The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-11-15
THE EVENING BANNER
All Subscriptions Payable in Advances
GHOST HUNTING

of the list OF delegates suggested for
the republican national convention
by The News, the other day, to ex-
press itself on questions that involve
the theory OF popular government as
we'll as its practice, In suggesting
the list of eight men named, The
News supposed it was dealing with a
practical feature of representative
government that had been sufficient
ly demonstrated out OF the theory OF
the same. While not exactly criti-
cism, the Banner runs rather near
the edge of disagreement with the
delegate list The News suggested.
The Banners contention that dele
gates should be representative of the
sentiments Of the body whose dele
gates they are, is sound. The char
acter of the men whom The News
has suggested for the republican
national convention, cannot be a
very doubtful quantity in the minds
OF Vermont republicans. AS The
News knows them, it suggested their
names because of their possession
of the very representative value the
Banner urges, coupled with their abil-
ity to act up to any requirement OF
their delegate office, be the same
strictly in line with Vermont repub-
lican sentiment or be il an emergent
duty upon which that sentiment has
not spoken. The News believes that
national convention delegation
should be made up OF the sort of men
who can be trusted to do the wise
thing as well as the expected thing.
If The News had had In mind Yer
mont delegation that could be relied
upon to support LaFollette. or to fol
low the dictum of radicalism within
the republican party as 1t may be
otherwise directed, it would have
suggested a different set of men. 1t
did, however, have in mind the posi-
bility, remote or otherwise, that the
Vermont delegation might have part
in selecting a candidate other than
President Taft, so it named men 1t
believes capable of acting in a larger
way, if necessary, than in sitting out
convention merely as the custodl-
ans of home sentiment. In its sug-
gestion, The News made no hint that
any name of its list was selected for
any reason of honoring its owner.
While the men who will go to the
national convention will be the recip-
tents of distinguished honor, there is
not man in The News list whose
present honors will be added to one
iota by his being chosen as a dele
gate. The Banner must have had
some other men in mind than any
The News named. when 1t touched
upon this point. The suggestion
made by The Banner that an ascer'
tanning of party sentiment should be
had on national issues and candid
ates" prior to choosing delegates, In
wolves nothing less than primary
federal election, which is a La Fol
lettism contention, wherever the rad
ical wing of the Republican party is
strong enough to make itself heard
In Vermont, party sentiment has
WAYS of making itself understood,
The News believes. without this in
novation; certainly without II until
| II has better proved its benefits else
where. The News is also satisfied
that this is dominant sentiment in
this state. Therefore. as coming
| from The Banner at this time, The
News is surprised to note even indlr-
ect approval OF LaFollettism fetish.
Rutland News.
The dear. delightful Tam O'Shanter
OF Vermont journalism
"Whiles glowering round WI prudent
cares.
Lest bogles catch him unawares"
has apparently found q spook in the
columns OF The Banner which we
| didn't know existed.
The "ghaists and houlets" that
nightly cry around the News office
have rendered il uncommonly acute
in detecting the presence of Ould
Nick in his "winnock-bunker" and
OF course somebody must guard the
faithful from the Vaccinations OF
Satan. Yet after all, we doubt II
there is any serious disagreement be
tween The Banner and its good
friend. the News. over this question
as to who shall represent Vermont al
the coming Republican national con
vention.
The list OF delegates proposed by
the News is a splendid list, and We
doubt II anybody could have done
better. The Banner admires and es
teens each and all of them, merely
suggesting. as a thorough believer II
popular representative government
that we talk about the issues OF the
campaign while first, and theI
when sentiment crystalizes that dele
gates be chosen who represent al
far as possible, that crystalized sen
timent Possibly next April whei
the delegates are to be elected, no
even The Banner would want the lis
changed II is just barely possible
too. by that time, the News itsel
might desire to vary the list,
The Banner was paradlng no fetisl
OF radicalism so far as Il was aware
though of course a trained ghost hun
ter like the News can often detect 1
hobgoblln where one less sohoolet
would never dream that spectei
existed. The advance of the work
requires radicalism just as the safet!
OF the race requires conservatism
RadlcalIsm must blaze the path o
progress just as surely as conserva