Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-09-14
CLEMENTS LATEST APPEARANCE.

CLEMENTS LATEST APPEARANCE.
AS Mr.. Pereival w. Clement can COM
in"ny be trusted to 80 the wrong thing
in politics. his announcement Of himself
as candidate for the republican NOM
ination for governor. ought not to great
~ surprise very many people. He says
hc has been asked to be n candidate. No
doubt Of that, Il man who wants an Of
flee can always fird persons to ask min
to run for it, T:ut, IL We are not mis-
informed, some OF his wisest friends
really friendly to the man rather than
to his pockctbcok have hoped that he
would take counsel of his prudence. such
rs he has. instead Of his ambition and
fondncss for trouble. ard not present
himself to the Vermont republicans this
year, for any office. That vas not the
kind Of counsel he wanted, and their
advice, if they ventured u offer him
any, was thrown away.
MIR. Clement has no claim upon the re-
Lclted tho nomination Of the party in the
cnmpa ign of 1902. he forfeited his party
standing ard whatever claim he might
Fave had to tho support of the party.
Nominating conventions of all parties
rest upon the good faith Of The oandi-
dates for nominations. No honorable
man having zone into n convention so n
candidate under the universal under
standing and rule that the fair choice
of the majority shall be respected, will
refuse t. give to the successful com
which he would have claimed from his
rival if the vote had gone against tn,
latter. If Mr. Clement had Carried the
convention of 1909 he would have claimsd
and would have received the support of
General Mccullough and his friends.
General Mccullough carried tho convcn-
jority. Mr.. Clement holted, collogucd with
the democrats, spent a lot OF money made
an active canvass in opposition to the
party nominee, succeeded only in throw
ing the election into the Legislature and
having done the Republican party all the,
damage he could possibly do to II retired
sraced man. He cannot now come be-
fore the party with his furnished record,
with any reasonable hope of success He
may open his barrel. get ont his private
car and four-in-hand and colored min
strels. recall Sam Small. and make this
most of the liquor question; but he will
find that he has greatly lost standing
with the republican voters since 1902. In
our humble opinion he has no where near
We shall discuss hereafter tho claims
to republican support which he puts for
ward in his letter For to-day we have
only to say that the FREE PRESS is "a
republican paper: that as such it is bound
by its fealty to the principles and organ-
cation of the party TO oppose by all fair
ana hOnorable means the man who was so
recently doing his utmost to break up and
destroy the Republican party of Vermont
and that the support of this paper will ba
given to the Hon. Fletcher D. Proctor of
Proctor, as to square republican. an
honest and honorable gentleman who has
a record Of high public service which Mr..
Clement cannot begin to equal; who has a
host of friends all over Vermont. who
Cannot be detached from him let his rival
do his utmost: and who will give Mr..
Clement an opportunity to bolt the next
convention as he bottled the former con-
vcntion. but with no prospect of even tho
partial success which he then achieved.