St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-09-11
PRESS COMMENT
May Mean Wilson'S Election, But
Leaves No Hone for Progressives

May Mean Wilson's Election, But
Leaves No Hope for Progressives
The results of the election in Yer
mont must be distinctly disappointing
to the third-term partisans. They
have indeed thrown the election of
the governor into the Legislature,
where the republican candidate will
doubtless be chosen. But they have
not cast as large a vote as they pre-
dicted by several thousands. They
claimed 10000, and the returns so
far received indicate a vote of only
about $4,000 out of a larger total
vote than that of either 1908 or 1910.
Mr.. Fletcher appears to have lost
labout 80 per cent of the republican
vote, while the democrats have poll
ed their own strength, with slight
gain over that of 1910, but not more
than in proportion to the increased
attendance at the polls. The pro-
gressive vote is smaller than that of
the democrats, and only a little more
than half that of the republicans. It
is clear from these returns that Mr..
Roosevelt has organized a movement
encouraging to the democrats but
one quite incapable of placing him in
the White House. If in other states
] Tic 0CAuOCIdtb CdA nOAO JISlA NOLS
together as we'll as they have done in
Vermont and if the progressives can
divide the opposition in the same pro-
portion they will probably give the
victory to Mr.. Wilson. That is the
most they can do. New York Tri-
lbune.
The Lesson of Vermont
The voters of Vermont have elect
ed a republican legislature, and the
Green Mountain state still stands in |
the republican column, but the state |
ticket has failed to receive the sup
port of a majority at the polls. I'm |
questionably several causes combined !
to contribute to this failure. In the
first place, the republicans were not
particularly fortunate in their can
didate for governor man who. hay-
ing gained his fortune in another l
state, returned to the home OF his
ancestors with the avoWed purpose,
it has been charged, of seeking polit- 4
ical preferment. The home staying
Vermonters are a proud and sensi- Il
tive folk, and thousands of them re-
scented the endorsement of Mr.
Fletcher's candidacy. Then again the
Vermont farmers were as a rule Bit
terly opposed to the policy of reci
procity with Canada, and Tuesday
gave them their opportunity to give
effect to that opposition at the polls.
More important, apparently, than
either of these causes, was the spirit
of unrest which prevails among a ,
considerable proportion of the peo-
pie, not only of Vermont, but of the
country at large, and in this lies the
lesson which should arouse them to
increased vigilance and activity, to
the utmost care in selecting state and
local candidates and the united and !
earnest support of those candidates I
when selected. Attempted dictation
by a political machine, stubborn re-
action by the "old-guard' anywhere,
can result only in disaster, for the l.
voters are impatient Of control and
no longer in a submissive mood. Yet
the result in Vermont has a lesson
for republicans of every shade of
difference among themselves. Few if
any republicans in that state voted
with the democrats, as is shown by
the feet that the gain in the demo-
cratic vote is not in proportion to Z
the increase in the total vote over [
two years ago. Republicans do not
desire the success of the democratic 7
party, and will not give it direct ]
support, but they need to bear in
mind, from now until the close of
the presidential campaign, that a
vote for any other than the repub-
Iican candidate for President is half
a vote for Wilson and for the poll
cies of the party whose candidate he
is. The lesson of the Vermont cleo
ton is that republicans everywhere
must unite and work together from :
now on until November for the tri-
umph of the republican party and
it's principles, and if the lesson is
taken to heart, it will be found to
be a cause for encouragement, rather y
than depression. Manchester Union. {
StOutIy Standing Pat \
We are not pretending for min
ute to like the news from Vermont,
and we are not in the least scared
by it. The more quickly and perma-
nently the responsible republicans of 1
other states lay to heart every last
bit of admonition in it, the better.
knew in advance that
s JbrazeK flop OF reciprocity,
his equally brazen falsehoods about
Taft's nomination at Chicago, his adj &
roit appeals to discomfort of every q
sort and his empty but fne-sounding
promises, would knock hole in the
normal republican vote of Vermont. 4
ndI lie uOlS - DIS5OA Ine1A ~ "0
expected to be is a disagreeable but
not at all tragic detail. The General
Assembly is Overwhelmingly repub-
lican; a republican governor will adj
minister the states affairs; the mi
nor state offices will be held by re-
publicans; and, as we have said be-
fore and shall doubtless say again,
is not November. To us
the growth of the democratic vote in
Vermont is quite as interesting pO-
1itical phenomenon as the size of the
vote-if not more interest
ing Rnt that there's anY real dan