainly see. sir. that Won r,.0.0 L.