Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-08-30
70 Justify E. w. Gibson and the Pro.
sressive Party.

70 Justify E. w. Gibson and the Pro-
aressive Party.
Not that Judge Gibson needs nv as-
sistance In his defense against the I'M
just criticisms that have recently an
peared In The Vermont Phoenix and so
Iuily reproduced In the Bellows Falls
Iimes, nor Is 1t with his knowledge
that am writing this statement, but il
Is because he has been unjustly accused
OF disioyalty, AS a participating men,
Der OF the Windham County Progressive
convention held in Brattleboro and taxi
ing an active part in nomina ting their
ticket, L am in position to show where
Oh speak in this matter, and wish to
emphatically deny The Phoenix implica-
ton that our reason for nominating Pro-
gressive senators was to spite" the Re-
publican senatorial candidates or to
punish them, or anybody else for that
matter, FOR not trading" Mr. Gibson
was true to the Republican county cam
oldates In that he did suggest that we
ADOPT their whole ticket, but the ma tority
overruled him. We believed then. as we
DO now, that the Republican party will
fail at the polls to elect a governor and
we were desirous of sending as many
Progressives as possible to the legisla
ture ana SO our action, and we believe
we have made wise choice. We he
leve II our senatorial candidates are
eiecteu they Will give our county the
best or service and will be an honor TO
our whole state. There was absolutely
none Of the old style dickering, the kind
with which The Phoenix seems to be so
familiar, and Is so free to accuse others
OF using, in evidence at this Progressive
convention. In fact. 1t is partly because
OF these Phoenix methods and such pre-
caucus and wholly unrepresentative sla te
making as was in use in connection with
the June Republican caucus in Bellows
Fails that there is need for a Progress
sive party.
NO falr-minded man is DENYING or
wants to deny that the Republican party
has done magnificent work in our ma
ton and in our beloved state as well
Also no like minded man can fail to
see that both old parties, and particu-
lary the party which has for so long
been in the ascendency, has gradually
become so thoroughly boss ridden that the
so-calied interests" or invisible gov
eminent has control of our government
to the great detriment of the people.
II this is not so, why are so many of
our united States sena tors braZenly all
lied with the Interests? Penrose. for
example, shamelessly admits the accept
ance OF $4,000 of Standard Oil money
for political uses in Pennsylvania, and
closely allied with other interests in
stead of the interests of the whole peo-
pie.
over against this lamentab BILE condition
has slowly but surely arisen the Pro-
gressive element in both parties, vainly
striving within their respective parties
Tor the peoples interests, hoping against
nope, to be able to purge the parties of
corruption and to restore the govern =
into of hn
the people, and by the people," and so
there has developed such men as Cum
minis, Hadley, Henry, LaFollett, Linsey,
johnson, Bryan and Roosevelt and many
others of national renown, and Gibson.
| Howard, Hoar Blodgett, Butterfield and
Metzger and many others in our state
and county who have been active under
old party lines until it has become pain
fully evident, by utter disregard of the
| popular voice of the National Republi-
| can convention at Chicago, that the peo-
| pie were not to be heard and that there
must be breaking away from old party
| lines and the formation of the people s
party thus the Progressive party has
| taken BIRTH not as a one mans party
| but because of a deep-seated desire for
civic and industrial righteousness by the
many. Can we not trust this great
| country to the government of the peo-
Pile? Who are more vitality Interested?
| Gov. Woodrow Wilson got at the kerr
mel of the situation when he said: II
suppose you know the force that is be-
| hind the new party that has recently
| been formed, the sc called Progressive
| party. 1t is a force of discomfort with
| the regular parties of the United States.
| 1t is the feeling that men have gone in
| to blind alleys and come out often
| enough, and that they propose to find
an open road for themselves"
Mr. Babbitt is one of our honored
| gentlemen; an able, forceful man. in
| deed he is a live wire" A man who
no doubt, has used his magnificent pow
ers for great good to our state and in an
| honest effort to purge the Republican
| party of our state and no doubt he has
| given of his best so to do. But Mr..
Rabbit asserts that he believes more
can be accomplished within the Republi-
| ca nparty than without. Perhaps so.
but we believe that the so-called Pro-
gressive Republicans, the good men of
the Babbitt type, will soon drop the Re-
publican end of their party name and
ally themselves with the Progressives.
They are surely bound to come sooner
or later, in fact are coming every day.
Why should the Progressives of this
| county nominate for their senatorial
candidate men who cannot or will not
see that the Republican party has al
ready passed the period of coma, in
fact Is already dead from suicide in
| ficted by their action at their Chicago
| convention, and is now lying in state
while it's interment is being arranged for
| next November? Why! We should not
of course! There is no corner on gray
| matter brain tissue and there are live
wires outside the Republican fold and
we believe we have selected some of
| them for our senatorial candidates.
We may be "madly. insanely pro-
gressive" but thank the Lord" we
would rather be so than of the calm ca,
sober CO, logical CD Redmond type to
which we were so delighted ca to lis
ten Monday evening at Bellows Falls.
A. L. MINER.