The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-20
VERMONT'S REAL ELECTION
NOT THE ONE FOR WHICH THE
OUTSIDE WORLD WATTS,
Hut the Choice OF Local Candidates
Politics. In q Happy Valley Illustrated
I'm the Cases OF Squire Bennett.
Anse Lawrence n Jesse wilder.

in the Cases OF Squire Bennett
Anse Lawrence and Jesse Wilder
BURLINGTON, Vt, Sept. 1s.-Our grea'
day Is over and 1t will not come back Il
ra for four years. or course this veiy
November we will 60 to the polls again anc
cast our ballots for President, but 1t Is q
foreeone conclusion how that will 60
No. when we vote for President nobody
out OF the State. and very few In the State
shows much interest. but when we vot,
for State officers in September Of a Presi
dental year. as W. have just done. tn,
outside world its up and takes notice.
Then the wires buzz with requests FOL
our l~eisurely gathered returns, for to thu
mind OF the campaign statistioian oui
election returns are pregnant with signif'
canoe, prophetic concerning the big
election two months later. Thus, onct
in four years, one day out of fourteen
hundred odd, we make our little splash
In the events Of the world; and though
we are a modest people, still we take
considerable satisfaction in our ephemera
prestige. On the size Of the majority
large or small, will depend in part the
~innumerabfe election forecasts.
This, at least, Is what the newspapers
tell us about ourselves, and we would be
something less than human II we remained
impressive to the fiattery Of 1t. Neverthe-
less when we are really honest with our
selves, I doubt II we put much faith In
the result OF our State election.
For me at any rate the other ballot IL
the important thing; the little ballot with
only the names of two nominees for men,
Der OF the Legislature, and I think my
preference is general. No doubt 1t ia
parochial of us, but w are parochial and
we care most for what is close to us.
1t Is always entertaining to watch the
returns of election spirit. Early in
August I begin to notice a certain thaw-
ing in the grim reserve Of those neighbors
who are In any way connected with politics.
1t Is slight, for we would die rather
than be elusive. A stranger could not
see 1t, but 1t Is there; a native knows it
in a minute, and grins sardonically.
Instead Of glumly pushing your mail
at you, the postmaster remarks that we
have had a good deal Of rain. The road
pottering a%ncients to rake stones from
the highway. Perhaps one of b listers
drives out and discusses, unofioially, the
prospect of a lower tax on the farm at
the next assize. These men have moth
ing directly at stake in the election; they
have acquired the political habit, they
feel a sympathetic excitement about the
coming contest.
The candidates themselves 60 busily
about their ~canvassing with farm to farm
visits. A warm handshake is rs q rule
the limit Of their demonstration, but in
comparison to their usual demeanor they
seem positively genial. Baby kissing,
though rare, is not unknown In close
years, and once a cigar was given mel
This personal visit by the candidate Is
the result Of long established habit. but
there is little doubt that it is a useless
proceeding. That is not the way t. get
our votes. We may be blind party men
in national and State issues, but when we
have to choose between two men Of our
OWE that is a different matter.
The candidates have grown up with
us. We have watched their records as
they made them. Not a page of their
lives but has been written in our sight.
We know. even the hereditary tendencies
OF the two families.
Here at last we. have something to 60
on. and in the application Of BUR knowl-
edge long generations Of town meetings
have their effect. Simple minded farmers
though we are. we are not deceived by
prediction promises. As a community
we AVE serious faults; we are u~ngracious.
we are hard. saturnine, stingy. we are IN
progressive, but we are not taken in by
anybody's soft soap. ,
Even our prejudices do not rule us
here. In the words OF the oath we all
have to take. We exercise the franchise
in the best interests OF the State and the
Constitution Probably at no other
time do we show to such advantage as in
our local elections
At these times we approach the old
ideal Of representative government. The
issue is not logged with watchwords.
Our candidates may hold opposite views
on the tariff or they may not.
Sometimes we have two Republicans
running. sometimes a Republican and an
Independent, sometimes a Republican
and a Democrat. but wen our most
thorough going dyed in the wool regular
does not consider 1t a sin to vote outside
the party in this election. The candidates
might as well nou that they belong
to the green party oil the blue party.
Nobody cares about that. The point is,
will Arson Lawrence represent the town
better than Jesse Wilder. or will he not?
That was the question we had to settle
this year and public opinion was di-
vided. somewhat hotly so. as to the right
answer. Nobody denied that Wilder
was a good enough sort Of man. young.
steady and honest in his vocation Of
mason's helper. Nobody could bring up
anything discreditable. neither could
anybody discover anything that was
markedly to his credit. A respectable
nobody! Both factions agreed in their
estimate Of Jesse Wilder.
And Lawrence. Arson I,awrence2 Well,
you may never have heard Of him. but
you would recognize his name II you had
ever slept overnight In our village.
He is our village. He owns the box
factory, he buys our standing timber,
40 has a private car on the railway, In
'isnIng season he gives house parties,
and his guests are men whose names we
see often in the newspapers.
In spite Of all this he remembers us by
our first names and he doesn't cut the
localisms out Of his speech. We like Anse
Lawrence r-6 wa a1mira him --tAb Tho