St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-06-05

FOR several weeks the montpelier
Argus has been carrying on a cam
paign of mud-slinging as against
Windsor county's candidate for the
governOrship, Allen M. Fletcher of
Cavendish. On this low level of po-
litical warfare it has been assisted by
coterie of local talent
The Argus, apparently in the in
terest of it's own idealistic candidate,
has devoted time and energy to Mr..
Fletcher's relation to the grand list
of his own town, and, by repeated
/ innuendo, has sought to weaken his
candidacy The contemporary, feed
ing upon it's own mud, has grown
holder and holder in it's attacks, and
in a recent issue made the following
direct charge:
'eThat about the year 1906 certain
of the Cavendish listers demanded
that Mr.. Fletcher make out an in
ventory of his personal estate for the
purpose of taxation in said town;
that Mr.. Fletcher deliberately refus-
ed so to do on the ground that he
had an arrangement with the town;
that for ten years at least this condi-
ton existed .
Some tactics adopted in political
campaigns are so easily seen through
!
so far as effect is concerned; or SO
thoroughly contemplate as to be
beneath the notice of any self-re-
specting candidate; and most of the
tactics INDUCED in by the Argus be-
long in one or the other of these
classes. The charge it makes, as
above quoted, belongs, however, in
another and more serious class. This
charge by the Montpelier contempor-
airy we brand as an absolute false
hood, without foundation on fact,
and intended to serve purpose that
| is descreditable to everybody con-
cerned in the making of it. With
any sense of, or inclination to, fair
ness, the Argus could have convinced
| itself-if it had chosen so to do
that the charge it was invited to
make was not gospel truth, and that
the peculiar sources of it's informa-
ton would bear investigation. The
Tribune bases it's branding of this
charge on information obtained from
the authorities of Cavendish-a
source as open to the Argus as to the
Tribune. Mr.. Fletcher did not refuse
to make out an inventory. There was
no argument between him and the
town that would release him from his
duty in the matter of an inventory.
In the very nature of things there
could be no such arrangement. Mr..
Fletcher could have no grounds for
seeking such an arrangement. The
town would have no right to make
it.
Another charge made by the Ar
gus is:
"That the present year said
Fletcher had made out an inventory
and has a grand list far greater
than under the so-called arrange
ment.
Let us see about this: Mr..
Fletcher, cas- citizen of Cavendish,
has always been willing to pay tax
es on all his taxable property, and
the assessments made by the listers
have been made to cover all such
taxable property. His willingness
so to pay is proven by the fact that
when he made his return it was for
practically the same amounts as the
assessments previously made. The
increase in the inventory of 1912 is
accounted for by the sale of real
estate located outside of the state,
in the fall of 1911, on which Mr..
Fletcher holds a purchase-money
mortgage, this mortgage first be-
coming taxable in Cavendish the
present year.
So far as relates to alleged "ar-
rangement" or any difficulty what
ever between Mr.. Fletcher and the
| listers, on which the Argus has
harped so persistently, it need only
be said further that the Tribune has
in hand, a statement signed by all
the listers resident in Cavendish,
save one, declaring that "the course
- NJ or RI
for taxation in Cavendish has been
entirely just, equitable and salts
factory to the several boards of lis
ters." The one signature missing
from this statement is that of Chris
TOPPER w. Goodrich, and it's alb
sence can be satisfactorily account
ed for in detail if the Argus will
take the trouble to look the matter
up. The truth is, there never has
been, at any time, any trouble or
controversy between Mr.. Fletcher
and the board of listers or any
member of the board.
The animus of the opposition to
Mr.. Fletcher's candidacy in one or
two sections of Windsor county will
not bear analysis in the light of fair
ness and sufficient motive. Three
or four missionaries of the vituper-
dIlVe, muu-SllHSlnS CulC nave DOOA
busy of late, with voice and pen, att
tempting to generate prejudice and
antagonism in a territory where
the broader view of things political.
might sensibly, wisely and safely
prevail; and it is an interesting
commentary on the success of these
distributors of tracts and tongue
product that so comparatively few
Rave been persuaded by them. This
may be politics" If so, it is a
pretty cheap brand of the article,
and will not count for much with
the thinking PEOPLE of the county
and the state.-LThe Vermont Tri-
bune.
Thank You.
The ST Johnsbury Caledonian is