Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-07-27

RerclNal w. Clement, the OemOcfdllc
candidate for governor is to speak in
Brattleboro next Monday evening on
State Issues. He purports to stand upon
the Democratic platform, and 1t will be
in order for him to declare specifically
whether he approves the various planks
which the opposition party have de-
clared to be their belief. Let us interro-
gate this candidate, once a Republican
and now a Democrat.
1. Do you Mr.. Clement, believe in put
ting all public officers, including sheriffs
deputy sheriffs and justices of the peace,
on a stated salary. as Is advocated in the
that that would be a prudent and eco
nomical thing for the state to do?
2. DO you believe in the repeal of the
state highway and state school tax, as
the Democratic platform urges? DO you
think 1t is fair TO the smaller communities
to take away from them the aid which
they need and which they now receive
under Republican rule, in the support of
the rural schools and in the building of
the main highways? Do you think 1t is
fair TO the smaller towns that prac-
tically all the states money be spent in
the large and more prosperous towns,
and the small towns be compelled to
pay tribute to the large towns without
recompense or remuneration in any way?
3. Do you favor the regulation of rail-
road rates by the government. as Presi-
dent Roosevelt does? II so. why does
your newspaper. the Rutland Herald, op-
pose that law?
T. Do you favor a law in Vermont i'm
posing a penalty upon railroads who
grant secret rates and Determinations
within the state of Vermont? II so, why
did you not have such a plank in the
platform, and why did you not adopt the
plank which the Republican party has
in its platform, and If you believe now
in such a law, did you believe in such a
law when you were president of the
Rutland railroad? If you believe that
there should be no discrimination or ia
vor in freight rates, why is it that when
you were president of the Rutland rail-
road the Standard Oil company had spe-
cial favors from your railroad and prac-
tically shut out other oil producing COM
panies from getting trade on the line of
your road?
And why did you when you were presi-
dent of the Rutland railroad company
make a discriminating freight rate on
coal. so that towns like Chester and
Ludlow, and other towns, which had to
rely solely upon your road were COM
PEELED to pay a larger freight rate than
was paid by other places? Why did you
fix the rates so that Chester was COM
PEELED to pay more for coal which came
through Rutland to Chester than was
paid at Bellows Falls for the same kind
of coal that was hauled from Rutland
through Chester to Bellows Falls?
5. Are you now in favor of a weekly
payment law? II so, what has changed
your mind since you voted against such a
law in the House of Representatives in
1892, and voted against it in the Senate
in 1900. and wrote a letter against it in
April. 1906? What has brought about
your conversion?
Do you favor an employers liability
law to help the workingman? If so, why
dio you, when you were president of the
Rutland Railroad company compel en-
ployes and their families to sign such a
contract as you made in the Tarbell case?
railroad to make such a contract with
its employees. as you made in the Tarbell
case?
6. Do you favor living wages for the
workingman? II so. why did you under
take to cut the wages of the laboring
men in Rutland City, when you were
mayor, to $1.25 day?
Z. You complain of the management OF
the Vermont state institutions. The Re-
publican administration, acting under the
authority of the Republican legislature
has conducted an investigation of the
| hospital for the insane, the state prison
and the house of correction. Do you
know of any evidence bearing upon the
| management of these institutions thai
| has not been produced before the in.
vestigating committee2 If so. will you
tell the people of the state what thaf
| evidence is?
s. Do you know of a state prison any
where in the country where labor Of
the convicts yields the state as much al
does that of the state prison of Vermont
Name the state prison, II you know o.
one. Do you know of a state prison
anywhere in the United States under a.
| good business management as the STATE
prison of Vermont? II so, name III,
prison.
9. DO you know of house of correc
where the convict labor yields the stat
as much as does that of the house O
correction at Rutland? If so, name tn