St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-05-20
The GOvernOrShip Question.
Candidate Stanton's Letter.
The North6eld News saws:

Candidate Stant0n's Letter.
The Mortified News says;
"The St. Adams Messenger has
broadly and persistently insinuated
that Judge Stanton is the favored candi-
date of corporations. for governor The
editor of The News last week asked him
if he was willing to state just what his
attitude is in regard to corporations,
personally and politically. The response
was prompt. and leaves no question of
doubt as to his position. Following is
his reply:
Montpelier, VT, May s, 1908.
Editor Fred N. Whitney, Mortified,
VT.
"'Dear Mr.. Whitney: Yours OF yester-
day received. have appeared in court
as attorney both for and against cor
porations; generally against them. | am
not in any way at the present time
either as director, stakeholder, or attor-
ney connected with any corporation,
with the exception of two minor cases in
which appear as attorney for mutual
fire insurance company against railroad
companies. 1t has been insinuated and
expressed. am informed, that | am a
candidate of corporations. That is not
so.
81 have not sought shall not seek,
and am not relying on the support o
corporate influences in my candidacy for
the gubernatorial nomination and | do
not know that any corporate influence is
supporting me- am in accord with the
sentiment that supports the present
policy of Vermont in regard to the super
vision and regulation of corporations
and would do all in my power to con-
tinue that policy, or make ehfectual the
laws designed to further that end. In
saying this do not express hostility to
corporations. | realize the Importance
and necessity of their existence and |
fully believe in according them their full
rights under the law in the proper and
lawful conduct of their business.
"When | announced my candidacy
said was free from any alliances. That
was true then; that is true now; it
will remain true.
Very truly yours,
'ZED S. STANTON.
The Messenger very gladly gives as
much publicity to Mr.. Stanton's letter
as it has to what the esteemed News has
been pleased to call this papers insin-
nations" 1t now invites its readers to
give particular and discriminating atten-
ton to the language Mr. Stanton en-
plovs in defining his own position in this
matter and to notice that, with all his
detailed explanation. he does not deny
the "insinuation" that The News at
tributes to The Messenger. that Judge
Stanton is the favored candidate of cor
porations for governor" The idea
appears to remain unchallenged that
various interests prefer the nomination
and election of Mr.. Stanton to the nomi-
nation and election of Mr. Prouty. The
inference is natural and justified, that
they expect to be better satisfied with
Mr.. Stanton's policy than with Mr.
Prouty's.
Mr.. Stanton says he is not a candi-
date of corporations. Mr.. Stanton need
not necessarily be the candidate of cor
pcrations on his own part to be the
beneficiary of the support of corpora
tons on their part. He says he does not
know that any corporate influence is
supporting him. The Messenger can do
no more now than to wait for the next
few weeks TO show what alignment they
will of the forces and influences that
make Vermont governors. Perhaps Mr.
Stanton will understand better by that
time who his political friends are.
In this connection it is time to assert
with some emphasis that no attack is
being made upon the honesty of Mr.
Stantons attitude toward corporations
or any other legitimate business or
other interests in Vermont. 1t is hardly
Just for one contemporary, for instance,
to insinuate that The Messenger is re-
sorting to political tactics beneath its
customary high standard because it has
insnuated that Mr.. Stanton is being
supported by certain interests. There is
nothing dishonest or un-American in
either Mr.. Stanton being supported by
those interests or in those interests sup
porting Mr.. Stanton. This is not a
moral question and its debate on one
side or the other does not involve the
good citizenship or personal character OF
anybody. The only question raised, in
this particular phase of the canvass, as
The Messenger views it, is whether the
voters of the state at large will have the
same reason to be satisfied with Mr..
Stanton's policy toward the corpora
tons that the corporations themselves
appear to expect.-[St. Adams Mes
senger.
Heavy Weight Argument.
That was heavyweight argument of
the Middlebury Registers in favor of
Hon. Zed Stanton for the governorship-
that he did not own an automobile. But
the time will soon come when the auto
mobile vote will be solicited in spite oil
the fact that the Register says that