Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-08-31
NO. 35
Mayor nurke's Distortions.


from the Republican press and the Re
publican speakers that the Democratic
candidate and his henchmen name the
man" who has grated upon the state Of
Vermont Mr.. Burke has undertaken TO
read the testimony given at the investi-
cation Of the Waterbury asylum. He
makes no charges that there was any
thing concealed or covered up in that in
vestigation; in fact, all that he states or
undertakes TO claim is matter which was
dug up and laid open by the Republican
administration Of Vermont He simply
attempts to distort the testimony Of two
or three witnesses who were bitterly ad-
verse to the management Of the Water
bury asylum by reason of having lost
their positions and who undertake to tell
of some mismanagement.
The commission who heard all the tes-
timony unanimously found that the
charges were not sustained, yet that does
not deter the doughty Burke from sail
ing in and undertaking to read a line or
two OF the testimony and tell what it all
meant. For instance, he charged that DR..
Berry grated to the extent Of $780, The
testimony shows that DR.. Berry was
pathologist and assistant physician at
the asylum for a number Of years and
had a good deal Of trouble with the su-
perintendent, DIR. Hutchinson, and finally
was discharged, or resigned from his DO
sition back in 1904. 1t appeared that in
1903 DR.. Berry desired to take a course
Of study in Europe in pathology, and one
OF the trustees, DIR. Plat, without con-
sulting the full board, advanced $500 from
the funds of the institution to remuner-
ate him for the expenses of the trip,
thinking it would be to the advantage Of
the state that DR.. Berry take this Euro
pean course When the matter came to
the state auditor he repudiated it and
DR.. Platt returned the money to the state
treasury at once. This appears distinctly
on page IL Of the report of the Water
bury asylum, made to the legislature OF
1904. There was not a penny of the
states money that went wrong there in
any way and it was a matter that was
all settled right by the auditor. Mayor
Burke knows this full well when he makes
the charge. His boasted reputation for
honesty gets a severe shake when one
considers the garbled and unfair way in
which he goes at this.
DR.. Berry although not then an Of
ficer of the institution, testifying against
IL, was cross-examined by the attorney
general and testified that one time he had
some samples Of medicine given him
which might be worth a few dollars, and
he bought for his own use a microscope
on which he got a discount from the list
price. This was just before he left the
inc nd ~ h., haE
official dealing with the concern, and DR.,
Berry himself, although trying to DIS
credit the management of the asylum,
entirely exonerated it and its officers
from any charge of misconduct or wrong
dong. He testified, as appears on page
so of his testimony, that he never had
any intimation or knowledge Of any Of
the officers, from the superintendent
! down, ever getting an advantage, rake
| OF, percentage or reward for their in
fuence or for the contracts or purchases
for the institution.
Then there is the charge that a wagon
ette worth, as a witness said, $50 or $50,
was sold for 81. Mayor Burke fails to
state that the witness who testified to
| this was Orrice Ballard, formerly a trus-
tee Of the institution, who lost his posi-
tion by Gov. Stickney and was very much
embittered against the institution and its
management and brought in all the evi-
dence he could against It, and testified
himself at length and told how he, while
! he was a trustee, bought a wagonette
worth $50 or $50 for 81. But Mayor Burke
fails to go on and quote the cross -exami-
nation of this witness, wherein he ad-
mits that he gave this vehicle away him
self for nothing; and the mayor also fails
to quote the testimony Of the other wit
nesses who testified that it had practi-
cally no value at all and was simply
around in the way.
There is something more that Mr.. Burke
might tell II he saw fit, and that Is how
he came out when he testified before the
investigating commission. He was call
ed as a witness on the coal question
and gave to the attorney general a long
list of witnesses to summon and every
one was summoned and testified. and the
mayor attempted to show how cheaply
he bought coal, and It developed that he
got a cheap kind of COAL Of inferior quail
ity. some Of it almost worthless
The difnculty with the Waterbury coal
| QuCcNiOh was up nON Wy AadyOA
Burke. but by the Republican admins
tration Of Vermont, which disclosed the
evil Of the secret rate about which Mr.
Clements platform is so silent. We dc
not charge Mayor Burke with having
grated in his purchase Of coal for the
city of Burlington, but the way thai
showed up the state OF Vermont would
hesitate long time before making the
mayor its purchasing agent.
There is another matter which 1t seemi
might demand a little attention from thu
distinguished speaker from Burlington
It has developed in the campaign, ant
in the investigation which the Republi
can administration has conducted, tina
when Mayor Burke's candidate for gov
ernor, Mr.. Clement, was president Of tn
Rutland railroad he granted secre
: rate on coal to certain coal dealer II
Vermont, from Rutland to Burlington, o
. nifty cents a ton, while the regular rat
on freight Of that class which every
, body else had to pay was $40 ton
> Why was this discrimination made OF Q
cents a ton2 1t would seem as thougl
! the people OF Burlington were sufferin
y somewhat at the hands OF this Democrat
: ic candidate for governor. Why doe
not the mayor discuss this secret cos
E deal? The mayor cannot render bette
& | oarxyfca IN HIS cffv than 10 see to IL tha