The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-04-04
DIDN'T TRY
TO NEEDLE
Declared W. N. BatcheIder in
Defense of Senator Dixon
HE CAME ONLY TO ADVISE
Roosevelt Committeeman Also Ridicule:
Claim of Chairman Williams of Re-
publican State Committee That
State Is for Taft.

!
Roosevelt committee and chairman OF
the Vermont Roosevelt comhittee, said:
"On receipt of contirmatory returns
from Vermont in Washington, Senator
Joseph NJ Dixon of Montana, chairman
OF the national Roosevelt committee,
left for New York. was called to be
there at noon Tuesday Monday even
ing my orders were revoked and by dl-
rcetion OF Col Roosevelt | was told to
stay right on the firing line. Hold your
position at all hazards, Stay at Beth
el We will 90 to YOU
.At 10 o'clock Monday evening SEN
atoi Dixon wired me that he would ar
rive in Bethel Tuesday afternoon at
2:4l with Judge Bainbridge Colby, a
leading member of the New York City
bar. and Col. Henry L. Stoddard. editor
OF the New York Evening Mail and Ex-
press. The senator requested that such
Roosevelt supporters as could be reached
in time be asked to a conference to be
held in Bethel to meet the senator and
the other two gentlemen. They came
as arranged Tuesday afternoon on the
mail. Ffty-two men from different
parts of the state had been reached by
noon and evening. An informal dinner
was held at the Bethel inn at 7;l5.
The New York visitors left at 2;l0
Wednesday morning, and the others
went by the night trains north and
south
"It developed that the only purpose
of Senator Dixon and his companions in
coming to Vermont was to make plain
to Roosevelt supporters that they are
militia against regulars and to give such
suggestions as they could to the Yer
mont Roosevelt committee to assist in
preventing the machine from snatching
tire victory from the Roosevelt support
ers at the state and district conventions
rcxt week. bg the continued giving out
by the Taft machine of claims that are
wholly untrul, that Taft has carried the
state and thereby hoping to influence
uninstrncted delegates to pledge them
selves to support Taft in the district
and state conventions.
Senator Dixon expressly stated that
lie and the national committee We're de
tcrmined not to do anything to dictate
to the voters OF Vermont or even to the
Vermont Roosevelt committee but to
make sure that everything possible is
dcnc to see to ii that ii ii is true that
a majority Of the Republican voters in
Vermont prefer that Theodore Roose-
Welt and not William II. Taft be nom
mated at the Chicago convention these
voters be not defrauded Of their rights
to be heard in that convention.
The claim OF the Taft machine that
Mr.. Taft has carried the state of Yer
mont in the caueuses has about as much
foundation in fact as the unqualified
statement Of Frank c. Williams chair
man of the state Republican committee.
which he made less than a week be-
fore tie caucuses and caused to be pub
lsled in the state and metropolitan
apers that while there was little
Roosevelt sentiment in his own county
of Orleans and in Lamoille and Gale
donna. the rest of the state was solid
for Taft.
In this connection il is entirely fair
to call attention to the fact that at
the caucus in Chairman Williams own
town of Newport his Taft ticket was
defeated and straight Roosevelt tick
E to the state and district convention
was elected bv vote of 1877 for Roose-
vet to % for Taft, and it is but fair to
the voters of Vermont to call atten-
ton to the fact that in st. Johnsbury |
Lieut. Gov Slack. who was one of the |
nier who had repeatedly claimed that |
Vermont was solid for Taft, headed the |
Taft ticket and made hot fight and /
was defeated by straight-out Roosevelt !
ticket to both district and state conven
tions by majority of So
"The statement put up by Chairman
Williams of the state committee is most |
to one who knows something |
IF the game Of politics as it is played |
N Vermont. let me tell you one of the /
.ricks of trained politician when the |
votes are running against him as a
ast resort he discovers that the other
lido has insulted the voter or the dele
n te and he forthwith feels hurt for
lat delegate or voter, all for the pur
,ose of appealing to his prejudice and
lot to his good judgment. That is eX-
lctIv what Chairman Williams is do
nc. He has no right to make a claim
or either side When he does so he is
,erving faction.
'In this contest he is apparently fight
No as loyal faction of the Republican
lHfIN rs ever lblAuNGu ~ lhAb fANtti !
md defeat. Loyal because it desires TO
Idhere to the principles which inspired
Is formation and its great achieve
nents. He opposed the faction which
les Tres the nomination of a man who
an win in November
Senator Dixon did not insult the dele
,ates. That was discovered by the Taft
,,en for the effect it is hoped it will
ave. II illustrates the statement that
very effort will be made and every
influence used which a lot Of trained
oIiticians can command to defeat the
xpress will of the people. The Indiana
eiegates were bought and Roosevelt
crvention was made a Taft conven-
ION. What the Taft machine did in In ,
lana it will attempt to do elsewhere. .
lis is directed at the machine, not at
he delegates.
"If the. machine feels that it has been ,
1sulted it can make the best of it. ,
he picture at this stage of the contest
{ the, machine shedding tears over in ;
tilted delegates is certainly ludicrous.
tSignedl
Wallace n Batcheder."
For the Roosevelt committee" c