Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-04-27
REASONS FOR PETITION
STATEMENT OF GROUNDS FOR
INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT.
E. J. Hall of Bennington Answers Grit
icisms of Fuller O. Smith on Petition
70 p. w. Observation-Disclosures Effect
i've Protest Will Be Voiced.

to p. w. Clement-beneves 6Hect-
i've Protest viii Be Voiced.
In answer TO the letter of +. j. Hall
and others, of Bennington, published
last week, asking p. w. Clement to run
as an Independent candidate for gov
ernor and to organize state and county
tickets in an effort to end misrulc, Hon.
Fuller c. Smith of st. Adams published
an open letter in the St. Albans Mes
senser. criticising the statements made
as untrue and the movement as unnec.
essary. Mr.. Halls reply, published IN
the Bennington Banner Monday, plain.
lv sets forth the reasons underlying
the movement. and the objects it hopes
to accomplish.
Admitting that il might be true that
Mr. Clement would run without any
petition. Mr.. Hall insists that voters
dissatisfied with the present admins,
tration of state affairs have a right to
voice their demand for a change as
they think best, by petition, IN eau
ems, or at the polls. He insists that
when thousands of voters sign such a
petition some conditions must exist to
Justify it. He continues;
You ask why we cannot leave Mr.. Glenn
ent's fate with perfect confidence TO con.
yention Of the republican party, and VIII
tell YOU. We cannot do so because four
wears ago Mr.. Clements friends were not Ill
lowed 10 be heard on the convention foor
when the fate Of his candidacy was being
determined. We cannot do so because IN
many Of the caucuses through the state Mr.
Clements friends will not be recognized OF
allowed hearing. We cannot do so De-
cause more than half of the republican vo'-
ers of the state have refused to sign the
certiscate OF intention which is attached to
the grand list, and which may be necessary
10 hermit them 20 vote in caucus. We cannot
40 ca because YOU know, and / know, and
the voters Of the state of Vermont know that
a few men control the eaucuses and conven.
,ions Of the republican party of the state,
and that so far from voicing the feeling of
its people do they come, that they voice
merely the determinations Of few of the
leading politicians Was ii not four years
ago Fletcher ID. Proctor was promised the
republican nomination for governor this year,
irrespective of what the wishes of the people
might be
Clement. II elected as republican gov
ernor. could accomplish little, and say that
IL elected as an independent governor he
could accomplish far less, and admit that
under such circumstances he could not re-
ceiye or expect fair treatment from re-
publican senate or house. The more reason
that we should have neither the more justi'
fication for our petition to Mr.. Clement 10
organize county tickets in every county IN
the state, so that We may be assured that
in the event of success, he viii not be
tbwarted by5a machine born senate. and the
more necessity for our guarding in the choice
of representatives from each town in the
state against machine born house.
After aluding to the reduction OF
expenditures and improvement OF the
tax law. Mr.. Hall says:
Now in regard to that portion OF your
letter. which treats of sweeping aside all
marty ties. Do YOU think II is quite fair
To assume that because we wish TO sweep
aside the ties of the party this year, and
have good old.fashioned house cleaning
that we want to destroy the parties Do you
think it is qnite just to intimate that we
wish TO substitute for 40 years of Proctor,
40 years of Clement Is it not fairer to as
sumo that your vision of future Clement
dictatorship came from your knowledge in
waking moments of q present Proctor dicta'
torship7 That your dream OF Clement as
life governor came from your knowledge OF
the plans to send Fletcher ID. Proctor to the
senate two years hence to succeed his father
as life senator
Explaining in detail what the peti-
ton meant by shameful mismanage-
ment of state institutions -, by recapit-
ulating the disclosures of the recent
prison investigation, Mr.. Hall passes to
the subject of graft;
In regard to graft You accuse me Of
SANDER for saying that it exists among some
of the officers of our state. what fortu'
nate state we arei Though our name mas
been branded through the Union for the
shameful abuses which have been shown,
though you know as well as l that there Is
many a town in this state in which graft
exists among some of the officers, little or
bip. we are to accept your white. washing
statement. that any charge of graft is a
SANDER, and pronounce these men, some OF
whom we have known all our lives to be dis.
honest, immaculate Here have referred
to illegal graft; now as to graft that com.
plies with the letter, but not the spirit of
the law, The graft that exists where every
man arrested for intoxication has hied
| against him, also, complaint for breach OF
the peace, and where with equally unfalllng
regularity the complaint for breach OF the
| peace is nolle pressed, and the costs charged
up to the state, so that the judge and com
| planning officer can collect fees to which
| in the spirit of the law, they are in no wise
entitled We do not say that the blame is
| Governor Bells for the rottenness in TINS
state; we say that it is the result OF
continued government of the state by one
party for so years We do not say that the
abuses would not have been greater had an!
other party had an unchallenged lease OF
power for such a period. Every man who
signed the letter accompanying the petition
is a republican, every man who signed tha
letter has always been republican, ant
every one loves the republican party, bu
we need house cleaning. We are tired o.
being tied hand and foot and carried to tn'
polls to vote The people are tired of hav
ing no voice in the government of the state
They are tired of seeing our state driftins
behind while the states around us max
rapid gain.
Do YOU think you treat the good road
question fairlyl Is it fair to assume tina
the condition of the farmers of this stat
will not be improved unless 1900 miles
good roads are put in? Won't every o.
miles of road be q helpl Won't it help tn
towns as we'll as the farmers? Isn't you
whole letter based on the assumption tina
because the state has not done anything t
improve things, we ought not to tryf
I believe that our petition
which is being signed by thousands, WI!
voice mighty protest against the method
and men who are controlling state affairs, an
that its work will not end, until in sep
...l.z :. ,,yaone than from mower.