Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-08-03
CLEMENT AND PAPE
Fusion Candidates Heard at Rally
in BrattIeboro Monday
Pape Criticised Vermont Legislature,
Clement Fired His Battery at state
Auditors Office.


Auditors oHiee.
The second rally in the Democra tic
fusion campaign was held in Brattleboro
last Monday evening, the opening rally
having been held at Bennington on Sat
urday evening. The speakers were Per-
cival W. Clement, candidate for gov
ernor, and Herbert c. Pape of Barre,
candidate for lieutenant governor. The
Auditorium was well filled on the lower
floor and in the first balcony--it being
estimated that 600 people attended. The
First Regiment band played selections on
the street and from the Auditorium plat
form, and Mr.. Clements quartet of col
ored men furnished acceptable entertain
ment for the audience before the speak
ing began, between times and at the
close. Col c. A. Miles presided In in
Producing Mr. Pape Col. Miles made a
facetious reference to the last time that
he appeared In such a capacity, recalling
to his audience without using the re-
doutable speakers name, the Rev" Sam
Small bibulous incident of four years
ago.
MR.. PAPE's SPEECH.
Mr.. Pape. who opened the speaking. ex-
pressed his pleasure in seeing so large a
number present and said the interest
shown here was characteristic of the in
terest all over the state He recalled the
history of the present campaign-how the
two conventions were held at Burlington
June 2S one composed of representa- tive
Democrats and the other of Independent
Republicans who felt that their party was
in the hands of political bosses. on
either hand these men were willing to
throw partisanship aside. and they de-
clded to unite and nominate candidates
and adopt a platform that would sound
the deathknell of their adversarles in
September.
Mr.. Pape said there was enc peculiar
feature OF this campaign-the sudden in
terest of the opposition papers I'm the well
fare and the future Of the Democratic
party. To begin with they urged the
Democrats not to fuse, and now they say
II is Just what they wanted them to do
He then took up the address of the Re-
publican state committee. showing how
II attacked Clement, and said II reminded
him Of the little boy who got black eye
i'm a fistic encounter. When the minister
who had called, started to pray with him.
the boy said: you had better go home
and pray with your own little boy; he
has got two black eyes"
Mr. Pape's most pointed criticism was
directed at the Republican party for its
action in putting n caucus law plank I'm
it's platform two years ago, and then in
falling TO enact a satisfactory law. leav-
ing final action on 1t until the last night
OF the legislative session. He charged
also that the Republican legislature had
struck at a vital point In the local OPP
ton feature Of the license law by taking
the appointment OF license commissioners
away from the towns and placing it in
the hands OF the assistant judges
Mr. Pape spoke al some length to the
laboring men. attacking the Republican
platform in connection with labor. and
claiming that the only way that laboring
men can get what they want is by vot-
ing with the fusion party. which he said
was the live progressive party" in this
campaign. In this connection he read
sentence from The Phoenix editorial
which told how the Bratteboro delega-
ton to the independent convention was
made up and held 1t up TO denunclation.
but without word to show what called
out the paragraph or what was the es-
sential fact which II was intended to
show.
In closing Mr.. Pape urged support OF
the fusion ticket, and work for it in all
the towns by bringing before the people
the prominent issues of the campaign.
Above all he wanted a clean campaign,
campaign honorably fought and a victory
won honorably by honest means.
MR.. CLEMENTS SPEECH.
In introducing Mr.. Clement Col Miles
spoke of the excellent conditions in Brat
tleboro the past two years under the IL
cense law, and referred TO Mr.. Clement
as the father of the license law and the
reform candidate governor
Mr.. Clement, in opening his speech. re-
called his appearance on the same plat
form in Brattleboro in 1909 I'm the nigh IL
cense campaign. He came then on his
own motion, but this year 1t is different
He had come now, he said, I'm behalf of
the independent movement which ex-
tends from Massachusetts to the Canada
line Mr.. Clement then explained how the
Independent movement had originated in
Bennington, where he had been told 100
or 1900 of the 1900 voters had signed a pc
tition for an Independent organization
and how this movement had spread from
there 10 other counties and now covered
the state. 1t is a movement of the people
with the machine politicians left out
We haven't got in our organization any
or the politicians so that we even know
how TO run a caucus or a campaign"
Mr.. Clement then showed how the people
OF Vermont, through their early history
as an Independent commonwealth, had a
right TO be independently was their
natural condition. But for the last 20
years, Mr.. Clement continued, we have
had political machine in absolute con-
troll Of things in this state. 1t has grown
up just as all such machines grow. IT
can't be reformed IL is beyond redemp-
ton. The only way to do is to smash IT,"
This machine, Mr. Clement said, origi-
nateu IN ana had grown out of national
Issues. The state had become so strongly
Republican and the Republican party so
strongly entrenched that a nomination
was equivalent to an election. For 20
years there has never been any state is
sue that the Republican party recognized
not one All the candidate for governor
has had to say was: Send me up to
Montpelier and will take care of you all
right" 1t has never been anything but
button-holing campaign. They will
go 10 few Of the so-called leaders-they
don't go to the blacksmiths, the BARRIERS,
the farmers, etc.,-and then they will go
away and say, Il have got that town all
right. but they haven't consulted the
people at all.
Mr.. Clement then went on to charge
that Fletcher Proctor's nomination was
secured In this same way; that he had
paid heelers working for him in every
town In the state. He said that Mr..
Proctor was first nominated in 1898 in a
secret meeting in the railroad depot in
st. Adams, when Proctor and E. c. Smith
made the agreement: II will support you
II you will support me-" Mr.. Clement re-
called the history of the campaign of
1902, when Proctor was beaten in his
contest against Mccullough, his only pub
lie declaration then being, in substance:
Il believe prohibition is better for Yer
mont than any scheme OF license" "And
now" Mr.. Clement continued, "comes
the Republican state committee, in its
statement to the voters, and declares
that this present movement for Proctor is