St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-06-29
A COMMUNICATION.
Citizens of Ryegate Tell About Thei
Caucus and the County Convention

Caucus and the County Convention.
To The Editor of The Caledonian:-
In justice to the good citizens of
Ryegate and Caledonia county we
wish to make the following statement
in regard to the republican caucuses
held in Ryegate and subsequent
events.
The caucus was called by the town
committee to meet in the chool house
at South Ryegate Tuesday evening,
June 18th, at o'clock. Before the
reading of the call a motion to ad-
journ to Miller's hall for better ac-
voted down by the faction who finally
made a mob of the caucus. The be-
ginning of the disturbance came
while the chairman of the town COM
mittee was reading the call, by a GER
tain man who attempted at three
different times, before the reading of
the call was finished, to nominate a
chairman for the caucus, without ad-
dressing the chair. In balloting for
chairman a foreigner was detected
voting twice, and by order of the
town committee was removed from
the hall by the constable. A chair
man and clerk were finally elected.
1t was soon evident that two men
were attempting tt run the caucus
and it was also evident that there was
a large number of illegal voters pre-
sent. AS soon as the chairman was
elected a motion was made and sec
onded that only legal voters be al
lowed to vote in this caucus. The
chairman refused point blank to try
the motion, but insisted on calling for
nominations for delegates. The vot-
ers who wanted square deal re-
fused to allow the chairman to pro-
coed till the motion before the house
was tried, declaring that they would
not have delegates elected by illegal
voters. The chairman still refused
to try the motion and after a good
-, ILL.,
of a prominent citizen from the hall
for disorderly conduct, the caucus was
adjourned without the election of
delegates.
On Thursday. June 16, another
call for a caucus, to be held at the
town house Saturday, June Is, at 230
p. M, was duly made out and posted
by the town committee. That prac-
tically all the vOSers knew about it
was evident when at the appointed
time and place the largest republican
caucus in the history of the town was
held with about 128 legal voters pre-
sent. A chairman and secretary were
appointed and a full set of delegates
State. F. J: Tewksbury, J. A. Nc
Beaton, C. F. Smith, Herman Miller;
county, w. N. Gilfllan, c. w. H. Will
son, S. F. Nelson, George Gebbie;
W. H Wilson, A r. Bone. There
was no disorder. and no disturbance.
The Worthen faction, who brought
in the illegal voters, were the cause
of the disorder and disturbance. at
the first caucus and were conspicu
Gus by their absence at the second
caucus. We understand that the at
torney general of the state says the
second caucus was legal.
On the evening of June FL, the
night before the county convention,
one member of our county delegation
was notified by telephone that there
had been a protest filed against the
| seating of the RHegate delegation in
| the county convention and asked
| them to meet the county committee
| the 22nd at o'clock to answer the
| protest, but failed to state the place
! of meeting. The delegates went to ST.
/ Johnsbury and after a long hunt fin
! ally located the place of meeting at
| G. c.. F'rye's office After consulta-
! ton with the county committee, the
| attorneys on both sides and the Rye
| gate delegates it was mutually greed
| that they should have a hearing be-
| fore the convention. Arrived at
! the convention it was reported by the
| county committee that the Ryegate
| delegates were not on hand and failed
| to answer the protest and were not
| entitled to seat il the convention.
| When they attempted to state their
case, they were ruled out of order and
not allowed to take their seats as
delegates. They had been instructed
| Winch for high sheriff and would
| have done 50 if The opportunity had
/ been given them.
This is a true statement of the facts
| from the beginning and can be
sworn to by large number of the