News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1908-04-08
The Senatorial Situation

United States Senatorship this year
Here is his letter:
81 deeply appreciate the desire of SOM
: that | should represent the state in thu
United States Senate. Many whose ad
vice and wishes alike deserve grea
weight urge me to be a candidate now
have, however, been reluctant to leave
the business with which | have been Sc
long and happily associated and have
had grave doubts whether ] ought a
this time to do So Aside from my pri
} waite interest | have peculiar duty anC
responsibility for its success. 1t touche!
and effects so many that its interests arc
in fact more than private. | have also
felt a great aversion to entering any
political contest while Governor of the
state or permitting my friends to do SC
for me- 1t is my present highest ambi
ton to complete my term of office as
Governor untrammeled by any Other
considerations than those of the public
good. The weight of these reasons has
not lessened during the past few weeks
but rather strengthened in my mind and
| have decided not to be candidate at
this time. FLETCHER ID. PROCTOR"
This announcement changes the
whole situation and is generally be-
lieved IT, practically settle the Sena-
torial question in favor of Ex-Gov.
Page.
| Gov. Proctor's announcement is
manly, straightforward and digni-
fed, and will make him a host OF
friends. 1t negatives the >npposition,
entertained by many, that his ap.
| pointment of Ex-Gov. ]. W. Stewart
meant that he would be candidate,
and will be generally accepted as
conclusive evidence that in making
that appointment he desired to
place all candidates upon an equal
footing in the Senatorial contest.
We hardly need to add that Gov.
Pages friends are well pleased with
the situation.
1t now seems 60 be the nearly
unanimous sentiment of the press
that Congressman Foster will retain
the position Of influence now held BY
him in the House. The St. Adams
Messenger thus concIselv sums up
the situation:
The formal announcement made to-day
by Gov. Fletcher d. Proctor that he will
not be a candidate for United States SEN
ator before the legislature this fall comes
at the proper time to clear the political
atmosphere and, in the minds of many
men, to point an easy way to the solu-
ton of what might have otherwise PROV
ed to be a veXatious public problem
The sentiments expressed in his statement
to the press are characteristicallv direct
and manly and do credit to his high
sense of responsibility to the ideals of the
public service. Governor Proctor has
lost no friends by his course in this affair
The logical outcome of the political
situation as it is to-day should be the
election of eX-Gov. Carroll S. Page to
the Senate to serve the unexpired
term of the late Senator Redheld
gresham Foster to the House of Rep
resentatives. In such solution ofl
the problem many friends of ex-Gov-
ernor Page may realize some appropri-
ate recognition of his original appoint
ment Of Senator Proctor eighteen years
ago, while the state at large might feel
assured of the service of a man of I'M
doubted successful business experience
and capacity. Congressman Foster, on
the other hand, would probably be re- !
turned to Congress without opposition
i'll his own party and of course, without |
serious opposition from outside. And +
that would mean that a man of his |
ability and activities would continue to
gain gratifying prominence in public !
service. This would be a handsome |
recognition of the merits of both men |
and keep the party we'll in line for the |
many demands upon the harmonious
cooperation of all it's clements in this
year of a Presidential aud state cam
paign.
The Burlington Free Press, which
is supposed to be the organ Of Con-
gresham Foster, practically with
draws him from the present contest /
for the Senate and announces that
he will be candidate for the House.
1t closes an editorial, which we
regret cannot be given in full in this
issue, with this significant sentence :
Congressman Foster will con-
tinue to do splendid service in the
House and may be expected to cross
later political bridges only when he
comes to them. He unquestionably
realizes that if opportunity for pro-
motion TO the Senate comes later on,
splendid service in the House will
hardly be regarded as a disqualified
ton for such promotion in the esti-
nation of his constituents"
Other press comments upon the
are as follows:
From Montpelier Argus
Gov. Proctor has acted in a commend
able manner in announcing that he is not
to be candidate for the senatorship this