St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-07-09
PRESS COMMENT
A Progressive Furore Analysed

Clement com bination has stirred up
the politicians all over the state.
Two papers take up the matter and
simply ridicule the editor. But
the merits of the combination is not
touched upon, neither is it denied.
This silence would seem to show
such a combination actually exists.
| Dillingham; for United States sena-
tor and Clement for governor. If
that doesn't show the Old Guard
proposes to run things in the Re
publican party then the wind is not
in the north when the straws go
south.
1t is too bad for this paper to give
away the well-laid plans of the Re-
pubileans. 1t cannot be the big
powers imagined for a minute that
/ the game would be plain just the
minute the Herald came out in sup
port of Dillingham;. With such a
| plan on foot it was actually foolish"
/ for Mr.. Clement to show his hand
so early in the game.
There is a deeper-laid plot in
this combination than appears on
the surface. The motive is a big
one and the facts are quite likely to
come to light before Iong.-Burling
ton Clipper.
We are sorry for the Clipper. 1t
says this Dillingh article
stirred up the politicians all over
the state" In the next sentence it
says, 1.-TWO papers take up the mat
ter" Then to cap the climax, the
Clipper says, This silence would
seem to show such a combination
really exists Yes, it made an
awful furore, two papers comment
ed upon it, one a little county week
ly, and neither of them took it Sc
riOusly. We imagine this is the
first instance on record where the
politicians of Vermont have been
stirred" and only two papers
commented upon the great stroke
that stirred them. And then to
think that the silence" of the
stirred" politicians of this entire
state proved the truth of an ultra
Progressive hallucination. This
''silence" of the politicians, please
note, also proves that they are
stirred"
For not touching upon the merits
of the matter, Dear Clipper, we
apologize. We did not know of the
deal until it came to us in the Clip
per. So we could not deny it. OF
course we should have swallowed it
then, hook, line and sinker.
The Clipper proceeds and says,
1T was too bad for this paper to
give away the well-laid plans of the
Republicans. Further down it
says, There is a deeper plot, (b-r-r.
Mama, please stay with me till I'm
asleep, in this combination than
appears on the surface The mo-
tive is a big one (this is getting aw-
full and the facts are quite likely
to come to light before long" We
hope so. This suspense is awful.
We supposed the Clipper ex-
posed the plot" before. We are
surprised that there are "facts" to
come to light" yet. Why not give
them to us now. That marvellous
gift of premonition is not given to
us all.-[Barto Monitor.
Rights of Newspapers
Judge Hand, in the federal court
at New York, has rendered a deci-
sion which, while it has reference
only to newspapers, will meet the
approval of newspaper readers. The
decision is that newspaper has a
legal right to expose a business
firms methods of doing business,
provided the motives of it's publish
ers ARE open to the belief that they
are in good faith exposing those
who are over-reaching the simple
and abusing the confidence of the
credulous." Judge Hand, in his
decision, wrote further: while
editors are not exempt from the COM
mon motives of other men, they
may, and in this case they do, en-
terrain a general desire to help their
readers and expose such as may
practice upon their credulity. That
is a very admirable purpose in a
newspaper. The refusal Of the
plaintiffs advertising long before
this controversy became acute is a
confederation of that motive" Now,
presumably, some paragrapher will
have his joke about the glad
hand" but the judge is entitled all
the same to high praise for his
sensible recognition of the
rights, duties and services of the
newspaper press.-[ Manchester
Union.
New Marriage Laws Being Enacted
A good many states are agitating
legislation preventing the marriage |
of mentally or physically unfit per-
sons and several states are actually
passing bills designed to accomplish |
this. A bill has passed both hous-
es of the Pennsylvania legislature !
providing that no marriage license |
shall be issued where either party is |
an imbecile or epileptic or of I'M
sound mind, nor to any man who is |
or has been within five years an
inmate of any county asylum or
home for INDECENT persons, unless
the applicant can show that the !
cause of such condition has been |
removed and that he is physically |
able to support a family. The bin !
further requires applicants for IL
censes to file a statement declaring |
themselves to be immune from trans |
missable disease. North Dakota has |
a new marriage law in effect that |
provides that a woman, unless she |
be over As years old, and a man, ex-
cept he marry a woman over that |
age, cannot be married if either be |
a common drunkard, a criminal, an |