The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-08-30
Time to Stop Il

1.-THE st. Adams Messenger copies
with evident. approval, the mention
this paper made of the probable candi-
dacy OF ex-Mayor w. R. Austin OF
st. Adams. He Is one of the bright
est young men In the state and the
best presiding officer we ever saw at
a state convention. The state could
do worse than elect him lieutenant
governor. "-Vergennes Enterprise
This Is the kind OF irresponsible
stun that sets afloat a great part of
the idle political gossip that utterly
misrepresents the acts or intentions
OF public men and newspapers. often
times to their serious injury.
The Messenger has no quarrel what
ever with the deserved compliment
the contemporary pays to Mr.. Austin,
but 1t does propose right here and
now emphatically to deny that 1t has
printed In Its columns one solitary
syllable Of approval" of his possible
candidacy IN 1912 or that Of any other
human being In the state of Vermont.
What 1t might do II future occasion
made II proper Is another matter, to
be discussed and determined should
the occasion arise. In the meantime
II Mr.. Austin or any other man in
Franklin county 10 probable candi.
date for the nomination for the second
place on the Republican state ticket,
The Messenger does not know 1t. That
may be "smoke-out" but II 10 the
plain truth.
What In the name of all that Ia fair
and square and aboveboard In politics
is The Enterprise up to. anyway
Since the chatter about the lieutenant
governorship nomination began to
make the rounds Of the state press,
II appears to have taken particular
delight first, In misrepresenting The
Messengers attitude toward any pos
sible Addison county candidate. then
] In assuming that this paper was get
ting ready to help bring out a oandi-
date in its own county and now is de-
lliberately publishing to Its readers
that The Messenger has approved the
"probable"-mark the word, not even
"possible"-has approved the prob
able candidacy of ex-Mayor W. r
Austin of st. Adams" when there has
never appeared In this paper one spot
OF printers ink to that effect.
What is the use Of playing this kind
OF politics In the newspapers?
This may be small thing TO grow
very earnest about, but In The Mes
senger's opinion now Ia the time tc
speak right out In meeting and &c
give notice at the very outset OF the
that The Messenger, for one, will not
quietly submit to the misrepresenta
ton of Its politics and It's attitude to
ward candidates and politicians and
endure the mischief and embarrass
ment that this kind OF irresponsible
gossip is certain to make.
Even this very morning The Bur
llington Free Press takes up this para
graph OF The Enterprise and passes
1t along still farther, thus tending
more and more to confirm an easil!
growing impression that The Messen
ger is supporting a Franklin count.
candidate when there Ia absolutely n,
truth whatever In 1t.
The Messenger would not embar
rass Mr.. Austin In this affair ant
feels reasonably certain that II doe
not. 1t does not matter whether tn
gossip Is about the lieutenant-gover
norship or about hog hayward. TIL
principle 10 the same In either case
II Is time TO put stop to this prac
tlce OF irresponsible political mlsreI
Presentation right now before the cam
palgn begins.--St. Adams Messenger