Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-08-27
HUGHES SHOWING STRENGTH
He Is Received All Over the State
With Enthusiasm.
Wins on Issue Most against Him. the
Race Track-Insurance Men among
Those Who Oppose Him Most
Bitterly.


the last eight weeks to prevent Gov
ernor Hughess denomination, says
New York special to the Boston Tran
script.The statement is quite true,
for In his tour of the county fairs
now in progress. ne is repeating the
course he followed in the public scrv
Ice commissions contest. In tho race
track controversy and In all the con-
| flicts that he has won since he went
Into office. He is once more appealing
TO the people" and they are showing
unmistakable evidence that they arc
with him as strongly as ever The re-
ccptions accorded at the Green Coun-
~ Fair in cairo on Tuesday and at
tho Cortland Fair in Cortland on We'd
rcsday. must have been enlightening
to any politicians looking for "evi-
dence" of the feeling toward the Gov
ernor.
This tour Of the county fairs affords
an excellent illustration not only of the
courage but Of the political common
sense OF tho Governor. In ali the rum
! ming to Oyster Ray that has been going
| on since the national conventions he has
| had no part. Woodruff and Barnes and
| Hendricks and OF rien Of Plattsburgh and
! most Of the rest OF tho near-bosses have
| been there In eternal argument that the
! renominatcd of the Governor would spoil
| the chances Of both the state and ma
! tional tickets. OF the Governors friends
| who may have seen the President only
one, can be said to have been in any
sense a political envoy. The national
| leaders have intimated from time 10 time
that they would like to have the Cover
nor show his strength. although tine
newspapers and their subscribers have
/ been making a fairly good demonstration
/ IN that line.
Now Governor Hughes is doing it In his
characteristic way. Not having made d.
rectlY or indirectly to the President and
! his advisers any representations OF what
| he could do, h has proceeded to take the
! near-bosses at their word and go ont 70
| the people themselves whom the near
| bosses cay are against him. Moreover the
| issue that he has raised FOR approval or
disaprroval in hs speeches at Cairo and
Cortland has been exactly the ono on
which the near-bosseS declare he would
be hopelessly defeated for reelection if
nominated. Both speeches turned on the
race-track fight, and according TO the re-
they have enthusiastically received. II
was the same thing when tho public
service commissions bill was before the
| LEGISLATURE year ago last winter it was
III. same thing when the democratic and
republican machines got together In Mag
ara county last spring TO defeat at the
| special election proceeding the racetrac k
bills passage. the candidate who was
,N1o
form.
| But the speeches do not stop at the
race-track bill. They go further into the
| question whether az a general proposition
the people Of this State shall have the
machinery Of government administered in
their interest. or in the interest Of a COM
| bination of politicians and business enter
priscs on the basis Of bartering special
| favors for financial and political support
Strangely. enough. from the view point
Of the near bosses. the people around the
| State seem to understand and like this
sort of argument Although the Per
sonal Liberty League" organized by the
racetrack men. is even publishing a mag
azine devoted to calling them back to the
good old ways. the unenlightened farm
ers are catching hold OF the proposition
that the Governor has been giving chem =
namely. that when the people delegate
legislative and administrative powers to
their representatives at Albany, they do
so on condition that the powers so dele
gated TO be used FOR the good OF the
whole State and not for any particular
section or interest.
It is refreshing TO think, while the farm
ers Of Greene and Cortland counties are
stil talking over the Governor and his
speech. that ever since the race-track
| bills were introduced last winter one OF
the chief arguments raised against them
was that they would ALLEVIATE the farmer
vote. The Percy Gray law. which multi
fed the case Of the race-tracks the consti-
tutional provision against gambling pro-
vided as q bribe to the farmers that a
substantial tax should he imposed on the
tracks for the benefit Of the State agriCult-
ural associations. Ta..e away his bounty,
said the race track mon and their friends
and you will lose the entire farmer vote
OF the state. The Governor did not hest
tate on that point for second. He
called the tax in favor of the agricultural
association Just what It was-a bribe-
explained that he was heartily IN favor
OF their value and proposed that the State
should contribute $1,000 annually &c
their support.
It may we'll be asked where the money
has come from that has backed the wide
spread campaign against Governor
Hughes. Some OF the sources are known
and are significant OF the kind OF enemies
that ne has made The race-track mer
have contributed as we'll as supporting
the personal Liberty League the trac'
ion and other public interests have help
ed. and now II appears, II apparently
we'll founded information may he credit
ed. that our old friends the insurance
companies, have contributed their mite
In one way or another. The correspond
I ent Of the Transcript learned to-day tina
the presidents of two OF the big com
panies have been doing their utmost tt
help the near bosses along ior througf
the Provident Savings life insurance
company. state Chairman woodruff mas
4 still an entree into high He insurance
circles. even If the struggle against
common enemy did not drive MN int
the arms OF the men who are seeking u
have revealed at the next session or th
Legislature all of the essential FEATURES
of the scheme of insurance reforih w"
the Governor himself had put on IN
statute books Of this state
The case is indeed "A temperate ono 10
these devotees Of high NE insurance,
Governor Hughes is renominateu ana re
elected II VIII be hopeless to seek the re
peal OF any OF the important INSURANCE
reform laws for should the Les's'"'ut
pass such bills they would be vetoed VIII
an accompanying message 'ha' "ou'
| serve ~ "A yuida (which future governor