The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-11-06
CURRENT COMMENT
The Vermont Governorship.

We are still SO far away from the
campaign for the goyernorship in 1912
that it may, perhaps, be possible for a
newspaper to discuss some phases of
the matter without being suspected of
Interior purpose in the interest of this
or that man who may have been sug.
gested as a possible candidate. In that
attitude OF disinterestedness, The Mes
senger would like to offer few sug-
gestions regarding the Republican party
policy in the campaign that viii soon
begin TO take shape and in the admin
istration of the government that is very
likely to follow it unless the unexpect-
ed happens.
1t does not matter whether it is the
right way or whether there is vet a
better way, the fact is that the Amer.
lean plan of civil government is inhu-
eneed by the idea Of a government by
political parties. II is a condition, and
not a theory. that confronts us, and
with this condition we must deal I'M
til in the process of evolution some bet
ter condition may be substituted
The first proposition that The Mes
senger would offer, then, is that the
party canvass of 1912 should be for
the choice OF party leader as well as
for the nomination Of a party candi-
date for governor. Because the Repub-
liean party has long been in an over
whelming majority in this state we have
come to look upon the party organiza-
ton as thing established, fixed and
enduring, and concerned ourselves almost
wholly in elections in the comparative
ly frivolous matter of determining what
man in the organization should reap the
titular honor and dignity of the gov
ernorship. We have fallen into the hab-
IL OF regarding the party organization
as a fact accomplished and unshake-
able, and have simply employed its ma
chinery in distributing patronage. So
that when the biennial election period
came around, our principal concern has
been in struggling among ourselves over
the selection of some one Of several
fayOrites who shall wear the governor
ship in his buttonhole. Sometimes we
have luckily hit upon good men, pro-
gressive, ambitious, public-spirited men,
that have employed the power and in
fluence of the governorship to advance
the best interests of the state Some
times We have simply invoked the pow
Ter of our dead weight Of supremacy
i'm the voting strength to seat some
agreeable fellow citizen in the govern
or's chair because he happened to be
the one among several good fellows that
got the most votes IN the state CON
vention. All the time, the idea that the
party organization is properly to be en-
ployed only to advance the cause of
good government in the state and for
the state has been but filmy and nebu-
lous idea with the most Of us.
We are living in, period Of political
flux and change. Signs are not want
ing that the long vaunted rock-ribbed
Repubieanism of Vermont is becoming
honeyeombed by a latitude of political
opinion, variance of individual con-
victions on public affairs, that smacks
very strongly of the unrest and loose
regard of party lines that prevails
throughout the remainder of the coun-
try. If the Republican party of Yer,
mont is to continue to maintain its SUI
premacy among the voters of this state,
| it must stand for something beside the
spoils of office, it must identify it.
self in the popular mind as holding