Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-09-12
(TO BE CONTINUED)
WHAT HAPPENED IN VERMONT.


In view Of the consensus of opinion
OF trained political and journalistic OBJ
servers who in the past few weeks have
made a careful study of the situation
in the Green Mountain State only the
expected happened in Vermont yester-
day. That there would be no election by
the people, that the choice Of governor
would be thrown into the Legislature
and that the Legislature would be heav-
lily republican has been the tenor Of
all predictions for a considerable time
past. Yesterdays voting confirmed these
predictions to a remarkable degree. The
republicans have a plurality but not a
majority for their candidate for govern
or. In the Legislature they will have a
majority over all parties. a majority
so emphatic that 1t 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 receiv-
ed an old-time republican majority. The
republicans carried both congressional
districts with the utmost case.
The balloting was sympathetic with
the course OF the pre-convention cam
paign in Vermont. Then. 1t will be re-
meinbered. Roosevelt got two out of the
eight delegates the State sent to Chi
cago. That Roosevelt minority was the
leaven OF the Third Party vote yester-
day. That vote in turn reflects condi-
tions which Roosevelt has adroitly or
gained. There has been floating feel
Ing OF unrest among the republicans OF
Vermont running back several years. In
surgenc! could not be said to exist in
that State in any organized form. but
it vas grouping its way 10 organization
when the Third Term candidate enter
cd the field last spring. Rightly or
wrongly. many republicans got the i'm
preston that money was counting for
too much in their State. These critics
said that the sovernorship was going to
wealthy men because those of moderate
means could rot pay the freight" The
last State campaign left much bitterness
in its trail. Again, the Vermont farm
ers. being near neigh ors of the Cana
dian farmers were much offended by
President Taft's reciprocity policy. and,
however. moreover, there is IN some OF
the industrial towns Of Vermont a ten
Gency to Socialism among laboring men.
Mixing these elements OF discomfort to-
gether and putting at the head of his
ticket a country clergyman, Roosevelt
made an appeal to republican disaffec-
ton. The result must be disappointing
to him, in spite of what he may say
upon reading the news to such gather
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 call
culated on breaking into the democratic
strength he is again disappointed. for
the democrats really made small but
still definite gains on their vote of two
years ago II he is 10 raise his party
vote throughout the country to porten-
tou. figures he must do better in other
States than he has done 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
inhabitants In Vermont.
1t IL the custom to call Vermont a
barometric State. but we need not at
tach much Importance to sayings, for
there are communities In which Presi-
dent Tafts reciprocity ideas exert an in
fuence directly opposite to that they ex-
ercised among Vermont farmers. There
is a 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 stimulous to renewed ex-
ticket