The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-04

4 IL wac 0PPuiCht CcA ~ IA hAS N'NA
ing that there had been no election
by the people, although sufficient
number of republican representatives
were successful to insure the choice
of Allen Nj. Fletcher of Cavendish, by
the legislature.
For many years political students
have pointed out that any decrease in
the republican majority in Vermont
| in September below the normal OF
$4,000 has been followed almost invar-
iably by the party defeat in the pres
| idential election IN November.
These majorities, which have aver
aged close to 10000 in all the state
elections in Vermont in presidential
by a bare plurality with the losses
going apparently in great degree to
the progressives and TO somewhat
lesser extent TO the democrats.
| The progressive leaders were great
ly pleased with the result OF the cleo
ton even If Rev. Fraser Metzger, the
candidate, did not win. 1t was pointed
out that the party had gone into the
fight with an organization that was
new TO the political game.
IL was forced TO make up with no
table orators what it lacked in party
management and with Col. Roosevelt
! leading the charge with the assistance
of many other speakers OF national
repute the party was able to bring
+, discomfort to the party that has dom
mated Vermont for more than half a
century.
| During the early hours of the count.
ing last night some of the progress.
sive leaders became so jubilant over
the returns as TO claim the election
of Rev. Metzger, but later, they seem
ed sufficiently pleased with having
accomplished what some OF them
termed moral victory over the re-
publicans.
| The democratic managers also de
rived some satisfaction from the early
returns. showing as they did decided
gains over two and four years ago.
They also pointed out that these gains
had been made despite the claims OF
the progressive speakers that the lat
ter party would recruit part of its
strength from the democrats.
Prohibitionists and Socialists Made
| But Little Progress.
Some of the democratic mathemati.
clans figured ON the basis of the re-
turns from half the state, that the
total democratic vote would reach
10000 or the largest In a state cleo
ton on presidential year since 1880.
The vote for the so-called minor
parties, the prohibition and socialist,
did not vary materially from former
years. The city of Barre gave Sutton,
the socialist candidate for governor,
the best support, although Rev. Metz
ger, the progressive leader, carried
the city. The democrats carried st.
Adams, another city.
The strength of the progressive
party was more pronounced on the
east side of the Green Mountains than
in the west and also among those
towns along the Canadian border
where the republican reciprocity mea-
sure was extremely distasteful.
Many of the republican leaders
claimed that the threatening weather
early in the day had contributed to
some degree to the falling of in the
: party vote. These men stated that
the registered vote of Vermont was
close. to 10000 and that had the day
been fair and the roads dry instead OF
muddy the party would have rolled up
total of over 10000 for Mr.. Fetch
er.
The leaders had plenty of carriages
at the polling places and local com
mittees made every effort to bring
the lame, the halt, and the blind to
. the polls. But the vote in the hill
towns, where conveyances we're few
and where party loyalty is relied up
on TO bring out the voters, fell of
materially.
In a number of the towns the first
election of representative failed
through the working of the majority
law and a second election had to be
held. In few cases the candidate
who had a plurality in the first cleo
ton failed completely in the second
and dark horse won. As a rule.
however, the leader on the first bal
lot was endorsed on the second bal.
lot.
The election as a whole passed of
quietly and all parties found some
consolation in the result.