The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-03-04
Ser wear
Per month
SS.O0
A FERGUSON OUTBREAK


tives at Montpelier turned down
Clarence J. Ferguson, superintendent !
of the antl-saloon league, so hard that |
his teeth must have ratified, The Ban
ner has been expecting that Ferguson |
would make a violent attack on the |
House and especially on Speaker |
Howe who appears to have fallen ser
iously under Ferguson's displeasure.
The outburst came right on schedule |
time for of the last number of the
Vermont Issue, the anti-saloon league
paper, about half Of the entire paper
is devoted to the legislature and the
speaker. This outburst The Banner
reprints today and in connection there
with we print letter from Rev. ].
Wesley Miller, clergyman who was
member of the legislature, but who
doesn't agree with Mr.. Ferguson.
There is no use in our arguing with
Ferguson. He is so constituted men,
tally that he can see but one side OF
a question. Then. too, he has the
habit, common with small and cir
cumscribed minds, of promptly accus-
ing anybody who disagrees with him
of being dishonest, base or bribed.
Moreover, Mr.. Miller has shown up
the weakness of Ferguson's state
ments and Mr.. Miller is an unpreju-
diced gentleman of the highest stand
ing.
There are, however, a few state
ments made by Mr.. Ferguson relative
to the editor of The Banner as to
which we desire to say word.
First in referring to the circular
which he sent out before the speak
ership election, Mr. Ferguson says:
I'VE had dared to give his record on
the saloon and Sabbath questions,
none of which he ever did or ever will
| deny" The fact is the whole state
ment is incorrect and misleading and
- the only reason we have not said so
\ before is because we have been too
busy with other matters which we
thought more important. There are
few half truths with wrong infer.
r ences in the alleged record, but every
- thinking person knows that there IL
II nothing more false than a half truth
with twisted insinuation attached
Again Ferguson says: Speaker
Howe did as we prophesied he would
70 do. He appointed House temper
II ance committee after his own heart
90 every member OF which was at least
- local optionist and some of whom
were believers in the open saloon 1t
self" This statement is false il
whole and in part and Ferguson him
self proves his own statement untru,
by printing in his own article how the
! members voted. for Speaker Howe II
believer in local option and opposed
to referendum on the liquor ques
ton, and the members OF the commit
. tee did not vote that way.
AS a matter OF fact when Speaker
Howe appointed the House temper
ance committee he did not know how
!. a single one of them stood on the liz
uor question. They were all stran
gers to him when he went to Mont
\ pelier and he never talked with then
or any of them about the liquor trai
fic or their views thereon until afte
their appointment and not then eX
\ cept with two Of them who came t
y the speaker and preached the subje,
D OF their own volition.
\ The speaker had for reference th
y biographical sketches furnished 70
- the legislative directory and trie
sincerely to make up committe
Of broad-minded, level-headed me
above reproach. He left Off the mil
listers deliberately and also thos
, whom he feared might be directly {
Indirectly connected with the liquC
traffic. Two were from towns that o
dinarily vote license, two from tow
which have never voted license, Nv
from towns which have occasional
voted license, and one from sma
mountain town which the speak
presumed to be no license but as
which he had no information. One
D the members was banker. one la
yer, one manufacturer. one a phi
sician, one merchant. one farm
4 and one lumberman. He spent
great deal OF time and thought on q
question and II the committee was n
\ a fair and representative one 4
y speaker does not know what I
terms mean.
/ Isn't II typical OF Fergusons me-
y cd and character to kick about I
speaker and the committee Just
cause a majority OF them disagree
"A with him and refused to do his b
v ding. Glance for one moment at [
personnel Of the committee compos
OF the following;
q h. s. Page OF Hyde Park. son
United States Senator Page. a c
lege man and young man deem
4 worthy by his father and his asso
ates to succeed to the practical c.
. troll OF a big savings bank and tn
company and a large manufacture