Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1910-03-03

! ton Dy advancing ceIthiu fSaHOhs Mhy
many voters are earnestly demanding,
FIRST OF all, the defeat OF Mead. That was
rIl. The tgood name and fair fame Of
Vermont are not concerned further than
that. 1t is quite as important, some
times, that certain ambitions should be
thwarted as that certain others should be
promoted. II the result is advantages to
the state, all considered, that result iusti.
fies the action.
We do not propose TO go over in detail
our objections to Doctor Mead, as sum-
married. last week-Dot now. Every one
OF them holds good still, in spite OF the
vehement denial and defence of the News.
The Doctor is an amiable old gentle
man who wants TO round out his career
by adding the title Of governor. II elect
ed, he will be seventy years old when he
has been six months in Office. He is old
er than any governor the state has ever
had, at the time Of taking Office. He is
older than either Of our present senators,
or any high public official elevated to
office in recent years. The goyernorship
is not-at least it should not bean old
mems retreat. The duties are wearing
and exacting, II properly performed, and
IT is valid objection against Doctor
Mead that be cannot, at his time of life,
give the state the active, virile admins
tration that q younger man could. The
Doctor may be the reiuvenated person
that the News pictures. and equal to the
stress, but he certainly impressed impair
tial observers at the last legislative ses-
sion as deficient even for the creditable
performance OF the light duties of the
the acknowledgement In common
course, he has grown old, not young, since
then.
Surprise deepens to amazement rs we
read the practical demurrer filed by the
News writer to the objection that Doctor
Mead has no constructive ideas for state
betterment. "When, !" it asks, "did Yer
mont Legislature ever go to a governor for
constructive ideas What laws are there
now on Vermont statute books from
which state betterment has been derived,
that were placed there as having origin
ated with Vermont governor ?" Where
has the News writer been living these
past few years Does he not know that
practically the entire program mapped
out by Governor Proctor in 1906 was
written into legislation by the general as
sembly OF that year, with undoubted ben
eft to the state Does he not know that
Governor Prouty, with an intractable leg
islature to deal with, yet carried through
the main measures of bis ante-convention
platform ? Does be not know that the
despised and rejected Clement won q
Parthian victory by having the issues for
which be ran as governor written into
law And does he not know that such
ability is the kind OF which Vermont
stands in need Enthusiastically not
dictatorship, but wise aud progressive
leadership. or this Doctor Mead has
given not the slightest symptom. II
elected he will be the genial, common
place figurehead that's all. His plat
form is empty, indefinite, ialtering-and
such his administration would surely be.
We pass over other points at present
and come to one wherein the News writer
has positively misstated. We did not
complain because Doctor Mead is reput-
ably a man OF wealth." The weakness of
such a position would carry its own
rebuke. What we did say was that he sis
rich man, with plenty OF money TO
spend in promoting his canvass, and
manifest willingness to do So" That is
quite different from the mere possession
OF wealth. TIE Mead canvass has ample
money at its command. It has already
used considerable sums. II has estab-
lished bureau, engaged a salaried man
ager, put out paid advertising, scattered
sample new spapeFs and hired workers to
promote it. It has packed public state
gatherings with the latter. Further than
that, il is generally believed that threat
ening opposition would open the food
gates. Vermont has seen few money
campaigns and the honest feeling Of her
citizenship does not favor them. The
very best way to check the tendency OF
rich men to spend that which they have
in abundance in politics is to beat them
when the symptoms appear. That condi-
tion already exists. Nothing would be
so likely to discourage the use of money
in our canvasses as to render it abortive
4 by an adverse verdict. Nothing else
would so gave the way TO deserving men
needed BY the state, who cannot or viii
not enter contest of this kind.
I Under these conditions, We accept the
tauut OF "anytbing to beat Mead" as
slogan, adding the qualifying word, "al-
most
OHlce Awaits Greene.
The Randolph Herald says eli would