Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-11-19
THE PROGRESSIVE RALLY.

The Progressive rally advertised
for Friday evening was held as an
nounced in Seaver's hall, about Is
people being present. About 80 of
this number came from Orleans in
automobiles
F. W. Cutting. president of the
Barton Progressive club. presided
and Introduced the Rev Fraser
Metzger of Randolph as the first
speaker. Mr.. Metzger thanked the
voters Of Orleans county for their
loyal and enthusiastic support Of the
Progressive ticket last fall. He told.
the story of his personal reason for
going to the Progressive movement,
his suspicion of the sudden conversion
of the Burlington Free Press to Pro-
gressive ideas and alluded to the
''stand pat'' press of Vermont. stating
that this series of rallies or education
al meetings was held merely to edu-
cate the people as to their duties and
privileges in voting for direct pri-
mary system of nomination, for state
officers at the March meetings next
spring. He said the Progressive party
has no paper in the state and must
therefore come before the people in
this manner. He said the party was born
because of a deep born conviction in
and for certain great principles and that
it would stand until those principles had
become incorporated into law: spoke
of the wrong conception some people
had of political parties in that their
object in winning was to hold office
but that the true principle for party
to fight upon was the principle of
being in power to enact deep born con-
victions into laws for the upfift of the
common people.
c.. II. Thompson, chairman of the
executive committee of the Progressive
party of Vermont, was next intro
duced. Mr.. Thompson said he was
disappointed that no one had accepted
his challenge to debate the direct
primary issue, stating that the Re-
pubicans voted down the issue at
every opportunity in the last legisIa-
ture He reiterated what had been
said before by him, ''There is no
middle ground. either you are for US
or against us in this fight. He said
the Progressive party was we'll organ
lied, in fact said it was admitted TO
be better organized than the Republi-
can party in Vermont, that it was
maintaining headquarters during the
''off' year. which was new depart
ure and was in the fight to the finish.
He explained that none received a
salary but was giving his time to the
work and said the expenses had been
apportioned. He said: "Orleans coun-
ty has a definite portion of the state
budget to raise" The hat was passed
and liberal amount received.
Mr.. Sumner, connected with the
Progressive movement in Washington
county and a delegate to the Chicago
convention of the new party in August,
made a few remarks and then the
Hon. Bainbridge Colby of New York
was introduced. Mr. Colby dwelt at
length on the direct and preferential
primary. He urged the adoption OF
the direct primary and branded the
preferential primary as snare anC
stumbling block. a device invented by
the bosses to retain their hold on the
nomination of officers. He said g
states now had primary nomination
laws and hoped to see Vermont abreast
of those with such laws instead o1
languishing behind with a few boss
ridden states which he named. He
talked at some length about New York
affairs. state and city, and closed by
pIcturing the bosses Of the Republican
party as willing to give up only sucI
portion of their corruptnesS as wa!
necessary and retaining all that was
possible for them to retain. Mr.. Colby
has fine command Of English anC
was profuse with his charges agains
the old parties and praise Of the new.
.On the rostrum with the speaker
and Chairman Cutting was Dr. j. NJ
Blake. Progressive county committee
man.