The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-12-22
A NEWSPAPER SITUATION.

Much has been said in the state news
papers particularly those favorable to Mr..
DeBoer-beeause the Montpelier Journal
has not come out actively in support of
the candidate from that city. And yet why
should the journal be obliged TO whoop 1t
up for a Montpelier man simply because
he is a Montpelier man? The Capital city
hasn't a monopoly of Vermont virtue even
if there are some of its citizens who think
it nearer heaven than any other place IN
the state. Furthermore the Capital city's
support of the Jounal-an excellent paper,
by the way, in spite of its handicaps-has
been such as to warrant it in giving slight
consideration to local pride in deciding
who is the best man for governor. Frank
L. Howe, editor of the Bennington Banner,
has been a newspaper man IN Montpelier
and knows something of the frigidity OF its
commercial atmosphere. Therefore, what
he has to say about Montpelier and the
Journal is well worth reading:
Montpelier has treated the Journal very
shabby. The Journal has devoted hun
dreds Of columns of space to booming Mont
pelier, helping and upholding every public
purpose, sustaining every effort for public
good-in short, working harder for the town
than all the private citizens combined. We
have noted in the Journal earnest support
of the Montpelier board of trade, but we
have never noticed any report OF the Mont
pelier board of trade making an effort IN
behalf of the journal, though it was evil
&l.t ! h.. al how
ing hard struggle The officers of the
big life insurance company OF which Mr..
DeBoer is the head and of the three other
big insurance companies located in Mont
pelier are all republicans, the officials OF
the wealthy Montpelier banks and trust
companies and the leading merchants of the
city likewise, and one would think they
would be interested in keeping up as fine
and upright republican newspaper as the
journal, yet the beggarly amount Of adj
vertising they have given the journal would
indicate that they wanted to drive the paper
out of town. The National Life runs FIVE
line reading notice and the other three in
surance companies regularly not a line.
Some of the banks and some of the mer-
chants do a little, but others not a cents
worth to help along the institution that
does the most for the town. The Banner
mas no lIlSlue lHlOIHdllOI VII IHc coulndi
affairs but it is evident to any newspaper
publisher that the Journal owners must
have had to put in large amounts Of money
to keep the paper going, yet the Journal
has whooped it up for Montpelier with
every issue The incident is, in the opinion
of many Of the newspaper fraternity, one of
the rankest cases of injustice and ingrati-
tude ever recorded. 1t will be urged in
extenuation that Montpelier didn't want
to support paper whose owner was not
known, yet Montpelier accepted and has
profited by the efforts Of this same paper
Whatever its ownership it appears to have
been loyal to the capital. The Banner holds
no brief on either side of the case, but is
merely trying to state few facts, not as
bearing in any way on the governorship
contest but on newspaper situation from
newspaper mans viewpoint. Ii the Jour
nal should actually oppose Mr.. DeBoer,
Montpelier would have no right to com
nlain