The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-29
Publish the Platforms.

The HardWlck Gazette Is inclined
to think there may be something in
the Journals proposition for publish
ng the prposed state platform sever
al weeks before the state convention,
50 that people generally may know
what is being discussed and that del
egates may be prepared TO act intel
ligently thereon.
In respect to a platform which
really means something the Montpel-
Ter Daily Journal has incubated a the
DRY, which, if rounded out and smooth
ed off, and carried into practice, might
eventually be made to amount to some
thing in the science of government"
The Gazette, however, sticks to its
previous position that voters not only
are not, but ought not to be, guided
and bound by the party platform. 1t
says:
The promise of the Journal that
the rank and file OF the voters either
do not understand or do not care 10
endorse the action of their representa-
tives in the convention of 1908, is
wholly misleading 1t is misleading
because it assumes that the platform
adopted was the action of the dele
gates, when, as a matter OF fact it
was nothing whatever of the kind.
The language OF the editor OF the St
Adams Messenger quoted by the Gaz
cite last week proves cOnclusively
that neither the convention nor the
committee on resolutions had any
thing whatever to do with the draft
ing of the platform. Just who was
responsible for it We are making an
effort to discover"
The Gazette is wrong about this
Everyone in Vermont politics knows
that Clarke G. Fits of Brattleboro
wrote the first draft Of the platform
1t was shown to a great many people
before it reached the committee on
resolutions, including the writer Of
these lines. Planks in which this pa
per was interested were discussed and
ideas exchanged, one of which, at
least, made its appearance in the com
pleted platform The draft was then
submitted to the committee on reso-
lutions, amended and confirmed re
ported to the convention and adopted
by the delegates.
| Nothing could be more open, above
board of more binding in its effect
The trouble was that the delegates ex
| cited over the governorship contest
paid little attention to it and not one
third knew what il was until It ap-
peared next day in the newspapers.
In this connection the Gazette speaks
more UNDERSTANDABLE
The Journals suggestion of cure
| for this sort and a method by which
platform might really be made 20
mean and amount to something con
tains the germ Oh an idea worthy of
serious consideration A synthesis OF
all proposed changes in the law which
appear to be desired BY the people
might be brought to the attention Of
representative and responsible body
and by them carefully threshed out in
time to allow Of their being presented
in the way If tentative platform for
the real and actual consideration of
the convention.
1.-THE body TO arrange and present
these subjects might well be com.
mittee on resolutions, as the Journal
suggests, and this committee might
4 properly be named by the state com
mittee Of each party a sufficient time
in advance of the state convention to
allow for the fullest consideration OF
these questions by the people.
This plan, in the abstract, is a
very plain and simple one and II
would entail no trouble or expense in
placing it in legal operation Or, 1t
might be modified or enlarged into q
primary law covering the subject. The
germ of something which may be
made of large value is there, and only
requires development"
The writer of the above lines while
somewhat out Of touch with Vermont
conditions, is familiar with the trou
bic noted herewith His comment is
interesting and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Ter Journal