The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-16
state Politics

political matters-at least, no discus
sion that has received any consider
able amount of attention from the
of the state Immediate
IL after the April conventions some
of the Roosevelt leaders announced
that their fight would be continued to
the extent of naming progressive !
for state, district, and
county offices, but no organized move
in this direction has yet made its
appearance AS far as state offices
are concerned the likelihood of any
new candidates is as remote as their
chances of success should they enter
the lists. Those who have been over
the ground carefully-and there has
been considerable ploughing in shell
tered places--say that the DeBoer
boom began to disintegrate about the
time the Montpelier candidate began
to get "peeved" at the attitude OF
certain newspapers which had the |
hardihood to assert that other men |
were as well qualified for the COVER
norship as the president OF the Nat |
ional Life Insurance company Now
even the wreckage has disappeared,
and the furnishings in the DeBoer
club headquarters are used only as
abutments for spider-webs. This dis
indignation apparently leaves Allen
NJ. Fletcher of Cavendish clear
field. and what has been foregone
conclusion for months now seems to
be a certainty
Surprisingly little has appeared in
the papers lately concerning the pro-
gress of the various lieutenant Cover
norship candidates., but it is to be
presumed that this lack of publicity
indicates no lack Of momentum.
Friends of Frank +. Howe assert that
his chances are better than those OF
Willard f. Barnes OF Addison or Max
H. Powell OF Burlington, although this
is open to denial by the Barnes and
Powell forces. Nothing about the
candidacy of Chauncey Brownell OF
Burlington for the same Office would
seem to indicate that it is intended
to be anything more than an annoy
ance TO Mr. Powell, and almost the
same thing might be said of the can
didacy OF Frank Archibald Of Man
chester for attorney general with re-
lation to that of Mr.. Howe. In fact,
II is generally believed that the man
most likely to succeed Attorney Gen
eral Sargent, other than himself is
Rufus +. Brown of Burlington. Now
that the DeBoer bubble has burst,
State Treasurer h. II. Deavit; Of
Montpelier seems to have clear sail
ing and no breath of opposition has
been heard TO Guy W. Bailey, secre-
tary of state, or Auditor H. F Ora
| ham
Second district politics are in what
might be termed a seidlitz powder
state: that is, a little mixing might
result in much effervescence. AL
though nothing in the form of open
opposition to Representative Plumley
has appeared, quiet dissatisfaction
has developed in various places. This
of course. may be due in large meas
ure to local disappointments over the
distribution of petty patronage, but
its existence is nevertheless likely
to quicken various latent aspirations
and lead the possessors thereof TO be-
lieve that this year of 1912 is the psy-
Geological time to start something.
IL wouldn't be the strangest thing in
| the world If the perennial Porter
| Dale of Island Pond should appear on
the northern horizon in the role OF
a political Aurora Borealis, while the
names of Horace Graham and ex-Gov.
lW. W. Stickney OF Ludlow have been
mentioned in the same connection.
These candidates would not have the
popular advantage that would come
to Judge Frank Thompson OF Barton,
Wallace n. Batchelder OF Bethel, y.
w. Gibson OF this town or some other
1T. r. supporter who might enter the
race. although as matter OF fact
the Roosevelt sentiment as an aid to
Individual aspirations is greatly over
rated. In the late unpleasantness the
/ issue had nothing to do with the in
dlvidual fitness OF any Vermonter
but with the choice of a candidate for
president A great many men who
are qualified to serve as instructed
delegates are not of congressional
timber
There isn't great deal that car
be said against the record of Repres
entative Plumley for the reason that
Il doesn't stand out in bold relief. He
has been an earnest, conscientious
worker without doubt but his service
lacks force-he doesn't appear to b'
a positive. constructive quantity. How
ever. in fairness to him II should be
said that this statement is the result
OF no careful analysis of what he has
accomplished. II Mr.. Plumley woulC
come home (as he ought to do If he
expects to 20 back and tell his con
stituents what valiant service he has
been rendering. the chances are thai
no opposing candidacy can gair
enough momentum between now ant
convention time to give him trouble
over in the first district the figh
for the seat Of the late Congressman
J Foster Is between two St Alban'
men. both OF them young and able
and active and ambitious From thi,
viewpoint 1t would seem as If Franl
l.. Greene ought TO be an easy win
ner over Warren Austin. The for
mer is said to be practically assure,
of the support of his home city, Ad
Olson. Chttenden, Bennington, Rut
land and Lamoille counties. 1t Is in
conceivable that Mr.. Greene's excep
tional fitness for the place should no
| be recognized -BrnttlpbOro Reform