The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-26
Fletcher Refused to Dcome Across"

Fletcher Refused to "Come Across"
Every man, woman and child who
has kept in touch with Vermont poll
tics during the past decade knows
that the paramount issue has come
to be the elimination of the wholesale
use of money to secure nomination
for the governorship.
We know what we are talking
about when we declare that no man
In the country has done more to dis
courage the wholesale use of money
for the purpose of securing the repub-
lican nomination than the Hon. Allen
| NJ Fletcher
If there was ever a time when A
man would be tempted to resort to
the use of money in that connection,
that contingency confronted Mr.. Flet-
cher last November when the Hon.SJ
A. DeBoer's candidacy was started.e
In his platform, previously publish
ed in these columns, Mr.. Fletcher had
called attention 10 the fact that he
voted for a corrupt practices act in
| the preceding Legislature as well as
for a direct primary law, and he did
this TO indicate that his position re-
| garding these two issues had not
changed c
! 1t is no secret that a number of
"heelers" had been trying to promote
a contest over the goyernorship for
the very purpose of enabling them to
| ply their trade. and, when the fact
that Mr.. DeBoer would accept the
nomination was announced, strong
pressure was brought to bear upon
Mr.. Fletcher to employ men of this
class TO help him secure the nominal
ton.
To his everlasting credit be it stat
ed that Mr.. Fletcher utterly refused
to surrender his position, holding that
If there was any honor in the COVER
norship il must not come at the eX-
pense of a purchased nomination.
This was in entire keeping with the
course that Mr. Fletcher had followed
from an earlier period in the cam
paign, as we happened to know.
1t will be recalled that a Rutland
newspaper writer had predicted
months in advance that in the State
convention one John Doe" as a third
candidate would have the balance of
power as between Mr. Fletcher and
Mr. DeBoer
When we announced that the third
factor in question was really John
Dough-. we had already seen cores
pondence sent to Mr.. Fletcher, which
was the beginning of an effort to
make him come across"
Mr.. Fletcher never even replied
and before the effort ceased, three
letters had been written.
One of these was written after the
promoter had gone to Boston, and it
was dated in June 1911 No reply
having been received, and the promot-
er having returned to Rutland, he
took some Bardwell House paper with
him to Proctorsville in August. 1911,
and wrote second letter to Mr.. Flet-
cher from the hotel there. stating
among other things that the writer
could be reached by phone.
In the course of this one-sided cor
respondence thus far the writer said
TO Mr.. Fletcher among other things
You are my first choice"
The initials" signed at the end of
these letters were %. II. LANDER
ton"
After waiting in vain for number
OF days TO catch Mr. Fletcher the
writer of the letters in question gave
up the chase, and started in a news
paper campaign to try to force con-
test against Mr.. Fletcher, his FIRST
choice"
In November still another letter.
the third, was written and this time
Mr.. Fletcher was warned that the
writer of the letter could print in the
newspaper columns some very damag
ing matter, and among other things
II was intimated that ii would be best
for him TO proceed at once to Rutland
for a conference with the political
promoter.
Mr.. Fletcher still declined to
come across" or even to reply to the
threatening missile.
Various other candidates for gov
ernor had not repealed this man Lam
berton, not knowing his true charac-
ter in advance. and in rebuffing him
Mr. Fletcher not only gave evidence
OF his own determination to be free
from this sort OF thing. but he also |
did the whole State and especially fu.
ture candidates for governor a genu-
inc service; for in the light of what
has transpired, If at any time in the
future any candidate ever employs
this man Lamberton, the whole State
will know for a certainty what sort of
a campaign said candidate is conduct
ing.
The people of Vermont are now
thoroughly prepared to understand
the following paragraphs. The Ben
nington Banner printed this testi-
mony TO the character of campaign
conducted by Mr.. Fletcher
The campaign which recently took
place in Vermont was as clean and
fair. as ever occurred in any State.
and this is another reason why trad
ing and combination in the Legisla-
ture in connection with the election
of State officers would be. il seems to
us. wholly reprehensible and wrong"
The Rutland News rejoined as fol-
lows:
Naturally enough. such a course
would be held 'reprehensible and
wrong by such interests as fail TO
trade into power. IL the Banner is
ignorant that the trading efforts are
not confined to the opposition to
Fletcher. IL is innocent, indeed Yes,
il was a clean campaign; so clean.
in fact, that republican orators
called the other gubernatorial nomi-
nees. liars every day for two
weeks"
The d. II. Lamberton who tried to
n. 4 n.