The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-06-09
\ SECONDHAND SCARECROW.


Elsewhere in this paper will be
! found rather remarkable editorial
quoted from the Burlington Clipper. IT.
is remarkable both for it's statements
and for it's insinuations. Among other
things the Clipper declares;
Doctor Mead is not the candidate of
the machine. He is making his own
fight. He is going direct to the people
and asking them to make him their
standard bearer The desperate oppo'
stion that he is encountering proves
conclusively that the interests that
usually control things are not favor
able to his success. They don't want
him because they know that they can
not use him.
VIII the Clipper inform the public
in general and the journal in particu
lar just who is the candidate Of the
machine this year? furthermore, as
the Clipper seems so well informed
on the subject it ought to explain just
what men constitute the machine.
There have been a great many allus
ions in past years to "the machine in
this State just as there are this year
but they are always very vague, and
constitute a kind OF DOGGY man to scare
persons of child-like political intelli-
lgence. In Pennsylvania "the machine
5 used to mean first Of all, Senator
Quay. Today, in lesser degree, it
means Senator Penrose. In New York
| the Republican machine used to mean
2 Senator Plat, and later Governor
Odell. Now it means an aggregation
of bosslets like State Chairman 7. L..
/ Woodruff William Barnes, Jr., of the
State Committee and Speaker j. w.
Wadsworth Senators Dillingham; and
Page do not constitute the machine
] They are not attempting to aid or in
= lure the candidacy of any man. Chair
: man Williams of the State Committee
lis attending strictly to his business
and controls no machine. Any paper
! which speaks with such familiarity
concerning the subject must be able to
! give the information asked, Surely
, lit would not talk so freely of THE
; machine" unless it knew very def
t nitely who composed such a powerful
Organization.
? The Journal knows of able leaders
} in the Republican party of Vermont,
2 but it knows of no boss and no ma
= chine, controlling State politics, die
ltating nominations and rewarding it's
servants with public offices The
!. nearest approach to machine in this
State today is the organization of DR..
i John A. Mead, the peoples candidate
las his advertisements style him.
The Clipper recognizes that the Mead
e candidacy is encountering opposition,
y desperate opposition, it calls it. Not
I so very long ago the Mead forces ap-
a Ipeared TO think that its candidate had
2 walkoyer, but they recognize that
e there has been change in the situa-
= ton. This opposition is attributed by
= the contemporary to the interests that
= usually control things presumably Il
p synonym for the machine and the
5 reason given for the opposition is be
cause they know they cannot use him.
Thus the plot thickens. They the
D mythical machine the unknown guam
. tity in this political equation, appar-
S emily want to do some dark deed of
= wickedness, perhaps ROB the State
g Treasury or sell the statue of Ethan
l.: Allen from the State House portico,
l or give all the offices to the Demo-
5 Gratis. A vast field of possible villainy
e is left open to person OF imagina-
, tive temperament.
e But really, neighbor, did it never oc-
: cur to you that perhaps the rank and
e file of the Republican voters OF the
: State might have decided that Doctor
. lMead's political methods We're not the
| kind they liked, that they could look
= farther and find a better man for Gov
, ernor. and that this, and this alone.
! accounted for the desperate opposi-
= ton" to the Rutland mans candidacy
/ This bugabCo of 1.-The machine" evil
adently is a secondhand scarecrow,
f1much the worse for wear, obtained
: from the effects Of p. w. Clement, who
e used it in two campaigns. Now that the
5 Clement influence is being exerted in
: behalf of Doctor Mead he naturally
a comes into possession of this battered
article of political furniture, and 1t is
+ hoped, evidently, that it may be dressed
a over sufficiently to be used in one
q more campaign.
q Ion