The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-06-24

reader ~ The hriofthSi hinsA sn""i 49,
| i, Il az NC feel constrained 10 view u 10
the iiFh, 81 all the circumstances, fes' y
l.ek. as il Uncle John Ahnsf, thanks 10
his ample bar1. were going 10 capture The
nomination on the irst ballot, mafs's The
nifty, oi eourse, NC haven't given ~ all
hope ysi-ln fact, u hoping would help
there woulint BE- q ghost Of a show lot
the Rutland eandidats-bu, without draw
ing unduly upon enthusiasm OF in'As'na'
tlon We can't for the life Of Ne eco whsi'
Fleetwood OF Raiehelder can muster the
necessary strength TO win, nor eau NC
figure out any chance for dark ho's''
Dr. Mead's friends claim he has III dele
GATES. 80 more than the number neses'
|sary for ehoioe. We don't believe 'ha''
ON the other hand, We don't believe thai
Mr. Fleetwood has anywhere near the 10
delegates TO whom he lays claim, nor arc
a.. M all confident that Mr., Baiehelder
can eoun, on - delegates, as his friends
claim. Ye, fairness oompels US TO oonecde
10 the Rutland candidate good many
more than the sli delegates allowed him
by some Of the optimistic an,i'Mead pa
pers. In this county. for example. his
strength By these journals Is figured al
nine whereas every indication at present
points 10 his having twice many. And
what is true in this county Is likely TO be
true elsewhere. Money talks, we rgrei TO
say. in Vermont politics as well as else
where.
And the worst feature Of Il is that
money will continue to tax in spite oil all
laws 10 the contrary just US long as the
republican leaders 20 on the principle that
nomination TO Office Is equivalent to ahso
luton from all political sin. Consider Tor
n moment the present situation. The anti
Mead forces are making loud talk about
the illegitimatc use Of money IN the cam
pairn, and we do not doubt that they
are warranted in so doing. Without giving
a bill OF particulars they openly charge
that the Mead faction is liable to criminal
prosecution on this score and intimate
that the attorney general will proceed
along this line after the convention. In
all probability there is good reason for
this agitation, and yet what will come oil
itg Ii DIR. Mead is nominated at Mont
pelier next Thursday the very men who
have been bowling the loudest against his
methods will forthwith begin preaching
the fatuous doctrine of party regularity,
and il necessary will take off their coats
and work for his election for the sake OF
Saving the Grand Old Party" So II goes
in Vermont every election year. Previous
TO the state convention the air Is filled
with all sorts of protests against the inn
proper use OF money--protests that are
afterward forgotten or overlooked because
of a mistaken idea that the success OF the
party is more important than the issue
of clean politics.
II the outcome of the state convention
results as we fear it will only two courses
are left for the men who have been Tight
ing DR.. Mead so strenuously. They can
admit that the charges against his meth
DDS have been without substantial founda-
ton and thus lessen still further popular
confidence in the sincerity of all pre-con-
vention assertions, or they can refuse abb
solutely to lend their support to eandi-
date whose nomination was secured IN
such manner If they fail to do either
one of these things, they will stand dis
credited in the eyes OF every independent
thinking voter in the state. This may be
poor partizan doctrine but it is sound
aa..,,,a,, eon.a