The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-09-05
What Happened in Vermont.

In view of the consensus of opinion of
trained political and journalism observ-
ers who in the past few weeks have
made careful study of the situation
in the Green Mountain state only the
expected happened in Vermont last Tues
day. That there would be no election
by the people, that the choice of Cover
nor would be thrown into the legis-
lature and that the legislature would
be heavily Republican has been the tenor
of all predictions for a considerable time
past Tuesdays voting confirmed these
predictions to remarkable degree The
Republicans have plurality but not
majority for their candidate for COVER
nor In the legislature they will have
majority over all parties, majority
so emphatic that it will prevent any
coalition being formed between the third
party men and the Democrats to place
one of their number in the executive
chamber at Montpelier. Mr.. Fletcher is
as sure of being inaugurated governor
next month as he could be had he re-
ceiyed an old-time Republican ma jority.
The Republicans carried both congres
sional districts with the utmost ease.
The balloting was sympathetic with
the course of the pre-convention cam
paign in Vermont. Then, it will be re-
membered, Roosevelt got two out of the
eight delegates the state sent to Chica-
60. That Roosevelt minority was the
leaven of the third party vote Tuesday.
That vote in turn reflects conditions
which Roosevelt has adroitly organized
There has been floating feeling of I'M
sc
running back several years. insurgency
could not be said to exist in that state
in any organized form, but it was crop
ing its way to organization when the
.hird term candidate entered the field
Hst spring. Rightly or wrongly, many
Republicans got the impression that
money was counting for too much in
their state. These critics said that the
governorship was going to wealthy men
because those of moderate means could
not pay the freight" The last cam
paign left much bitterness in its trail
Again, the Vermont farmers, being near
neighbors of the Canadian farmers. were
much offended by President Taft's reci-
procity policy, and, moreover, there is in
some of the industrial towns OF Vermont
tendency to Socialism among labor
ing men. Mixing these elements of dis
content together and putting at the head
of his ticket country clergyman,
Roosevelt made an appeal to Republican
disaffection. The result must be dis
appointing to him, in spite of what he
may say upon reading the news TO such
gathering as he happens to be address
ing. In an election at which but half
of the registered votes of the state
were cast, only about one-third of the
Republicans voting followed his banner
If he calculated on breaking into the
Democratic strength he is again disap-
pointed, for the Democrats really made
small but still definite gains on their
vote of two years ago. If he is to raise
his party vote throughout the country
to portenteous figures he must do better
in other states than he did in Vermont.
The proportion that he drew from the
Republicans there would not count for
much in states where the Republicans
can roll up more votes than there are in
habitants in Vermont.
1t is the custom to call Vermont a
barometric state. but we need not attach
much importance TO sayings, for there
are communities in which President
Taft's reciprocity ideas exert an infu-
enee directly opposite 10 that they ex-
ercised among Vermont farmers. There
is great fighting area throughout the
country open to Republicans, who should
enter it to achieve the success of their
principles and who should see in Yer
mont simply a stimulus to renewed ex
ertion for the success of their party
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