The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-02-16
FRANK B. HOWE, Editor and PubIishs
The HeraId's Nightmare.

the Bennington Banner, whose edi- |
tor was a member of the Legislature |
and in a position to know what was
going on, in the course OF long
editorial, says
Any insinuation or intimation of
a trade in the matter over the Judge
ship is unfair, unjust and untrue"
The above appeared in an obscure
and unreliable political organ in the
northern part of the state and only
becomes important as it contains a
quotation, already well-circulated
about Vermont, which affects the
Heralds veracity. The Bennington
Banner is quoted as authority for the
statement that there was no Judge
ship trade, whereas the Banner
knows nothing whatever about it.
Frank E. Howe, editor of the Ban
ner and representative from Benning-
ton, left Montpelier at o'clock Satur-
day morning, January 2Srd, and the
election of Judge Butler did not take
place until the following Tuesday,
January Goth. The significant and
convincing incidents of the associated
salary-grab and judgeship scandal did
not take place until after the gentle
man from Bennington, self-appointed
apologist for the late Legislature, had
departed for Washington TO deliver
Vermonts electoral vote TO the presi-
dent of the Senate.
when it comes to question OF
yeracity there ought at least to be
some first-hand knowledge of the sub
Jet.
The Heralls editor was on the
ground, watched every development Of
the game and formed a certain con
clusion The Banners editor was in
Washington and has the temerity to
dispute that conclusion on hearsay.
Naturally the obscure logician to
the north prefers the Banners wholly
unsupported and, as the Herald be
lleves, inaccurate and interested, ties
umony.
The facts are as set forth in these
columns and the Heralds readers will
draw their own conclusions"
The poor, dear Herald is suffering
from an attack of nerves. The Her
aid does not mean to be mtruthful
or misleading, and would not know
ingly make serious charges that were
absolutely false, but the Herald labors
under the misfortune of having eyes
and seeing not and ears and hearing
motor at least not correctly and UNI
derstandingly.
All during the recent session of the
Legislature the Herald man sat at the
press table in the House while the
House and Senate we're in session.
When the two bodies adjourned he al.
ways and invariably went down to
his temporary desk in the Montpelier
Journal Office and spent the evening
writing brilliant things based on
what he saw in the House. He never
seemed to realize that it is not on the
floor of the House and Senate that
matters of legislation are decided, but
in committee rooms, in the big cloak
room, around the corridors of the
statehOuse and at the hotels and
boarding houses where the members
meet informally and talk things over
more in detail than can be done on
the floor of the house.
The newspaper men at the capital
during session were tremendously
oyerworked. So greatly has the work
of the legislature increased during re-
cent years that man working for one
daily paper can no more than do
justice to his job while most of the
correspondents at the press table
were working for two or three papers,
not realizing at the beginning the
strenuous job they had on hand. They
were not therefore always to blame
because they missed some of the es-
sential points.
Some of them made, however, the
serious mistake of thinking they knew
it all from a very incomplete surface
study and of this class the worst Of
fender was the Herald. With all his
great ability as a writer he is totally
unable to see both sides of question
Recollect in 1906 how confidently he
predicted the election of Clement
though everybody else knew tina
Proctor was an easy winner. TheT
remember how last spring the Herald
wildly foretold the nomination o
Hughes long after the nomination o
Taft was foregone conclusion. Afte
the nominations were made and tn
current had set so strongly to Tai
that his election was assured the Hell
I'D and one other Vermont paper ha
continual visions of the election G
Bryan. We do not think the Heral
intends to be misleading in thes
matters but that it is unable to sc
things as they actually exist.
Now as to the case in hand. Whi
the Herald says in regard to the a
sence of the representative from BE
ningtou Is absolutely correct. VIII
the Herald does not appear to ha'