News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1912-03-13
That "Straw" Vote
Some Press Comments on the Same

| oVmc rItSS COmmtnlS on INC odmo
In quiet town election such as we
suspect Westfield must have. it would be
all right to have blind moderator; but
| III places where there was much clamor-
| ing Tor recognition, as some weighty
topic Tor discussion came up, we should
think that a sightless moderator would
have his troubles. However, Rev. M. w.
Farman, the blind chaplain of the Yer
mont Senate, seems TO have presided over
the Westheld town meeting last Tuesday
IN admirable manner. This was made
possible because barring sight, he pos
sesses all the qualities which go to make
up successful presiding ofiicer.-Barre
Times.
The outcome of straw vote in La
noble county on town meeting Gay
is interesting. With nearly 800 votes
taken under these circumstances the
sentiment shown should be fairly accur-
ate and as Roosevelt got 524 votes to 256.
| the outcome was certainly decisive.
This straw vote does not agree with what
has been generally believed concerning
| Vermont sentiment and we doubt if it is
fair guide to the whole state. How
ever, there is enough difference of opln-
ion so that every effort should be made
to give the voters themselves a chance
to be represented at Chicago according
TO majority sentiment and not according
to the views OF any group of politicians.
Bennington Banner.
The fact that in a test primary by bal
lot taken at the town meetings in La
noble county, in Vermont, Mr.. Roose.
welt led Mr.. TAFT by more than two to
one is significant in view of the fact that
the Taft campaign managers have claimed
all the votes of the Green Mountain state
and have not even allowed that there
was any Roosevelt sentiment in the state.
Vermont is supposed to be for Mr.. Taft
because Senator Page and Gov. Mead
support him, but politically the state of
Vermont neHer was so untrammeled as
she is at this moment. They don't even
know who is to be nominated for gov
ernor this fall by the Republicans, and
usually the slate has been made up four
years ahead. The death OF Senator Proc
tor, followed by that of Fletcher D.
Proctor, his son, has disintegrated a
powerful machine. Now everything is
wide open and the Roosevelt ballot pri.
mary in "spunky Lamoille" proves it.
1T Roosevelt men organize and put up a
fight, it will do the Republicans of Yer
mont good to be in scrap where the
cards are not all marked Boston Globe.
Forty one per cent of the men of La
noble county who voted in the last
state election, in connection with their
town meeting proceedings on Tuesday.
The result was little better than two
to one in favor of Roosevelt as the re-
publican candidate and as 40 is to 81 in
favor OF Harmon as the democratic can
didate. So far as we know, this ballot
is the first TO be applied generally in a
county under similar conditions in a
state that does not have provision for
direct presidential primaries. In that re-
spect the Republican vote gave Roose-
welt 527 and Taft 253. The democratic
vote gave Harmon 10, Wilson "a and
CLARK IA. In one town only, johnson,
did Taft lead. In securing the vote, no
check list was used, so results are not
assured against repeating or the votes of
boys. But, plainly, Roosevelt's lead is
su tficiently large to leave him emphatic
ally the choice of a large majority of the
men who voted There is not much |
chance to discount his lead on acc ,unt
of the small vote as compared with a
normal vote of the county, as caucuses
attended by Al per cent. of the voters of |
any Vermont county would be more rep. !
resentative than is the habit.
What the reasons may be for the |
choice, we can only speculate thereupon |
Certainly nothing can be expected of |
direct benefit to any portion of Vermont |
from q Roosevelt administration that |
would not come from Taft administra-
ton. Roosevelt represents no issue of |
econ omics that would make farming any |
more profitable or trade any more live
ly. That tariff changes under any ad-
will do any more for the
farmer or the small manufacturer than
is now being done is out of the question.
Nothing supposed to be progressive "
with which Roosevelt's name is now
can make Vermont life better
worth living.
1t must be that Lamoille county re.
publicans simply like Rooseyelt better
than they do Taft and cast their straw
ballots for him out of a " sic'em spirit.
Of course it is not impossible that they
did it to please Editor Thayer
On no account should their action of
Tuesday be interpreted as indicating
that they would follow Roosevelt in any
step tending to break up the party, and
probably, had they realized that such
as they voiced leads in
that direction, they would have-voted
-RutLand News