Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-08-10
Questions For Mr.. Clement.


Percival w. Clement, the democratic
candidate for governor, is speaking on
State issues. He purports to stand upon
the democratic platform, and it will be
in order for him to declare specifically
whether he approves the various planks
which the opposition party have declared
to be their belief. Let us interrogate
this candidate, once a republican and
now democrat.
1. Do you, Mr.. Clement believe in put
ting all public officers, including sheriffs
and justices of the peace, on a stated
salary, as is advocated in the democratic
platform? Do you believe that that
would be prudent and economical 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 it 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 it is
fair to the smaller towns that practically
all the States money be spent in the
large and more prosperous towns, and
the smaller towns be compelled to pay
tribute to the larger towns without re-
compense or remuneration in any way !?
3. Do you favor the regulation of rail-
road rates by the government, as Presi-
dent Roosevelt does? If 80, why does
your newspaper, the Rutland Herald, op-
pose that law?
4. Do you favor a law in Vermont i'm
posing penalty upon railroads who
grant secret rates and Determinations
within the State of Vermont? If 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 be-
lieve now in such law, did you believe
in such law when you were president
of the Rutland railroad? If you believe
that there should be no discrimination
or favor in freight rates, why is it that
when you were president of the Rutland
railroad the Standard Oil company had
special favors from your railroad and
practically shut out other oil producing
companies from getting trade on the line
of your road?
And why did you when you were
president of the Rutland railroad COM
pany, make 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 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
| fhrn1nh Chpcfar 70 al oil
8. Are you now in favor of a weekly
payment law? If so, what has changed
your mind since you voted against such
law in the House of Representatives in
1899, and voted against it in the senate
in 1900, and wrote a letter against it in
April, 1906? What has brought about
your conversion?
q. Do you favor living wages for the
workingman? If 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?
7. You complain of the management
of the Vermont State institutions. The
Republican administration, acting under
the authority of the Republican legisla.
ture, 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
that has not been produced before the
investigating committee: If so, will you
tell the people of the State what that
evidence is?
s. Do you know of a State prison
anywhere in the country where labor of
the convicts yields the State as much as
does that of the State prison of Vermont?
Name the State prison, if you know of
one. DO you know of a State prison
anywhere in the United States under as
good business management as the State
prison of Vermont? If so, name the
! prison.
8. Do you know of house of correc-
ton anywhere in the United States where
convict labor yields the State as much as
does that of the house of correction at
Rutland? If so, name the institution.
DO you know of another house of cor
rection in the United States under as
good business management as the house
of correction at Rutland? If so, name
the institution.
DO you recommend that the State of
Vermont use labor at the house of cor
rectlon for something else than marble
work: If so, what do you recommend
that the labor there be employed at? Do
you know of any employment that will
yield the State as much as it now gets
for that labor?
10. You complain that the House of
Correction has bought rough marble of
the Vermont Marble company. You
have had your expert accountant at work
for long time on the books of that in
stitution to examine its dealings with the
Vermont Marble company. Can you tell
OF single instance where any favoritism
has been shown. the Marble Company
by the dealings of the State officials with
it? Can you tell of single instance
when the State has paid for marble pur.
chased more than it would have had to