The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-05-19
CAPTURING" THE GOvERNORSHIP
(Rut1and Herald

(Rutland Herald)
In announcing it's intention to sup
port Mr.. Fleetwood for Governor, the
Montpelier Journal harks back to
the Herald's now dusty remark that
earthquakes occasionally happen, ev-
en- in Vermont" 1t then draws the
inference that political earthquakes
may be induced by unfair, dishonest
or unwise methods and policies Hav-
ing shown in few disingenuous
phrases that the touching" words
of G.. p. Smith are refreshing the
Journal says that there still remain
in the Green Mountain Businesses a
| few plain people who like to see
man say, like Mr.. Smith, that he is
willing to take office if the people de-
sire it, but that he will not enter
mad scramble for it; who admire a
declaration like that of Mr.. Fleet
wood that he will not conduct mo-
ney campaign" We pause to remark
that Mr.. Fleetwood seems to be the
only one of the candidates for Gov
ernor who is making a mad scram-
BILE" for the nomination. AS to Mr..
Smith, refreshing declaration, it is
as time-honored as the hills-almost
every candidate for office says the
same thing The Journal then de-
! clares
! Conditions ought not to exist now
and ought never again to exist in Ver-
mont, when rich man shall set out
to capture the Governorship with an
deliberately planned campaign laid
out as Systematically as that of gen
eral who plans to besiege and capture
city.
Does anyone think for a moment
that Dr. Mead is conducting any such
! systematic campaign? There has
been nothing in his past performances
to indicate it. No mere man could
capture" the Governorship even if
he were backed by an army. War is
a fearful thing and so is pestilence.
Neither enters into the present cam
paign.
The contemporary continues:
The Journal does not view, with
approval the organized effort to cap
ture the Governorship by the kind of
/
in the interest of the Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor. 1t is not a good example to
set before the young men of Vermont.
1t does not represent the best tradi-
lions or the highest ideals of the
Green Mountain State. The public is
not familiar with all the Mead cam
paign methods, but it does know that
haan
taneous demand for the Rutland mans
candidacy it has been led to believe
by what it has observed that con-
siderable force of political agents is
busily engaged throughout the State
in behalf of Doctor Mead; it does
know that such a campaign cannot
be waged by man of moderate
means.
Now, would it be inapropos, Mr.,
Journal, to ask in what way DR.. Mead
is trying to pocket the Governorship
more than is Mr.. Fleetwood. The
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS isn't particular
ly active in his campaign these days,
and we fail to see wherein his zeal
Gus efforts to attain honor thus far
have been furnishing pernicious eX-
ample for the youth of Vermont.
These traditions and high ideals of
the Green Mountain State are good
things to store up and uncork when
candidate needs support. They car
ry weight when put on paper. We
venture to say that the doctor has
high ideals and that Mr.. Fleetwood
has them, also. All enlightened citi-
zens have them
If the public is not familiar with
the Mead campaign methods it is not
because the Rutland candidate has
been insufficiently belabored by GER
tain newspapers. AS to the spontan-
eous demand proposition no man, ev-
en- Mr.. Smith, has noticed anything
of the sort as yet, and it is an in
tangible quantity that bids fair-for
the time-being- to materialize.
But Mr.. Fleetwood has political
friends at work and his Morrisville
club figures as publicity bureau
smelling sweeter under another name.
He is spending considerable money in
a legitimate effort to promote his own
ambition to fill the Governors chair,
and his supporters do not object, so
long as Mr.. Fleetwood is the only
one of the candidates allowed to make
such expenditures
AS the Journal maintains, ut does
know that such a campaign cannot
be waged by a man of moderate
means" This, in itself, is a confession
that poor man cannot hope to be-
come Governor. But Mr.. Fleetwood
evidently is not a man of moderate
means, and neither is Dr. Mead. What's
sauce for the goose is sauce for the
gander, and where two candidates
employ what are virtually the same
methods, scrupulous propriety de-
mands that If one is allowed to con-
tinue them. the same privilege should
be extended to his opponent. Why
discriminate?