The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-09-07
ans That She Has Found Out Girl Danger Ge
Fits WARNS METER
Clergyman Has Not Practlced What
He breaches.

Hon. Clarke c. Fits of Brattleboro
makes the following statement:
Reverend Frazer Metzger, the Pro
gressiye candidate for governor. has
seen fit to make public short quota
ton from a long letter / wrote him
on the goth of last April. He did this
on the last day of the campaign when
there was no opportunity to adequate
ly get a reply before the people. He
did this, as is apparent, in an attempt
to hurt the republican candidate for
governor and to secure votes for him.
self. He has had my letter since the
goth of April. 1t was not fair nor
honorable that he undertake the last
day of the campaign to make quo
tation from that letter, even If his
sense of fairness permitted him to do
it at all. He should have done it long
ago when there was a fair opportuni-
ty to reply.
On April 18th last Mr.. Metzger,
with whom / have been on personal
friendly relations for some time,
wrote me a personal letter. The first
paragraph of that letter is as follows
Il am rather sorely in need of some
very plain and honest advice and /
know of no man who is in better po-
sition to give it than yourself. The
difficulty under which | am laboring
at the present time is politics"
He then states his idea that he may
like to run for Congress against Mr..
Plumley, at length discusses the mat
ter and asks my honest opinion as to
his chances and the advisability of
his entering the field, etc. And his
letter concludes:
81 must apologize for intruding up
on busy mans time with what is as
yet a personal matter, but / know
your interest i'm the affairs of our
State and your acquaintance with my
self will constitute sufficient rea-
son for my appeal"
ask him to publish the whole let
ter. did reply to him the day after
/ received his letter and wrote him
at length concerning general politi-
cal conditions and the likely effect
upon him, a fair and direct answer
to his personal request to me for per-
sonal advice. My letter to him was
personal / have never used IL nor
thought of using il in this campaign,
either his letter or my reply. In the
letter did state what is quoted in his
public statement in the press. ask
him to print the whole of my letter
] had then been informed of the
things which the democratic and pro-
gressive campaign committees are
now using in attack upon Mr.. Flet-
cher and in my letter TO Mr.. Metzger
| stated the opinion | had in view of
those statements. IL has since turned
out that those statements are lacking
of the whole truth. On knowing the
whole truth I have become satisfied
that Mr.. Fletcher is worthy and have
been glad since his nomination to
give him the best support have been
able and among other things have
been glad TO help refute the charges
so maliciously made against him.
But 10 me the only regret is that a
man whom ! have felt worthy of my
friendship should so violate every
principle of true friendship as to dis
close for political purposes the per-
sonal answer of a friend to q person
al request he had made of him. 1t is
such want of good faith, such a lack
of the first principles of courtesy, that
regret his conduct. He now says
repeatedly on the platform that he is
not seeking office. In April he was
suggesting his own nomination for
Congress. He says now that the Re
publican party is and for a long time
has been unworthy of respect and the
support of good men. In April he
was concentrating the start NJ HE
own campaign for nomination at the
hands of the Republican party. He
now says that people should beware
of politicians and those who have
been in any way connected with pub
lie affairs of the State OF Vermont, be-
cause they are unworthy. In April
he was seeking the counsel and ad-
vice and support OF one of those
whom he now calls a politician. II is
regrettable.