The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-03
A REGRETTABLE AFFAIR

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A REoRETTAeLE AFFAIR
Unrebuked Rowdyism Saturday Nigh,
Is Bad For the Towns Reputation
Editor of The Banner:-The people
of Remington should blush with
shame at the demonstration of rowdy'
ism at the Republican Rally held in
front of the Court House on Saturday
evening last.
All the speakers asked was that
the people listen to what they had to
say and accord them courteous treat
ment. If any present did not care to
do this, why did they not go away?
DIR. ]. Wesley Hill, of the Metropoli-
tan Temple of New York City, one of
the speakers, said he would gladly
answer any question after he had
finished speaking. but this remark did
not seem to penetrate the brains OF
some present, and one interruption
after another occuIred,-not only in
terruptions, but rude remarks, yells,
and drunken ones at that, until DR..
Hill had been interrupted so many
times, and in such discourteous
manner, that he was obliged to make
the remark that If there were further
trouble, he, Ga stranger within our
midst.) should be Obliged to enter a
personal complaint against the man,
himself. What situation. Where
were our policemen? Oh! they were
there, but evidently afraid. Do the
people of Bennington pay our police
force to look pretty In uniforms, or
do we pay them to enforce the law
and protect strangers as well as our
own town people?
IL is true that the people Of Ben
nington are not, as whole public
spirited, and do not always uphold
their officers in what they do, should
do, and are legally bound to do?
This, however, does not excuse any
of them for their failure to do their
duty on Saturday evening.
The writer of this article was in
the window OF one of the offices near
by,-heard and saw the entire demon
stration, and when an officer will tell
one that the reason why no arrests
were made was because it would
have been necessary to arrest others,
who were merely asking few Ques-
tons, it is surely sign he Is guilty
of not doing his duty, when II is
necessary to backwater in this man
ner. II others asked questions the
writer did not hear them,-and
doubts If such were the case. Surely
If they did ask them, II was done so
gentlemanly and quietly that it caus-
ed no disturbance,-and 1t will also
be doubted if the officers will care to
come to the front and say that either
Mr.. Cooper or Mr.. Mills would act
discourteously in any way. The chief
disturber was apparently intoxicated,
and made repeated trips to the Put
nam House bar. He was plain
drunk" and nothing was done to
remove him from the crowd, or stop
the disturbance, except few
whispered words OF warning by one OF
the police A policeman is allowed
to call on any man present TO assist
in an arrest. Was this done? No.
Why not? Because the men around
the offender were his friends. II they
were intoxicated, we are ashamed OF
them for their part in the affair; If
they were sober, we are doubly as
hamed of them.
What is Bennington coming to? 1t
has the name of being unenthusiastic,
cold and distant. but has now acQuir-
ed the name of being tough, discour-
teous and rude. What the two speak
ers must think of the town is hard to
say.
Hon. John w. Redmond has been
our Public Service Commissioner for
six years, is a fine man, and has
splendidly served the people and yet,
these same people did not care to
listen to him.
The Rev. ]. Wesley Hill, a Metho-
dist minister, of the Metropolitan
Temple of New York, City, delivered
the best speech to which the Ben
nington public has yet listened. He
is considered one of the finest cam
paign speakers of the Republican
party, and the writer thinks all who
listened will concede this to be the
fact.
Mr.. Chain. the Prohibitionist, who
recently spoke here, and the Prohib-
itionist candidate for President, made
the remark while here in town that
he had delivered over 500 speeches
from the Pacific to the Atlantic
coasts, but had never been so rudely
treated as here in Bennington and
this is surely a nice reputation we
are getting and had he been here on
Saturday night, he would have been
confirmed in his opinion. IL is well
that a campaign speaker
is always presenting the argument
Of his party and IL there is any man.
clergyman or layman. high OF low,
rich or poor. who cannot give courte-
Gus attention to the argument of an
opponent he should not attend public
until he has taken a few
lessons in manners and common
decency
II there had been but one officer
present, il would have seemed more
difficult TO make an arrest. but there
were three part of the time and at
other times four.
One man stepped up to Officer Muir
ply and told him to arrest the chief
and when asked why he did
not do il. he replied tha the CHIEF OF
police. Patrick Brazil. told him not
to.
This, it seems to the writer. should
be explained.
When again selecting a police
force. IL is evident from Saturday
evenings fracas. either that the vot-
Of