St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-05-29
Mr.. FLETCHER and Progressives.

Mr.. Fletcher and PrOgressives.
t. C. Cheney, president of the
Vermont Progressive Republican
League which was organized at
MONTPELIER last week declares that
it is not organized to promote the
candidacy Of any man but for the
purpose of rolling up good MAORI
ties after the party has named its
candidates and to further the pro-
gressive measures. Notwithstand-
ing this there seems to be consider
able activity among the members OF
the league in favor of ]. A. DeBoer
and open opposition to Allen M.
Fletcher for the republican nomin-
alton for the governorship. OF
course it is proper for them to as
sert their personal preferences for
the various state officers and their
activity may effect some changes in
the political situation.
Their chief opposition to Mr..
Fletcher is his tax record in the town
of Cavendish. Some of Mr.. Fletch-
er's friends 1--WE do not claim any
more definite knowledge say that he
is rated in Bradstreet's and other fl
nancial agencies as worth $4,000
90 Cor more. Although the law of
Vermont require man to make out
an inventory Of his property for the
purposes of taxation, Mr.. Fletcher
- ...e..ood - 40 On until 1Q10 Inst
how the listers of the town made
up Mr.. Fletcher's list from year to
year is not entirely clear but here
are the results:
For the years 1900, 1901, 1902
and 1913 he was assessed on SO, 275
worth Of real estate which was
doubled at least one year. During
these years the personal property
the listers could find was doubled
or what they could not find assessed
so that his grand list for three years
was $3.50, $317.3O, $2S6. and 1901.
For 1904 and 1906 his real estate
was valued at $5,925 and his person
al property 1uggled around so his
grand list was 1901 and $272.15.
For the next four years his real es-
tate was valued at $5,525 and his
personal list shifted about so his
grand list was as follows: $327.50,
$331.5O, $347.50 and S331.50. Then
Mr.. Fletcher began making out an
inventory according to law. In
1910 he gave the value of his real
estate as $5,S75, and personal prop
erty as $42,15O which gave him a
grand list of $4SO25 without a
poll. In 1911 he gave the value of
his real estate as $5,675 and person
al property as 1000. This year
his poll was added making a grand
list of $47S.75.
Everyone must admit that either
his friends are rating him too high
in the financial world or else he
possesses a large amount of prop
erty that he feels should not be lev
led upon to support his town and
state governments. The highest
amount of property subject to taxa
ton that has been secured in the
past IL years is $4S,O25, a rather
meager portion Of the amount for
which his friends rate him. This
tax record when placed beside ar
ticle six of the declaration of prin-
ciples OF the league adopted at it's
meeting in st. Johnsbury makes
progressive support Of Mr.. Fletcher
rather incompatible. 1t reads:
IS. No man is fit to be entrusted
with making laws; no man is fit
to be entrusted with executing laws;
and no man is tit to be entrusted
with constituting laws, unless he him
self intellectually is willing to
live up not only to the letter but
the spirit of the law"
Again Mr.. Fletcher's method of
seeking the nomination is more in
keeping with old than progressive
methods. While not declaring that
his methods are wrong, they have
been those of the old time politician
Of visiting political workers and
attempting Ito fix things" before
the people express their choice at
the caucuses. Mr.. DeBOer's meth
DDS have been entirely different. He
has not solicited any support in
private but has publicly expressed
his desire to receive the nomination
in an honorable way and declared +