Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-08-03
Mr.. Clement Did Not Answer.

ia two charges or declarations:--
First, That the state Of Vermont is ma
chine-ridden and boss-controned.
Second, That there is extravaganza and
bad management everywhere, and that,
especially the state auditors office is
badly and incompetently administered.
Mr.. Clement took good care not to
charge any ng-doing or covering UP
Of wrong doing in the auditors Office
but the system, he said, is bad His rem
edy for these evils, and for every other
evil which he mentioned was one and
the same: Smash the machine" " Tip
the whole gang over. er."-unmistakably
meaning: Put the other fellows out
put me in"
Mr.. Clement was given a respectful
hearing throughout and his political sup
porters were generous with their ap-
plause. His speech was not in any true
sense a strong, dignified or convincing ar
gument. In one thing many Of his hear
ers were disappointed Mr.. Clement made
no attempt whatever to answer any Of
the questions which were asked Of him
in the editorial columns of The Phoenix
last week. 1t is to be presumed that
these words quoted verbatim from his
speech had refernce to these questions:
Now the Republican party and its
press make all sorts Of charges, which
only shows the fright they are in. They
seek in various ways to divert us from
the main issues before the people and
they are resorting to all manner of de-
vices, but l am not going to take up your
time in attending to any of them, because
/ believe in keeping your eye on the tar
get and on the bulls eye when you are
shooting at a mark, and not to be look
ing around for all sorts OF things other
than the mark"
Without any expectation OF receiving
whether an answer from him to some or
all Of The Phoenix interrogations would
have been in any sense a diversion from
the main issues before the peopleY'
Does he think these questions were in
any sense a device" to draw attention
away from these main issues? For in
stance, our questions asked
Whether Mr.. Clement believes in put
ting all the public officers of the state
on stated salaries. as advocated in the
Democratic platform?
Whether he believes in the repeal OF
the state highway tax and the state
school tax, as THAI platform urges?
Whether he would favor a law in ver-
mont to prevent railroads from granting
secret rates and determinations within
the state?
Whether he favors a weekly payment
law?
Whether there has been any attempt
on the part Of our Republican state ad-
ministration to cover up wrong doing in
any OF the state Institutions?
Whether he could sustain his charges
of graft against the Republican admins
tration Of the slater
Just how he would reduce the "ex-
travagant' state expenses Of which he
complains For instance. whether he
would repeal the law for the state care OF
the insane poor?
Whether he would cut out the appro-
priation for the education Of the deaf
blind and feeble minded?
Whether he would cut down the ap-
preparation for educational purposes?
Whether he would withdraw state sup
port from the Soldiers Home?
Just how and where he would cut court
expenses?
Whether he would put back the fee sys-
tenn for states attorneys and county
clerks?
Whether he would abolish the state
board of health and repeal the law fol
inspecting cattle and killing those found
diseased?
And. finally, whether he would favor
direct state tax in place of the present
corporation taxes to pay our state ex-
penses?
To the people of Windham county thes'
seem to be vital questions. Did Mr.
Clement probably gain support for hi
ticket by weakly ignoring or evading then
under cover of a repeated cry to 'Smasl
the machine"