Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-08-03
REPUBLICANS SHOOT BACK
GRAND OLD PARTY DEFENDED
BY PLUMLEY AND FISH.
At Rally in Auditorium Last Evening
Latter Attacked the Record Of the
Fusion candidate-Don't Desert
Machine, Formers Theme.

pnthiHefs last nlshl 10 near the can
, paign issues discussed by Frank
Fish of Nergennes and Hon. Frank i
, Pumlcy of Northheld. The weathe
was favorable and there was a larg
delegation from the rural districts, al
though attendance was hardly as larg
ms that at the fusion gathering Mon
day evening. 4 concert by the Firs
Regiment band preceded the speaking
Mr.. Fish was the first speaker an'
dwelt az some length ON the merits o.
the two parties and the merits Of tn
candidates. Mr. Plumley confined hi
remarks about the great work of th'
republican party, which il il had move'
slowly had moved none the less surel!
toward reforms.
Charles O. Robbins of the republican
town committee introduced the speak
ers, saying in part: 81 observe that
there are many here tonight who lis
tened 20 the fusicu orators few
nights ago together with a coon quartet
land heard the fusion orators tell how
the government has been mismanaged
by the so.called machine. Now ] ask
you to listen while men who are ac
duainted with the state of affairs tell
how the government has been well and
economically managed by the machine
| now introduce Mr.. Fish.
After briefly referring to the fact
that he was born in the vicinity of
Brattlcboro Mr.. Fish went on to state
how great his zeal was for the party,
saving that IL he made any mistakes it
would be owing TO that zeal which he
I felt for the republican party and the
principles for which II stood. When
I Fletcher d. Proctor let fall the gavel
which adjourned the legislature he was
the logical candidate for governor, said
Mr.. Fish. Mr.. Clement said il was
fixed up long ago. In 1900 the people
were ready and he could have been
governor in 1902 if he had said so. He
did not announce himself as a candi'
date for governor General McCul-
Tough and Mr.. Webb did. Later Mr..
Webb Withdrew. During that cam
paign the great issue was the question
of liquor traffic, whether the state
should be prohibition or allow local OPP
ton. At the convention the candidates
were Clement, Proctor and Mccullough.
After the first ballo, Mr.. Proctor with
drew his name and seconded the nom
ination of General Mccullough Glenn
ent took his followers TO his private
ear and left the convention. Soon af-
ter he started the independent canvass
The next two years saw another can
yass Not machine production but
the people S choice, plain farmer, was
made chief executive. About year
ago Mr.. Clement announced himself as
a candidate for governor on the re-
publican ticket. At the same time ne
subscribed to the republican campaign
fund to the amount of 800 which he
has never paid. At the same time he
was sent ont on speech-making tour
at his own request. He was recalled
when il was seen that he was working
more for his own good than that OF
the party. Then he sent his man to
the capitol to look out for crookedness,
He saws it took mandate of the courts
to allow the man to look at the books,
Mr.. Clement had no show and every
one knew it but himself He is
clever and shrewd man but often de
ceiyed. Finally Mr. Clement realized
his prospects in the republican party
and withdrew. But since he couldn 7
keep out of politics he told the people
that he was going to run on an lnde'
pendent ticket. There was no great
issue and there is none. One had to be
made, The Bennington idea was pro-
mulgated. Then Mr.. Clement came out
and stated that the people wished MN
to run. that they came to HIM from the
four points of the compass asking him
TO run Before this he had established
his news bureau. He has very bright
man at his back in the person OF the
editor of the Rutland Herald, another
in Mr.. Hindley, formerly of Ludlow
1t would require corps of detectives
to find where the Bennington idea
originated. 1t would probably be
found that it originated in the brain
of Mr.. Clement
Mr.. Proctor had no paid retainers in
any town that Mr. Fish knew of, while
Mr.. Clement, the speaker asserted, had
them in this town and probably in ev-
erv other town in the state. At the
republican convention the delegates
paid their own bills while Mr.. Clement
paid the entire expenses of every dele
gate who attended the convention at
Democrats are democrats and have
no interests in common with the indie
pendents. They cannot mingle. Mr..
Clement is an aristocrat millionaire,
retired railroad president and has no
svmpathv with labor. His house is
palace and filed with servants. He has
horses and carriages and private car.
Mr.. Fish then went on to enlarge upon
The work done against labor by MI
Clement when he was president OF the
Rutland railroad He then contrasted
The great good done by Fletcher d.
Proctor for his employees in his great
marble mills The union stores are
Kept for the good of the employees and
1ot for the aggrandizement Of the en-
oloyers.
In all Mr.. Clements S examinations
,mong the state accounts he did not
ind where a single cent had been mis-
appropriated. In closing Mr.. Fish
lsked the assembled voters to think
we'll what they did at the polls next
September about changing from a par
" which had used them well in the
,ast to one which they knew nothing
# and which was not liable to prove
20 well for their interests as the party
n power for the past years.
Mr.. Robbins then introduced Mr.
who said that there was no !