St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-12-30
PRESS COMMENT.
Howe of St. JOhnsbur y.

Lawyer Howe of St. Iohusbury is prob
ably the most feared member OF the Yer
mont House. Schemers and johbers and
grafters tremble when he rises to speak
His personal appearance is striking
rather tall, with a large bulldog head
set on broad, STOPPING shoulders; heavy
black hair brushed back from square
forehead. like a challenge to combat;
rather pallid face; determined mouth
that forms all sorts of geometrical
figures according to its owners state of
mind; loose, shambling gait-Howe of
St. Johnsbury resembles nobody, yet
instinctively conjures up the shade of
Black Logan.
Howe is a Populst, a corporation
hater, a breeder of trouble for established
interests. He has fathered and fought
through the House enough anti-railroad
bills this session to put most of those
corporations in Vermont into a receiver
ship in the next two years. He judges
the temper of the present House ac-
curalely and mods it to his liking. He
works upon its suspicious and prejudices
with the cunning of "a Danton. Indeed,
seeing him operate, one harks back to
the spirits of the French revolution for
his prototype. Howe has done more
good and more harm together than any
four members of the present House, and
there is no sign that he is losing his grip
yet.
To illustrate:-The so-called valued in
surance bill came in Friday with an adj
verse committee report. This is a meas
ure that has been before every session
in recent years, and never has run the
complete gauntlet. There are two sides,
ofcourse, but when all is fairly con-
sidered no change in the law is thought
best. Now see Howe work. He in
nocently arises and asks the introducer
of the bill to state his case. This is done
in a timid hating way by the bills
father, who is evidently a believer in it
and speaks from conviction.
Then Howe gets up and inquiries if it
is not fact that the adverse report
comes from a committee made up of a
majority of insurance men. See the
delicate insinuation. Also see the House
sit up and take notice. Ha cat in the
meal eh? Let's look about.
0fcourse the committee was made UP
as Howe suggests, and it has to be adj
mitted. Ofcourse every other committee
is made up the same way-Of specialists
along the particular Uneven the judi
cary committee has a majority OF
lawyers on it-but the House doesn t
see that. 1t is easy to feel the change OF
atmosphere in moment. That simple
question has settled the fate of the com
mittee's report.
If anything more were needed, it comes
with the long winded defense of the re-
port at the hands ofMartin of Brookline,
which sends Howe into Mysteries ofglee,
and the well-delivered argument OF
Barber of Brattleboro in favor of the
bill. 1t goes to third reading with a
whoop. Another swat for a commit
tee and another scalp for the st. Johns
bury Indian.
St. Johnsbury sent Howe, democrat,
to Montpelier by a big majority, though
it is a strong republican town. Howe is
so different from the pious, gentle, gazelle-
like product of public man that ordinarily
halls from that hamlet that she must
have been a victim of what physicists
call INSTRUMENTATION when she did it.
Howe is as foreign to the atmosphere of
ethereal St. Johnsbury as lost soul at
the portals of heaven. However, Howe
is interesting-and dangerous-therefore
happy Randolph Herald and News.