The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-01-18
HON. cHAs. Il. DARLING
As Seen BY the Verdant Editor Of
the Brattleboro Reformer.

n nlle IL may De true THAT every Il
thing comes 10 those that wait, il is
likewise true that good things don't
abide with mankind to the end of
the chapter. especially if such good |
things are fashioned in the form Of
commission as collector of customs. |
Not So long ago as TO be forgotten by /
those that waited for the high sign |
which came not there came up from /
the land of magnOlias a gentleman |
bearing whiskers and an order for the /
keys 10 the custom house al Buring-
ton He got the keys He still re- |
tains his facial foliage and the keys. |
Whether he can convince the big !
four that he ought not to be inter
upted in his pastime of collecting
Uncle Sans tolls is story of
which the final chapter is already in
the making While mere newspaper
men are not averse TO making a stab
at the job of looking pleasant at Sl5,-
600 per annum more or less, and not
a great deal less, this native Of Wood
stock is prone 10 believe that they
should not be given such sweet
pums. Newspaper men never do
anything for the party except to ladle
out dope exploiting candidates for
soft snaps.
Twas different with the native of
Woodstock. He came into posses
sion OF the job, nheriting it from the
prestidigitator Of spavins only after
he had blossomed in the white light
of officialdom in Washington. From
the municipal iudgeship in Benning-
ton TO the berth of assistant secre-
tary of the navy was an easy stride
for c. Hail Darling of Bennington
on-the-Walloomsac, but he doesn't be-
lieve in easy strides being made a
precedent in Vermont political az
fairs. Besides, Chas. H. Darling has
good reasons why he wants to stay
little longer on his job
He isn't an old man yet by any
means Is he lives until May 9, 1859,
he will be Just twice as old as he was
at his last birthday. If he should live
that length of time he won't lose his
appetite for soft snaps. In 1896 Chas
Hail was a lawmaker from Benning-
ton. Like several thousand other
men he contracted the habit of hunt
ing for easy money and in his search
for it, which led him outside of his
profession OF law, Charlie hit the mu-
nicipal iudgeship in his adopted town
of Bennington and from 1887 to 1901
c. HAL was the only prune on the
plate in Bennington county How It
happened no one knows except those
who have gone to their reward Ben
nington people were so elated that
they talked of having their town
made port of entry and had visions
of navy yard and floating dry
dock constructed in the rear of the
/ Putnam house when Charles Darling
was appointed to a berth in the navy
department Some Of the wise ones
were cunning around for Jobs as
admirals when suddenly word
came from Washington that c. HAL
would relieve DIR" Merrill. collector
of customs at Burlington. The story
! that came back TO Vermont was to
the effect that Charlie could have the
| job If he wanted it, About Is minu.
ties later c. Halls brother-in-law,
Orion NJ Barber, heard the report
and it didn't take him over eight
minutes to decide that he had bust
ness in Washington He and his
trusty lieutenant. Eddie Bates, who
previously served in the engagement
of 1902, where he was breveted a
general by Governor Mccullough for
bravery on the field of action made
no side trips en- route to the national
capital. There the story of an aspi-
rant was laid bare, and a tentative
frameup designed as a sort of fake
life preseryer wa handed Barb.
He was told to hike back to the hills
OF Vermont and make a noise like a
dog that has been kicked across the
lawn. He wasn't put wise to the fact
that would have ended his agony
then and there SO Orion and Eddie
did the retreat, but the game was
finished before Barb" and Bates got
home. Charlie had won out.
The story has been prattled around
that c. Halls appointment was giver
him as reminder to Barb" that ar
opportunity had come to Senator
Proctor to even up a few old scores
This story has about as much trutf
in II as would a statement that tn,
sun rose yesterday in the west. Sena
tor Proctor, like Barb. was
martyr President Roosevelt wal
the sword swinger and he didn'
adopt any velyety tactics in acquaint
ing Senator Proctor with the infor
| nation that c. HAL Darling was 20
| ing to Burlington as collector of Gus
| toms. He went and he's there now
There's no opportunity for patrio
| to do much else in the colectorshi
| except sign his salary vouchers. MI
Darling while close friend of Roos
| welt, is by no means of the strenuou
type. While he isn't lazy he woul
| prefer to see wood than to saw il
/ Probably no man in Vermont ever re
ceived two ripe plums, with such
low minimum of effort, as has {
/ HAL Darling. In 1913, directly afte
| Roosevelt is inauguarated (providin
| of course, that he is elected) Charlie
| Fl. Darling will again come into tn
j spotlight which is at present som,
what slightly diminished in his |,
= cality.
HAL was once a member of th
4 Roosevelt tennis cabinet That wa
I the reason that he touched oil /
n | Burlington He wac oh1iped IN N,