Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-04-27
The Candidate in Ambush.

The Candidate in Ambush.
The suggestion now being made by
certain newspapers opposing DIR. John
A. Mead's candidacy that the coming
state convention should be so constitut-
ed as to favor some sporadic move
ment for some gubernatorial candi-
date not now in sight is a poor sequel
to opportunity that has been open from
the inception of the campaign.
For more than year, opposition to
DR.. Mead has had every chance to raise
a candidate from it's own ranks to
make open contention in the race with
him. For a good portion of that
time. one man in particular kept such
a grip on/opposition opportunity that
the ambitions of others in the same
association suffered handicapping if not
irrevocable effacement, so far as this
campaign is concerned. This man, by
virtue of certain assets in the line of
campaign experience and a plentiful
supply of this worlds goods, was
allowed to pay the dog in the-manger
until other available men saw the
hopelessness of their own relations to
the cause.
When this stage of the opposition
game was reached, the man in question
announced his decision not to become a
candidate and also, permitted the
public to understand that he had made
himself a party to a compact that
allied him to the candidacy of Frederick
G. Fleetwood. If such an alliance
could be given that measure of good
faith which would naturally follow
upon it had it been made a few months
earlier and before this mans grasp
upon the opposition opportunity had
discouraged other men whose candi-
dacies would have been far more
meaningful than that of Mr.. Fleet
wood, there would be less cause to
suspect political trickery in it,
+ AS the case stands, however, suspicion
accomplish by subterfuge what he did
not have the courage to undertake
openly as candidate, is entirely
reasonable.
To make this entirely plain in il
Elimination OF the possibility or the
probability, with presumption in favor
precedent the case may be stated
this way The man logically the opposi
! ton candidate dogs the manger'
! uIlIIl OCIl6I IuGlI available
in the same interest retire and then hi
drops out to assist meaningless
candidacy. By this course, he dispose
of men from his own set who hat
chance of winning and avoids an ex
pensive fight on his own account
Further as the candidacy of hi
espousal makes no Roadway newspaper
subservient to the interests he woul
have represented had he been a candi
date begin to clamor for uninstructe
delegates to the state convention an
, to prophesy upon the possibilities i
the eleventh hour handling of delegate
, thus unconditional in their action.
By such deceptive means then no
: improbably. the man in question hope
to secure the fruits of other mems can
t paigning and to do this, he employs
: alliance an honest candidacy if not a
important one. Of course, if MI
Fleetwood permits his candidacy to
the medium of another mans advance
ment, personally to Mr.. Fleetwoo
) that is his affair. Gubernatoriall,
e however, before the state, it is til
e states affair. The man in question
v astute and capable of managing can
e paign for himself as effectively as an
/. man in Vermont. He is rich, too, ar
s able to finance the hottest kind of pol
I teal warefare. Yet, he makes no ODE
Y fight. Ambushed behind the Flee
1 wood division, he fingers the keys tn:
Y make the puppets dance.
t Are masses of uninstructed delegat,
n to be played as pawns in this man
t game? Is the state to be deluded in
. making a governor out of pre-convel
. ton coward? Shall a candidate
: ambush be accorded an ultimate rigl
: of way? May gum shoes creep throue